Yogurt Baked Bulgur & Vegetables

There is a somewhat surprising - to me, anyway - number of recipes for bulgur in Hungarian cuisine. This is one of them. In spite of the yogurt and egg this still seems pretty light, and I would say it needs to be served with some kind of protein. However, it does provide both the starch and the vegetable dish very nicely. There's a fair bit of chopping at the beginning, but once that's done there is no more fussing with this, which is also convenient. I find it too easy to end up with too many dishes that require last-minute work just before serving. We had some ham with this and there was nothing to distract me from carving it.

You could, no doubt, switch around which vegetables you use. I would always be inclined to keep the onion, celery, and carrot, but the beans and zucchini could be swapped out with broccoli or cauliflower, for instance.

We re-heated the leftovers in the microwave, which worked just fine.

4 to 6 servings
1 hour 15 minutes - 45 minutes prep

Prepare the Bulgur & Beans:
125 grams (1/4 pound) green beans
1 cup bulgur
1/2 teaspoon salt

Wash and trim the beans, and cut them into bite-sized pieces (an inch or less in length). Put 2 cups of water in a large pot and bring it to a boil. Add the beans and cook them for 1 minute. Add the salt and the bulgur, and boil it for 1 minute more. Then, cover the pot and remove it from the heat. Let it rest for 30 minutes as you prepare the other vegetables.

Make the Casserole:
1 medium onion
1 stalk of celery
1 medium carrot
1 medium zucchini
1/4 cup minced parsley
2 tablespoons mild vegetable oil
1 teaspoon rubbed thyme OR savory
1 teaspoon rubbed basil
1 teaspoon rubbed oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup thick yogurt

Peel and chop the onion. Wash, trim, and chop the celery. Peel and grate the carrot. Wash, trim, and grate the zucchini. Wash and dry the parsley, and trim off any coarse stems. Mince well. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and celery, and cook for about 5 minutes until softened and reduced in volume, stirring regularly. Add the carrot and zucchini, and cook for another 5 minutes or so, stirring regularly until they, too, are softened and reduced in volume. Sprinkle the seasonings over them for the last few minutes of cooking.

Mix the vegetables into the prepared bulgur. Add the minced parsley. Whisk the eggs, then whisk in the yogurt. Mix this into the bulgur and vegetables. Lightly oil a 9" x 13" shallow baking (lasagne) pan and spread the mixture evenly in it. Bake for 30 minutes until firm and lightly browned at the edges, and serve at once.




Last year at this time I made Tomato Egg-Drop Soup.

Posted in: Ontario Food