Bulgur Salad with Red Pepper and Walnuts

From the book The Cooking of the Eastern Mediterranean by Paula Wolfert

Serves	6 to 8
Prep Time	15 minutes
Cook Time	15 minutes
Total Time	12 hours
Yield	4 cups

Introduction

This salad is excellent with grilled meat or just warm pita bread.

Ingredients

Salad

	1½	cups fine-grain bulgur
	1	cup finely chopped onions
	⅓	cup olive oil
	4	Tbsp. ketchup
	½	cup finely chopped parsley
	⅓	cup chopped walnuts
	1	Tbsp. pomegranate molasses or more to taste
	2	Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
	1½	tsp. ground cumin
	1½	tsp. ground coriander
	1	tsp. Near East, Aleppo, or hot Hungarian pepper
	½	tsp. ground allspice
	1	tsp. salt
	½	tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Garnish

	6	or 7 short sprigs flat-leaf parsley
	2	Tbsp. coarsely chopped walnuts
	2	Tbsp. pine nuts, browned in oil

Steps

1. Place the bulgur in a fine sieve and shake to remove dust. Dampen with cold water and let stand 15 to 30 minutes. Squeeze out excess moisture.
2. In a skillet, sauté the onions in the oil until they become translucent. Remove from the heat to cool.
3. In a mixing bowl, combine the bulgur, onions, and all the remaining ingredients; blend well. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
4. Serve chilled or at room temperature. Correct the seasoning with salt and pepper, and garnish with parsley sprigs, walnuts, and sautéed pine nuts.

Notes

Culinate editor’s notes: When I made this I cooked the onions a bit longer (until just beginning to brown), tripled the amount of pomegranate molasses, and substituted Spanish (smoked) paprika for the Aleppo pepper.

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