The Bulgar Bugle

Turkey - potato - carrot - onion - cabbage — bulgar - whole wheat

So I took a cup of whole wheat flour, added a teaspoon of baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, then 3/4 cup of yesterday’s soup (it was a thick, not a thin soup), plus 1/4 cup yogurt. 1 egg, and let it sit for about 20 minutes.  I heated up the deep fryer (bought for $2 at a garage sale) and dropped the mixture by spoonfuls into the batter and fried them until they were done.  Very tasty, kind of like a hush puppie.

Since the first batch was a success, I added some diced turkey (a farmer gave me a turkey recently, which I cooked last week).  Voila!  Turkey - potato - carrot - onion - cabbage — bulgar - whole wheat fritters!  If you fix these, people will write home to your mother and thank her for raising such a wonderful person.

The consistency of the batter, by the way, is thicker than a thick pancake batter, but it is not like a biscuit dough. 

I suppose if I added more yogurt, and made a runny batter, it would make “turkey - potato - carrot - onion - cabbage — bulgar - whole wheat” funnel cakes, but that will be an experiment for another evening.

This is a great tasting and nutritious dessert that is based on a traditional baked rice and custard pudding.  Use “Salad Bulgar” — which is bulgar that has been cooked in fruit juice (like orange or apple juice instead of a meat or vegetable stock).

• 4 eggs, beaten
• 3 c. milk
• 4 tablespoons honey
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 tsp. lemon juice
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 c. cooked bulgar
• 1/2 c. raisins (dried cranberries are nice too)

Combine all ingredients.  Pour into a 2 1/2 quart baking dish. Set this baking dish in a larger pan of water in the oven. Bake at 300 degrees for about 1 hour. After first 30 minutes, insert spoon at edge of pudding and stir from bottom. Bake until knife inserted near center of pudding comes out clean. Don’t overbake, the over-baked custard yields a bit of water when spooned into a serving dish.  Serve hot, warm or cold. Serves about 6 to 8.

First the terminology.  Stuffing is what you get when you stuff stuffing ingredients inside the bird.  That’s never been a tradition in my family, and some recommend strongly against it.  Dressing is the same type of dish as stuffing, only cooked separately from the bird as a side-dish.  That’s what this recipe is about.

Ingredients

• 9-10 slices of dry whole wheat bread, cubed.
• 2 cups of leftover bulgar (I used 2 cups of left-over cream of broccoli/bulgar soup that I made.
• 2 eggs, beaten
• Finely chopped fresh sage and some thyme, to your personal taste.
• 1 chopped onion
• 2 stalks of celery, sliced
• 2 cups stock

Saute the onions and celery, and for the last minute or so, add the fresh herbs (or dried herbs if you don’t have fresh growing in your yard).  In a bowl, combine the cooked veggies with the bread cubes, left-over bulgar, and eggs.  Add 2 cups stock.  I used juices from the turkey and a bit of broth from simmering the turkey’s neck, giblets, heart, and liver.  Bake for one-half hour at 350 degrees.

This recipe is ONE MORE REASON why you should ALWAYS make extra bulgar!

• 4 cups cooked, mashed winter squash,
• 2 cups left-over bulgar pilaf (for this recipe, I used some left-over bulgar pilaf with cooked greens,
• 2 cups very dry bread crumbs
• 4 cups thin gravy (whatever kind you have handy or can make, it will thicken while cooking)

Put half of the cooked squash in the bottom of the casserole pan, layer half of the cooked bulgar, bread crumbs, and gravy.  Then put on the rest of the cooked squash, and top with the rest of the bulgar and bread crumbs, and last of all, pour the rest of the gravy on top.

Cook in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes (if the gravy was hot when you poured it on), 45 minutes (if you are using cold, leftover gravy).  With cold left-over gravy, you should probably add a cup of broth or water to thin it.

There I was, coming home late, no plans for dinner, no energy for big cooking (I know, it’s a shocking thought, but this happens even to me).  Fortunately, there in the chest refrigerator was some left-over bulgar pilaf, and some left-over brisket, and some left-over yellow squash.  Wow, it was like finding gold.

So I chopped the brisket quickly, put it in the electric skillet with the left-over bulgar and yellow squash, added about 1/2 cup water, warmed it on medium heat, and voila, dinner in less than 5 minutes.  Very good and nutritious dinner too. 

There are three important lessons here:

+ Always make extra bulgar.

+ Always make extra brisket.

+ Always make extra squash.

Yesterday I mixed some left-over bulgar pilaf with a can of carrots (drained). Heated it up, and voila, quick and easy side dish for the meatloaf. This isn’t the first time I’ve done this. Carrots in general — shredded, cooked, canned, however — are a good match with bulgar.

Cook some sausage and scramble some eggs (however much you need for those you’re feeding).

After the eggs are scrambled, add cooked bulgar pilaf (about 1/4 cup per person).

Combine all ingredients in skillet. Voila, quick and nutritious “stick to your ribs” breakfast.

This is a good use for left-over bulgar.

About 3 cups of left-over cooked bulgar pilaf
1 can of of chopped cooked greens (or an equivalent amount of freshly cooked greens)
grated cheese (to taste)

Place left over cooked bulgar pilaf in skillet and warm.
Add cooked greens and cheese.

Heat until hot and the cheese is melted