Bulgar Wheat Salad with Pears, Pomegranate & Feta Cheese

                             Bulgar Wheat Salad with Pears, Pomegranate & Feta Cheese

Pomegranates have to be the jewels of the food world.  They make any dish burst into life with their iridescence quality. I've used them here for this colourful, delicious, abstract salad. Pretty as a picture.

A light refreshing & healthy dish that will grace any table, makes a delightful starter or lunch. It's a perfect time of the year for this....pears & pomegranates are both in season and are great value for money just now. There's a delicious contrast in flavours with this salad, sweet, sour, sharp & salt along with plenty of different textures with a nice crunch from the Pomegranate.    



To serve 4 portions as a starter or side dish or 2 for a main meal

1 cup of Bulgar wheat simmered in 5 cups boiling water for 15 minutes ...leave until all water is absorbed
2 Ripe but firm pears cored and sliced lengthwise into 8 pieces per pear (I used Conference)
2 Pomegranates Seeded  * see below for tips of de-seeding
1 red onion finely sliced
4 oz Feta Cheese
handful of flat leaf parsley chopped
handful of mint leaves chopped ( substitute of 2 tsps of mint sauce if you don't have it)
2 tsps sesame oil
1 tsp Ras-el-Hanout  * see below
the juice of half a large lemon.
½ tsp sea salt
good grind of fresh black pepper


Method

Cook the Bulgar as per packet instructions or as I mentioned above
Leave until it is just warm..if all the liquid hasn't been absorbed then drain well
Place in a large bowl
Add the Sesame oil, the lemon juice, salt, pepper, Ras-el-Hanout mix together
Add the parsley, mint, red onion, pomegranate seeds & pears gently fold everything together
Pile on a plate and crumble of the Feta Cheese and sprinkle with a little extra chopped parsley.
Serve  

* Ras-el-Hanout is a Moroccan Spice Mix that includes dried ginger, coriander,paprika, nutmeg, cloves and cardamom amongst other spices. It also has a sprinkling of scented rose petals added.  It's such a versatile mix that I use in a lot of my dishes.  You can buy it readily in most UK supermarkets
You could substitute this with a little dried cumin, allspice, paprika & coriander.  Just use 1 tsp of this combination

Pomegranates from our Turkish Holiday

* To easily de-seed a pomegranate, roll it on your work surface with a firm hand.  You will feel the seeds coming away beneath the skin.  Cut in half, either bang the skin with a wooden spoon over a bowl and they will start to fall out or just remove them with your fingers discarding any of the bitter pith that lies between the seeds. I'd suggest you use gloves for this...pomegranates will stain your hands.

   

Quinoa & Mackerel Salad with Broccoli, Pineapple & Red Peppers

Quinoa is a welcome change from rice, pasta or other grains.  There's been quite a lot of research into it's health benefits...I'm not too sure I believe the claims that it's a super food..but it contains beneficial amino acids ...it is also slightly more calorific than rice but benefits from having more protein...great for vegetarians especially.

Here's a little article from the BBC's Jo Lewin who writes for the Good Food Magazine

An introduction to quinoa

Quinoa, pronounced ‘keen-wa’ is a great wheat-free alternative to starchy grains. There are two types: red and creamy white. Both types are slightly bitter when cooked and open up to release little white curls (like a tail) as they soften.

Grown in South America (Peru, Chile and Bolivia) for thousands of years, quinoa formed the staple diet of the Incas and their descendants. In recent years, foodies in the UK and the US have heralded it as a superior alternative to bulgur wheat, couscous and rice. Though it often occupies a similar role to these grains in dishes, quinoa is actually in the same family as beets, chard and spinach.

Nutritional highlights...

The UN named 2013 ‘International Quinoa Year’ in recognition of the crop’s high nutrient content. With twice the protein content of rice or barley, quinoa is also a very good source of calcium, magnesium and manganese. It also possesses good levels of several B vitamins, vitamin E and dietary fibre.

Cooked quinoa seeds become fluffy and creamy, yet maintains a slight crunch. It has a delicate and subtly nutty flavor, versatile for breakfast (as a cereal), lunch (as a salad) or dinner (as a side).

My recipe uses Smoked Mackerel but you could use, salmon, tuna or chicken or if you're a vegetarian leave these out ...you could substitute with some toasted cashew nuts...they would be just perfect.

The recipe:- to serve 4 portions

4 small smoked Mackerel Fillets ( mine were peppered)  skin removed & flaked

120 gms/ 4 oz Quinoa cooked as per packet instructions 

1 small head of broccoli, cut into small florettes and blanched

1 red onion finely chopped

1 red pepper diced

16 radishes sliced

½ small pineapple cut into chunks

4 spring onions sliced...including the green part

small bunch of parsley chopped

the zest & juice of 1 lemon

2 tsps toasted sesame oil

1 tbsp light Olive Oil

2 tsps Horseradish sauce or 1 tsp prepared Wasabi paste

Salt & pepper to taste 

Method

In a jug mix together the sesame oil, zest & juice of the lemon, the olive oil and  Horseradish sauce 

Check for seasoning, add salt & lots of pepper to taste

Place everything else in a large bowl, pour over the dressing, carefully bring everything together

Serve