Bulgur and Chickpeas With Preserved Lemon Vinaigrette

Submitted by Annacia

"This dish is loaded with texture and flavor. Wrap it in a whole-grain pita for lunch, take it on a picnic, or serve it as a side dish at dinner. If using canned chickpeas, be sure to rinse and drain thoroughly to remove salt."

 

• Ready In: 25mins
• Ingredients: 17
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• 1 cup vegetable stock
• 1 cup coarse-grind Bulgar wheat
• 1 1⁄2 cups cooked chickpeas
• 1⁄2 red onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes, soaked in water to rehydrate, drained and chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped pitted nicoise olives
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (Italian)
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro (fresh coriander)
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

• PRESERVED LEMON VINEGRETTE

• 1⁄4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons minced preserved lemons or 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1⁄2 teaspoon paprika
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

directions

1. In a small saucepan, bring the vegetable stock to a boil.
2. Place the bulgur in a large, heat-proof bowl and pour in the boiling stock. Cover and let stand until the bulgur is tender and the liquid is completely absorbed, about 15 minutes.
3. Add the chickpeas, onion, tomatoes, olives, parsley, cilantro, salt and pepper and stir to combine.
4. PRESERVED LEMON VINEGRETTE:.
5. In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, garlic, preserved lemon, cumin, paprika and ground coriander. Whisk in the olive oil until emulsified.
6. Pour the vinaigrette over the salad and toss gently to mix and coat evenly. Transfer the mixture to a serving bowl and serve immediately.

Reviews

[Deantini]

This is just outstanding! I added fresh tomatoes instead of sundried and omitted the olives - out of preference, instead of olives I added a bit of feta cheese. I also used lemon peel since I did not have preserved lemons. Just love it, flavours, texture and everything just balance so nicely. Thank you for sharing this keeper!

 

[FDADELKARIM]

DH really enjoyed this dish. I did leave out the sun-dried tomatoes because he doesn't like them. Made for Ramadan Tag 09

 

[VegSocialWorker]

Yum, this was really tasty and quick to make. I have a bunch of preserved lemons to use up, so this recipe helped me out a bit. I used freshly made chickpeas and had to use orange juice instead of lemon (that's what I had) but otherwise kept to the recipe (pretty much- though I decreased the oil quite a bit). Thanks for posting this lovely dish.

 

[justcallmetoni]

Loaded with texture and flavor is right. For me this was pure comfort food full of wholesome grains and a complex slight salty blend of tastes from the olive and preserved lemons that ignited my palette. I loved that the dish was effortless in preparation and included things one can easily find in my pantry. While preserved lemons might not be a staple for most, they are well worth a little effort to find if you can as they really do add something that one might not get from regular lemon peel. I see this not just a dish fine enough to stand on it's own as a vegetarian meal but as the the starting point for some wonderful variations created by adding roasted vegetables like red pepper, zucchini, summer, squash or eggplant. Thanks!