Tomato Almond Toasted Bulgur

I’m back with a bowlful of grains. I know you’re so welcome the pleasure is all mine really stop it.

I LOVE ME SOME CARBS. Especially when those carbs come in grain form. Wheaty carbs, specifically. Pasta, couscous, farro, wheat berry, bulgur - these are all wheat grains that rank high on the list of things that bring me joy in life.

Today’s wheat grain of choice is bulgur. Which you may have never ever tasted or even heard of before. Which needs to change. Immediately. One forkful of this tomato almond toasted bulgur and you’ll understand all I am trying to impress upon you.

As per usual, I opted to toast my grains for this bulgur recipe. Toasting grains enhances and deepens the flavor of those grains. It makes the grain more nutty, more rich, more intense, and just like so much better okay.

But before we toast the bulgur. There are some exciting stuff that go down.

Like sautéing onions in olive oil until the onions are golden and caramelized. And then adding in freshly minced garlic until the garlic is fragrant and browned. And then stirring in halved cherry tomatoes, which soften and get all succulent and emit flavorful juices into the mixture. The sprinkling in of salt and pepper also happens obviously at this point (that was a bad sentence).

All the above gets sautéed together before the bulgur is added in, at which point you toast the bulgur for a few minutes, until it’s darkened and all the natural nuttiness of the bulgur is heightened.

Next: water. And cook. Until water is absorbed and bulgur is soft and fluffy and chewy and all the other things grains tend to become once cooked.

Okay. Here come the extras:

• Sliced almonds. Toasted, but of course. Added crunch, to contrast the soft and chewy bulgur. And added nuts, to complement the natural nuttiness of the grain.

• Fresh parsley. Chopped up. Lots of it. Tossed into the cooked bulgur for some fresh, bright herby flavor.

And yeah. That’s it. The olive oil. The onions. The garlic. The tomatoes. The salt and pepper. The bulgur. The water. The toasted almonds. The fresh parsley. That’s the exhaustive list of ingredients that encompass this tomato almond toasted bulgur.

YOU CAN DO IT.

This recipe is the collective effort of a few people.

My pops, for the cherry tomato addition. The sweet, the sour, the salty, the bitter, the savory- these are tastes the tomatoes bless our toasted bulgur with.

My mom, for the caramelizing onions + toasting process.

And I, for consuming it enthusiastically. So most of the credit goes to me, come to think of it.

Hearty and filling and soft and chewy and comforting and flavorful and nutty and bright and rich and earthy and tangy and the best new grain to add to your lunch slash dinner rotation, is what this tomato almond toasted bulgur dish is.

Tomato Almond Toasted Bulgur

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Yield: about 6 servings

1 medium onion, diced
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
3/4-1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon pepper, or to taste
1 cup uncooked bulgur
1 3/4 cups boiling water
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
Large handful fresh parsley, chopped

1. In a medium saucepan over low-medium heat, sauté the onion in the olive oil until translucent and then golden, stirring occasionally. Add in the garlic, tomatoes, and salt + pepper and sauté another couple minutes, until garlic is browned. Add in the bulgur and toast for a few minutes, stirring frequently, until bulgur is darkened.

4. Carefully add in the water (enough to cover all the bulgur, may need more/less depending on how much juice the tomatoes let out). Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and cook for 8-15 minutes, until water is absorbed. Shut flame and let bulgur sit a few minutes before fluffing with a fork.

5. Toss the bulgur with the toasted almonds and parsley. Add more salt + pepper and olive oil to taste. Serve warm.