Spiced bulgur wheat with roast vegetables
This is one of my most repeated suppers, particularly when I have vegetarian or vegan friends over, but not only then; even meat-eaters do not need to eat meat every day. And while it’s certainly enough for four, I don’t decrease quantities for two; this is most definitely something you want in a tub in the fridge to eat later in the week, whether reheated or as a salad.
Ingredients
For the bulgur wheat
- small bunch fresh coriander, stalks and leaves separated and finely chopped
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 orange, zest only
- 2 large garlic cloves, crushed or grated
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- â…› tsp dried chilli flakes
- 200g/7oz bulgur wheat
- 50²µ/1¾´Ç³ú red lentils
- 1½ tsp sea salt flakes (or ¾ tsp fine sea salt), plus extra if needed
For the roast vegetables
- 400g/14oz leeks (trimmed weight), cut into 3cm/1¼in logs
- 2–3 red peppers, seeds removed and cut into large bite-sized pieces
- 200g/7oz cherry tomatoes
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp sea salt flakes (or ½ tsp fine sea salt)
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp orange juice, plus extra if needed
- 150²µ/5½´Ç³ú radishes
Method
To make the bulgur wheat, very gently heat the oil in a heavy-based casserole over a low heat and stir the orange zest into the oil. Add the garlic and the finely chopped coriander stalks and stir these into the oil for about 30 seconds. Turn the heat up a little, just to medium–low, and add the fennel, cumin and coriander seeds, followed by the chilli flakes, and give everything a good stir.
Turn the heat up to high and quickly add the bulgur wheat and lentils. Stir again well to make sure everything is mixed together. Now add 375ml/13fl oz cold water and the salt and bring to the boil. Once it’s started bubbling, clamp on the lid, turn the heat back down to low and leave to cook gently for 15 minutes, or until all the water is absorbed. Turn off the heat, cover the pan with a clean tea towel, clamp the lid back on and leave for 40 minutes (though it will stand happily for a lot longer than this, I routinely leave this for 2 hours).
To make the roast vegetables, preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7. Drop the leeks into a sturdy and fairly shallow roasting tin in which, ideally, all the vegetables will sit snugly; I use one that is 29x25x5cm/11½x10x2in. Add the peppers and cherry tomatoes to the roasting tin. Sprinkle the seeds and salt over the vegetables, add the oil and schmoosh to mix. Pour 2 tablespoons of cold water and 2 tablespoons of orange juice into the tin and roast in the oven for 30 minutes, until the vegetables are soft and the leeks are beginning to scorch. Add the radishes and mix. As the vegetables – ideally – fit so snugly in their tin, they make a wonderful, strongly flavoured sauce as they cook. However, if you’ve had to use a bigger tin, you may find that they’re going a little dry and might be sticking to the tin in places. If so, add another tablespoon each of orange juice and water or more as needed. Put back in the oven to roast for another 10 minutes then leave to stand while you put the finishing touches on the bulgur wheat..
Remove the lid and tea towel from the bulgur wheat and use a couple of forks to mix everything together in the pan and, importantly, to separate and fluff up the grains. Tip into a serving bowl or dish, add most of your chopped coriander leaves and fork it in. Add a third of the roast vegetables and mix in well but lightly with the forks. Taste for seasoning – I often want to add more salt at this stage. Top with the remaining roasted vegetables and sprinkle with the rest of the coriander.
Recipe Tips
If it makes your life easier, you can prepare the vegetables and sit them in their tin ready for you a good couple of hours in advance.
The bulgur wheat can also be prepared at least 2 hours in advance.