Seasoned to Taste: Cracked Wheat Salad
Most holidays are an excuse to step out of the norm, but few rival the Fourth of July’s inspiration to make us go, well, crackers. The whole proposition is a little cracked. Gather together large groups of people, set fire to charcoal, consume alcohol, and ignite incendiary devices. Not necessarily in that order, either; the bombs have been going off in my neighborhood more than a week ahead of the holiday.
Public service announcements exhort us to avoid the risk of serious injury by attending public fireworks displays, but firecrackers are an irresistible temptation in some households (like mine)— and an inviolable tradition, like putting out the flag, grilling burgers and brats, and drinking Brown Cows (root beer floats) late in the evening. The bouquet of gunpowder, for some in my family, is far headier than that from the finest wine. How ironic, since gunpowder was intended to be an elixir, allegedly discovered by Chinese alchemists searching for the secret to immortality. Talk about cracked! The quest for eternal life produces a lethal substance!
But a much more beneficent Fourth of July indulgence, albeit also cracked, is a simple but surprisingly singular salad. Made of bulgur (or cracked) wheat, a frequent player on the summer circuit, this salad offers wholesome whole-grain goodness in a more sweet than savory role. Currants, chopped pecans and orange zest amplify the wheat’s hominess and mellow the bite of Italian parsley. The mixture is almost fluffy, in contrast to the heavy, clumpy-looking cracked wheat you sometimes see. The secret? Just enough olive oil to help the grains separate without becoming saturated. Plus you get the advantage of a low-fat counterpoint to many items on the July 4th table.
Nuts and whole grains are two items the latest food research says we should be eating more, and what an easy way to do what’s good for you! Way easier (and safer) than lighting a punk, this simple, satisfying salad is perfect for those who say of their cooking ability, “I can barely boil water.” That’s the only cooking required here, and if you boil the water needed to soften the wheat in the microwave, this recipe is almost heat-free.
It’s a recipe that invites independence, too. Toast the pecans and/or use other nuts, add dried cranberries or substitute a mixture of chopped dried fruit. Chop and throw in some fresh mint instead of the parsley for an explosion of unexpected coolness. Possibilities abound! And once the smoke of the holiday hubbub has cleared, if you discover leftovers this carefree cracked creation keeps well. Or make up another batch. It’s just the thing to have in the fridge when you find yourself going crackers.
Cracked Wheat Salad
4 cups water
2 cups bulgur (processed cracked wheat)
1½ cups chopped pecans
1½ cups dried currants
5 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Grated zest of 1 medium orange
Remainder of orange, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
In a large saucepan combine water and bulgur. Bring to a boil. Cover, turn off heat, and let sit until water is absorbed, about 20 minutes. (Or bring water to boil in microwave, pour over bulgur in a bowl, cover and let sit until water is absorbed.) Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate, uncovered, until cool. Add pecans, currants, parsley, orange zest, salt and pepper and enough olive oil to keep grains separate. Toss thoroughly. Serve cool or at room temperature. 8 servings.
— Adapted from “The Silver Palate Cookbook”
Lynne Ireland lives to eat and welcomes comments and questions from others who do (or don’t). Contact her at savor@journalstar.com.
Public service announcements exhort us to avoid the risk of serious injury by attending public fireworks displays, but firecrackers are an irresistible temptation in some households (like mine)— and an inviolable tradition, like putting out the flag, grilling burgers and brats, and drinking Brown Cows (root beer floats) late in the evening. The bouquet of gunpowder, for some in my family, is far headier than that from the finest wine. How ironic, since gunpowder was intended to be an elixir, allegedly discovered by Chinese alchemists searching for the secret to immortality. Talk about cracked! The quest for eternal life produces a lethal substance!
But a much more beneficent Fourth of July indulgence, albeit also cracked, is a simple but surprisingly singular salad. Made of bulgur (or cracked) wheat, a frequent player on the summer circuit, this salad offers wholesome whole-grain goodness in a more sweet than savory role. Currants, chopped pecans and orange zest amplify the wheat’s hominess and mellow the bite of Italian parsley. The mixture is almost fluffy, in contrast to the heavy, clumpy-looking cracked wheat you sometimes see. The secret? Just enough olive oil to help the grains separate without becoming saturated. Plus you get the advantage of a low-fat counterpoint to many items on the July 4th table.
Nuts and whole grains are two items the latest food research says we should be eating more, and what an easy way to do what’s good for you! Way easier (and safer) than lighting a punk, this simple, satisfying salad is perfect for those who say of their cooking ability, “I can barely boil water.” That’s the only cooking required here, and if you boil the water needed to soften the wheat in the microwave, this recipe is almost heat-free.
It’s a recipe that invites independence, too. Toast the pecans and/or use other nuts, add dried cranberries or substitute a mixture of chopped dried fruit. Chop and throw in some fresh mint instead of the parsley for an explosion of unexpected coolness. Possibilities abound! And once the smoke of the holiday hubbub has cleared, if you discover leftovers this carefree cracked creation keeps well. Or make up another batch. It’s just the thing to have in the fridge when you find yourself going crackers.
Cracked Wheat Salad
4 cups water
2 cups bulgur (processed cracked wheat)
1½ cups chopped pecans
1½ cups dried currants
5 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Grated zest of 1 medium orange
Remainder of orange, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
In a large saucepan combine water and bulgur. Bring to a boil. Cover, turn off heat, and let sit until water is absorbed, about 20 minutes. (Or bring water to boil in microwave, pour over bulgur in a bowl, cover and let sit until water is absorbed.) Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate, uncovered, until cool. Add pecans, currants, parsley, orange zest, salt and pepper and enough olive oil to keep grains separate. Toss thoroughly. Serve cool or at room temperature. 8 servings.
— Adapted from “The Silver Palate Cookbook”
Lynne Ireland lives to eat and welcomes comments and questions from others who do (or don’t). Contact her at savor@journalstar.com.
Copyright © 2002-2008 Lincoln Journal Star. All rights reserved.