Avocado and bulgur salad

 

Sometimes I forget about bulgur, and that's a shame. It lies halfway between couscous and quinoa in the time prep category. Bon Appetit once described it as the whole grain for busy people. But obviously it's not on everyone's radar, because BlogSpot doesn't recognize it as a word. (Um, really? I guess I understand; somehow I want the second u to be an a as in Bulgaria.) At any rate, this recipe makes admirable use of it.

Avocado and bulgur salad
Adapted from Bon Appetit, August 2022, an issue with lots of likely looking prospects.
Note: The original recipe called for 2 avocados, but once I’d sliced up one and placed it on the salad that seemed like plenty. It calls for raw pistachios, but I only had  honey roasted pistachios on hand, which added a certain whatsit. It also calls for fresh jalapeños, not pickled, but when you have a partial jar lurking in the back of the frig, you look for ways to use them up, and it worked well here.

Ingredients
¾ cup bulgur
¾ cup water
½ teaspoon ground cumin
5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
12 scallions
½ cup chopped pistachios
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
Pickled jalapeño slices, equivalent to 1 to 2 peppers
½ cup chopped cilantro, plus more leaves for garnish
1 large avocado, cut into large pieces
3 cups arugula, leaves torn if large

Method
Bring water to a boil. Stir in bulgur, cumin and a pinch of salt. Cover and remove from heat. Let stand 10 minutes and then fluff with a fork.

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium high heat. Cook scallions, turning occasionally, until charred. Transfer onions to a cutting board and coarsely chop.

In the oil that remains in the pan, brown pistachios over medium heat. If raw, season with salt.

In a large bowl, combine bulgur, scallions, lemon zest and juice, jalapeños, ½ cup cilantro, oil from pan used to cook the scallions, and remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add avocado and arugula and toss to combine. Divide among plates and garnish with pistachios and cilantro leaves.

Rating: I am now out of bulgur. Because of this recipe, I am going to restock the pantry. It's fairly quick, and really quite tasty. The cumin and charred scallion oil really come through. Good texture mix. Dave-approved, although I think the honey-roasted pistachios played a role there.