BULGUR WITH CHICKPEAS, TOMATO & FETA

Adapted from "The Foods of the Greek Islands," by Aglaia Kremezi (Houghton Mifflin, 2000). Kremezi's version does not include chickpeas, and you may omit them, but they make the dish more substantial. Serve as a meatless main course or as a side dish for lamb.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil + oil for serving

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 teaspoon Aleppo or Mara pepper (see Note), or a pinch hot red pepper flakes

1 cup grated fresh tomato (see Note)

1 cup coarse bulgur

1 cup canned low-sodium chicken broth

1 cup water

1 can (14-ounce) chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup Greek, French or Bulgarian feta

6 to 8 fresh basil leaves, chopped

Salt and pepper

Instructions:

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over moderately low heat. Add the onion and pepper and saute until the onion is soft. Add the tomato, bulgur, broth, water and chickpeas. Bring to a simmer. Cover and adjust heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, stirring once or twice, until the bulgur resembles a moist risotto, 10 to 12 minutes. Set aside for 3 minutes, then stir in the crumbled feta and the basil. Season with salt (the dish may not need any) and black pepper.

Serve in warm bowls, drizzling each portion with some additional extra virgin olive oil.

Serves 4

Note: Syrian Aleppo pepper and Turkish Mara pepper are ground red peppers with gentle heat. Look for them at Middle Eastern markets or order online from www.kalustyans.com (for Aleppo pepper) or www.turkishtaste.com (for Mara pepper).

To grate tomatoes, cut plum (Roma) tomatoes in half, remove seeds and grate the pulp on the coarse side of a box grater, discarding the skin.

PER SERVING: 380 calories, 12 g protein, 47 g carbohydrate, 17 g fat

(5 g saturated), 18 mg cholesterol, 461 mg sodium, 12 g fiber.

[Cherie762]

that sounds so good im gonna try it Im going vegetarian...like the protien and fiber both good

[TrudieC]

This does sound good.  Love all the ingredients and have a huge supply of feta and fresh basil from my Aerogarden.  Bonus!