Meat n’ Wheat

Bread has been a passion, the home baked variations are many. The succulent taste of meat combined with bread is a flavor perhaps learned from the humble hamburger. I have thought of the best recipe to combine the meat with bread, Beef Wellington,  Empanadas  and the likes, even considering baking bread with ground beef in the dough. But for me the real deal was not bread but wheat, cooked to absorbed the juices of the particular meat chosen and at the top of my scale is lamb. So this is the  recipe, adaptable to other flavors.

In a suitable pan for cooking the meal brown the meat, here , lamb loin chops. Salt and cracked  pepper of course.

Set the meat aside keeping the  the juices rendered during the browning process in the pan.

Prep ingredients….

 

The magic ingredient here is Bulgar.

Saute up the root vegetables then add the tomatoes, here onion ,shallots and garlic are used. As to your liking herbs and spices, I used a smattering of cinnamon and just a few coriander seeds for small burst of flavors.

Add the Bulgar to absorb the juices now in the pan, and cook for several minutes. I added sesame seeds, a frequently used staple in cooking and baking . Not toasted in this recipe.

Return the meat to the pan atop the Bulgar.

Add liquid, stock is preferred, roughly twice as much by measure as the amount of wheat. If stock is not hot, bring pan to a boil first.

Cover and simmer or place  into a hot oven if you like, about 20 minutes, remove from heat and let rest covered a few minutes.

The finished result is tender meat surrounded by a most favorable wheat mixture.

MMMM…. the flavor of the lamb is incomparable when combined with the Bulgar. A close recipe is Kibbeh, also a favorite which is very close to a Meat n’ Wheat ultimate combination. https://pmetro.wordpress.com/2011/05/15/stuffed-meat-loaf-kibby-bil-sanieh    WOW recipe link , 6 years ago !

Smoked tabouleh chicken salad

What started as a grille setup to smoke some jalapeño  peppers ended  up as a smoky salad combination for some bulgar wheat and chicken thighs with radicchio and bok choi.

After I finished smoking the jalapenos two chicken thighs were lowered into the smoker about midway from the top grate to the charcoal level. On the top grate some bok choi leaves and two quartered pieces of radicchio were placed and the smoking began with some mesquite pellets added to the charcoal. Meanwhile a box of tabouleh mix (wheat salad) was prepared. As I like bulgar wheat this is the only product I could find at the superstore that is bulgar wheat sold under the Near East brand. As they have couscous in many styles, bulgar wheat is not readily available alone by name.Once the chicken was sufficiently cooked and the radicchio and bok choi was wilted  and smoked they were cut to salad size. Reserving the bok choi leaves. The whites of the bok choi was still crunchy and sliced.

Added to the mix was chopped tomato, and cucumber. The leaves of the bok choi are spread on the serving plate, then the rest of the chopped mixture added.

Now top with the tabouleh and sliced chicken, also feta cheese was added as garnish.

A different taste with a smoky blend of ingredients.

chicken thighs with greens, mushrooms and bulgar wheat.

       saute onions After browning the chicken thighs in a bit of oil,(not shown), gently toast the bulgar wheat, and add garlic!

 

Add the recommended amount of water or stock, about 3/1 ratio water to  bulgar.

Bring to a boil then cover simmer.

 

after about ten minutes, add the browned thighs and mushrooms.

 

like so…

decided to add these greens also, bout’ half a bag

Now cover and let simmer another 10 minutes or so.

Done…

Plate it up…

delicious and filling meal.

Roasted vegetables with bulgar wheat

See my previous post, I’ll insert the link here later.
Round out a serving of roasted vegetables, opting for a meatless meal. Bread? Rice? Noodles ? Pasta? Barley? How bout bulgar wheat? Doesn’t take long to prepare and served with some lettuce leaf as wraps.

shave some cheese, Romano this dish

done with another post, enjoy! Wait another use….
Prepare some stock, add the mixed roasted vegetables bring to a boil, add some Pepe # 51,is what I have, stir, remove from heat and let sit a while.you will be rewarded later with a delicious soup.

Bulgar wheat and (left over) lamb

What do do with leftover lamb ?
As an addition to serve with meat, bulgar wheat is an alternative to potatoes, pasta , or rice and is easily cooked.
Sauté garlic in a small amount of oil, olive, butter , vegetable etc in a suitable sized saucepan.

just a few seconds to release the fragrance then add he bulgar wheat , 1 cup.

let the bulgar sauté several minutes till toasty then add the broth, or stock or water about 2 cups.

bring to a boil and then cover and simmer 20 minutes. Turn off heat, add the cubed cooked lamb recover and let stand about 15 minutes.
Serve

no additional seasonings was used as the flavor of the stock and garlic is sufficient.

