01 August 2014

A summertime salad

Here's an idea for a summer salad that Walt has been making for years. I've searched my blog and Walt's for the recipe but I guess we've never posted it before. The ingredients are zucchini, tomatoes, corn, a cooked grain — bulgur, rice, wheat berries, or couscous, for example — and herbs.

Diced zucchini and tomato salad with bulgur and sweet corn

1½ cups bulgur, brown rice, wheat berries, couscous, or quinoa
2 large, fresh tomatoes
2 small or 1 large zucchini
1 cup cooked sweet corn kernels
2 or 3 Tbsp. chopped fresh herbs (basil, mint, parsley, tarragon...)
1 clove of garlic
2 Tbsp. vinegar
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
salt and pepper to taste
Cook the bulgur, brown rice, couscous, wheat berries (Ebly in France), or other grain.

Meanwhile, remove the seeds from the tomatoes and dice the tomato flesh finely. Cut the zucchini into fine dice. (Peel the vegetables if you want to.) If using fresh or frozen corn, steam the kernels for 3 or 4 minutes — corn from a tin can go in without cooking. Chop the fresh herbs and finely dice or puree the garlic clove.

When the cooked grain has cooled to room temperature, mix it with the diced tomato, zucchini, and corn. Season the mixture with salt, pepper, vinegar, and oil. Mix in the chopped herbs and serve the salad chilled or at room temperature.

There are hundreds of possible variations on this theme, of course. Cucumber would be a good substitution for zucchini, or a good addition to the salad. Lemon juice could replace vinegar. Use the oil you prefer, or a combination. And the herbs...

Walt made the salad a couple of days ago using fresh mint, and I think it's really delicious with that flavor. We ate the bulgur salad with oven-roasted chicken wings that we marinated and basted with a combination of honey, lemon (zest and juice), and garlic.

7 comments:

  1. Yoghurt works well, too!
    And I can recommend using the Tipiak range of grains "wibbits"....
    currently open is Méli-Mélo [wheat, barley and lentils with a touch of onion and leek]...
    but there are also Mediteranean, Soleil [Italian herbs and spices] and a host of others...
    we use them a lot...
    as well as the supermarket own-brands.
    I've tried doing my own mixes, but there is too much variation in the cooking times...
    part-cooked packets are far easier.
    And I agree that fresh mint works very well....
    especially when using yoghurt!!

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  2. That looks yummy! If you like quinoa there is one called Zesty Quinoa salad on all recipes.

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  3. There are wheat berries already to go here! I think I might buy some lemons and tonight I'll try this refreshing-looking vegie salad. Merci!

    Mary in Oregon

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  4. Had this today, with only slight variations and it was delicious. BBQ steak on the side. Very tasty and quick and not much cooking. Ken, you have given me the lowdown on Mardelles, Chatillon sur Cher and Selles sur Cher. Interesting, but what I now want to know. Who was this St Aignan guy?!

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  5. Definitely very interesting recipe and so easy.

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  6. Interesting variations on a theme. I've done something similar, using beans instead of grains. Vegetables include tomato, green beans, cucumbers, onions (usually green, although finely chopped white or red will work), and basically whatever else is at hand. Hadn't thought to use zucchini, thanks for the idea.

    With the veggies and beans, a vinaigrette works well, too.

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