It started with a bulgur recommendation from Ottolenghi's book and developed from there. The way he prepares bulgur is a classic Turkish way, except for the fact that he adds four spice instead of paprika to the onion/tomato mixture. Myself I turned more in the Maroccan direction with the addition of ras el hanout. Interestingly, ras el hanout feels very different with bulgur (adding a sweet softness to it) than with the aubergine (to which it adds a bit of a spicy zing), even though I used exactly the same spice mixture. Add to this spicy chickpeas, sweet potatoes and Greek yoghurt with mint and you have yourself a veggie feast.
You'll need:
100gr bulgur
2-3 tomotoes
1 spoon of tomato concentrate
1 medium size onion
1 clove of garlic
1 sweet potato
100-150gr of chickpeas from a can
1 aubergine
olive oil
ras el hanout
sweet smoked paprika
fresh mint leaves
100-150gr of greek yoghurt
1 tea spoon of lemon juice
1.Start off with the aubergine. Slice it into relatively thick slices, you want to keep it nice an moist on the inside without necessarily having to add too much olive oil. Spread the slices over a plate or a baking tray, cover with a generous dose of salt and allow to sweat for a few minutes. this is to avoid any risk that it would turn bitter.
2. In the meantime, prepare the yoghurt, by putting in chopped mint and some lemon juice. No need to add too much as Greek yoghurt is already relatively acidic in flavour. Set aside for the flavours to mix.
3. Wash off the salt from the aubergine, put on a baking tray, sprinkle with a less generous dose of salt and add also ras el hanout. Sprinkle with some olive oil and put in the oven set to 175 degrees for 30-40 minutes.
4. Peel and cut the sweet potato into small cubes. Mix together with chickpeas, smoked paprika and olive oil. Transfer to a baking tray and add to the oven. these will need around 20 minutes (25 if you want chickpeas to become crunchy) in the oven, so put them in slightly later than the aubergine.
5. Chop the onion and fry on a pan until it turns soft. Add chopped garlic. As soon as you can smell it, add the tomatoes and the tomato concentrate. Fry until the tomatoes become a puree. Add ras el hanout and 2 glasses of water to the mixture. Bring to boil, add bulgur and turn the heat off or keep it at an absolute minimum. Wait till bulgur absorbs the liquid et voila!
6. Assemble the ingredients together on a plate, decorating with some fresh mint leaves.
Bon appétit!