Grilled chicken with bulgar wheat and gravy (sauce)

After a thunder storm that brought cooler weather it was a time to start the grille.

Salt and pepper several chicken thighs, mine happen to be boneless and skinless, none the less, coat them in olive oil. Add some vegetable stock to a skillet and boil and simmer to reduce, thicken with a flour and butter mixture  to your liking and season with salt and pepper and fresh cut sage. A splash of hot sauce added is what I like.

Prepare some  bulgar wheat, 1 cup wheat to about 3 cups of stock, sauté the bulgar with olive oil in a sauce pan add the stock, boil, simmer and cover for twenty minutes. You will have some left over bulgar for other meals.

Grill the chicken thighs , till just done, set them in the sauce.  Slice tomato and add to the sauce.

The bulgar wheat and chicken thighs are relatively plain, the flavor of the sauce ties it together.

brussell sprout plants

Harvested from the garden back in December of 2011 (sounds like along time ago), and as I have many pictures taken and not blogged, I have had the chance to utilize the brussel sprouts plants sprouts and leaves . Note: my spell checker keeps suggesting “Brussels”. The sprouts did not form tightly as shown below and in the  in the recipe blog “Tomato Sauce with Pasta and Veggies” but they were crisp and delicious, even eaten raw. Going by the gardeners creed of making use of what ever grows that’s edible, I couldn’t bear to use toss the remainder  of the plant. The leaves were large and full, a deep green.

The brussell sprouts are to the right and all that was left of the plants after the sprouts and leaves were harvested from the main stem was the stalk which went to the compost pile. Actually it could have been peeled and sliced, possibly. I cut the stems from the leaves.                                          

                                   They are like celery but sweeter. So you can use them as you would for sauté and added to recipes.

I blanched the sprouts and the leaves in boiling water for a few minutes and dried them, then stacked the leaves in the freezer between sheet of waxed paper. They can be quickly brought to room temperature and then rolled and cut for soup or a salad. Now I couldn’t pass up the chance to stuff some some of these large slightly rubbery leaves, like stuffed cabbage.  Being right after thanksgiving and having some turkey soup base available, I mixed the turkey with gravy with some prepared bulgur wheat. It does sound a bit strange, but this new combination proved to be a good example of cooking with what you have available.

The stuffed rolled brussell sprout leaves.

Since the filling is made with the cooked turkey, they can be eaten as is, warmed up or frozen for later consumption.

(the lighting makes one look a bit red)

The turkey stuffed leaves are best eaten with a fork and knives as the leaves do put up a slight resistance to bite. I possibly could have boiled them longer but I like some crunch. I definitely like the taste if these plants. I’ll have to check  on my seed supply, for a planting of these for the  2012 garden.

Addendum: As of this writing there is still one more plant out in the garden believe it or not !(January 8th 2012) The few nights of freezing temps did not completely ruin the plant. Some of the leaves have drooped to cover the sprouting mini leaves on the main stalk and they are still bright green. Looks like we’ll get another meal or two of brussell greens !!!

MMMMMMMMMMM…………………….

Stuffed Meat Loaf Kibby bil Sanieh

baking bread+being a meat lover;how to combine both?(in one recipe) basically wheat and spiced meat, Stuffed Meat Loaf,Kibby bil Sanieh….

Stuffed Meat Loaf

Kibby bil Sanieh

adapted from betty Crocker’s International Cookbook

made from ingredients on hand

made smaller than original recipe

page 166

1/4 lb bulgar wheat,4 oz.

1/2 lb ground beef,8 oz.

onion, chopped

salt , pepper

chilled rendered bacon fat

Stuffing:

1 link italian sausage

onionchopped

pine nuts,about a tablespoon or so

dash of ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg

cover the bulgar with cold water for 10 minutes empty bulgar into a strainer lined with a dish towel wrap and squeeze out the water. Mix ground beef, chopped onion, salt and pepper add bulgar, knead until well mixed.

prepare the stuffing,

uncase the sausage link and saute with onion, pine nuts and seasonings.

In a small oven proof dish press in half of the beef mixture, then the filling and then the remaining beef mixture.

Spread out a teaspoon or so of bacon fat on top.

Cook at 350 degrees, about 30 minutes, (a small ovenproof dish can fit into a toaster oven).

let it cool and set up about 5-10 minutes.

serves 3-4 or 1 hungry person over several hours.

no idea on beverage paring, could be eaten with salad greens etc.

perhaps ………