Monday, November 16, 2009

Italian Roasted Vegetable and Bulgar Wheat

First of all it should have been Italian Roasted Vegetable and Farro Salad. I was so sure I had Farro in the cabinet. I found this recipe on the Jamie Oliver site and it said if you do not have Farro you can substitute Bulgar Wheat.

The dressing was good. Olive oil and lemon juice is my favorite salad dressing. We did add some Parmesan cheese and a bit of crushed red pepper.

We also finished up the leftovers from last night's dinner. I had to stop and get Italian bread to go with it, of course. I went to Pasta Avesti and they were taking the bread out of the oven as I walked in the store. Wow. Perfect ending to a Monday.

Here is the recipe from the Jamie Oliver site. I cut the recipe in half and there was plenty for both of us with enough for lunch for a couple of days.

400g farro or Bulgar wheat
3 yellow and 2 green courgettes, halved length ways and deseeded (or use 5 green in total if you can’t find yellow)
2 fennel bulbs, trimmed and thickly sliced, leafy tops reserved to garnish
1 red onion, peeled and cut into wedges
2 red peppers, deseeded and cut into chunks
2 aubergines, cut into chunks
4 garlic cloves, peeled
extra virgin olive oil
a splash of herb or white wine vinegar
a good bunch of fresh herbs, such as flat-leaf parsley, basil, mint and oregano
a squeeze of lemon juice
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/gas 6. Soak the farro or Bulgar wheat in cold water for 20 minutes, then drain.

Meanwhile, slice the courgettes cross ways into chunky crescents and put into a large roasting tray. Add the remaining vegetables and garlic cloves and toss together with a good splash of olive oil. Season well.

Spread the vegetables out in one layer if you can, as they’ll roast better this way – use 2 trays if you have to. Roast in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, removing the trays from the oven and carefully shaking them every now and then, until the vegetables are cooked through and crisp around the edges. Sprinkle the vinegar over the vegetables as soon as they come out of the oven and set aside to cool. When cool, tip on to a large chopping board, add the fresh herbs and chop it all finely.

Place the farro or Bulgar wheat in a large saucepan, cover with fresh cold water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 20 minutes or until tender, then drain well. Dress the farro or Bulgar wheat with a good splash of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice, season with salt and pepper and toss with the chopped vegetables. Scatter the reserved fennel tops over the mix and serve.

Also had some of the Pine Nut Cake. Light and lemony. It was a hit!

2 comments:

Velva said...

Fresh bread from the oven. You are right, that was a perfect ending to your Monday. Tell me you enjoyed a nice glass of wine with your meal?

Lucia from Madison said...

Yes of course... My mom told me to always have a glass of red wine with my dinner!