I managed to cook a meal!
Ok, not much of a meal, but nevertheless I did cook supper last night. Bulghur-stuffed peppers. A labour-intensive recipe, as it happens, and I'd forgotten how tedious it really could be. Fortunately, thinking that I had three weeks left as a mother-to-be, I had planned to make this before the baby was born; yet realising how little energy I actually had, I bought pre-shredded asiago. (Horrors!) Saved at least one step. And, using the food processor with which I didn't really want to fight, Werner chopped the mushrooms for me.
The recipe: Bulgur-Stuffed Sweet Peppers
Source: Canadian Living (September 2003)
Ingredients:
1/2 cup (125 mL) bulgur
4 small sweet red peppers (about 2 lb/1 kg total)
4 cups (1 L) mushrooms (12 oz/375 g)
2 tbsp (25 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp (15 mL) finely chopped fresh sage (or 1 tsp/5 mL dried, crumbled)
3/4 tsp (4 mL) each salt and pepper
1/2 cup (125 mL) shredded Asiago cheese
1/4 cup (50 mL) toasted slivered almonds
1/4 cup (50 mL) chopped fresh parsley
2 tbsp (25 mL) lemon juice
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
In large bowl, pour 1-1/3 cups (325 mL) boiling water over bulgur; cover and let stand for 15 minutes. Drain and press out moisture; return to dry bowl.
Meanwhile, slice tops off peppers, leaving 2-inch (5 cm) high sides; core and scrape out seeds. Dice tops and set aside.
In food processor or by hand, finely chop mushrooms. In large nonstick skillet, heat half of the oil over medium-high heat; fry diced peppers, mushrooms, onion, garlic, sage and 1/2 tsp (2 mL) each of the salt and pepper until liquid is evaporated, about 10 minutes. Add to bulgur along with cheese, almonds and parsley; toss to combine.
Spoon bulgur mixture into peppers, mounding if necessary. Place peppers, stuffed side up, in 8-inch (2 L) square glass baking dish. Drizzle with lemon juice and remaining oil; top with tomatoes. Sprinkle with remaining salt and pepper.
Cover with foil; bake in 350°F (180°C) oven until peppers are almost tender, about 1 hour. Uncover and bake until tops are crusty, about 30 minutes.
Tips:
Bulgur is steamed dried wheat kernels that are ground to various degrees, from coarse to fine. If it's not specified on the box, it is medium.
You can replace cooked bulgur with 1 cup (250 mL) cooked rice or couscous.
Nutritional information:
Per serving: about 302 cal, 10 g pro, 16 g total fat (4 g sat. fat), 35 g carb, 8 g fibre, 12 mg chol, 564 mg sodium. % RDI: 15% calcium, 23% iron, 73% vit A, 518% vit C, 29% folate.
One problem with this recipe (and similar recipes, too): I've never figured out what to serve with it. The stuffed pepper alone is satisfying (and sufficiently well-rounded) to be a main dish, but it looks so naked on a plate without a side-dish. A side vegetable seems redundant, however. Werner suggested a side dish of meat - maybe he's onto something?
The recipe: Bulgur-Stuffed Sweet Peppers
Source: Canadian Living (September 2003)
Ingredients:
1/2 cup (125 mL) bulgur
4 small sweet red peppers (about 2 lb/1 kg total)
4 cups (1 L) mushrooms (12 oz/375 g)
2 tbsp (25 mL) extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp (15 mL) finely chopped fresh sage (or 1 tsp/5 mL dried, crumbled)
3/4 tsp (4 mL) each salt and pepper
1/2 cup (125 mL) shredded Asiago cheese
1/4 cup (50 mL) toasted slivered almonds
1/4 cup (50 mL) chopped fresh parsley
2 tbsp (25 mL) lemon juice
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
In large bowl, pour 1-1/3 cups (325 mL) boiling water over bulgur; cover and let stand for 15 minutes. Drain and press out moisture; return to dry bowl.
Meanwhile, slice tops off peppers, leaving 2-inch (5 cm) high sides; core and scrape out seeds. Dice tops and set aside.
In food processor or by hand, finely chop mushrooms. In large nonstick skillet, heat half of the oil over medium-high heat; fry diced peppers, mushrooms, onion, garlic, sage and 1/2 tsp (2 mL) each of the salt and pepper until liquid is evaporated, about 10 minutes. Add to bulgur along with cheese, almonds and parsley; toss to combine.
Spoon bulgur mixture into peppers, mounding if necessary. Place peppers, stuffed side up, in 8-inch (2 L) square glass baking dish. Drizzle with lemon juice and remaining oil; top with tomatoes. Sprinkle with remaining salt and pepper.
Cover with foil; bake in 350°F (180°C) oven until peppers are almost tender, about 1 hour. Uncover and bake until tops are crusty, about 30 minutes.
Tips:
Bulgur is steamed dried wheat kernels that are ground to various degrees, from coarse to fine. If it's not specified on the box, it is medium.
You can replace cooked bulgur with 1 cup (250 mL) cooked rice or couscous.
Nutritional information:
Per serving: about 302 cal, 10 g pro, 16 g total fat (4 g sat. fat), 35 g carb, 8 g fibre, 12 mg chol, 564 mg sodium. % RDI: 15% calcium, 23% iron, 73% vit A, 518% vit C, 29% folate.
One problem with this recipe (and similar recipes, too): I've never figured out what to serve with it. The stuffed pepper alone is satisfying (and sufficiently well-rounded) to be a main dish, but it looks so naked on a plate without a side-dish. A side vegetable seems redundant, however. Werner suggested a side dish of meat - maybe he's onto something?
posted by Melanie A at 12:30 PM
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