A “Fine Cooking” achievement!

I couldn’t come up with a suitable title for this post – should I go about saying that I’m featured in the Fine Cooking magazine.  My recipe made it to the magazine.  You might recognize this magazine if you love to cook and buy or subscribe to some cooking magazine (s). I don’t subscribe to Fine Cooking – and this is not an advertisement for the publishers – I’m not getting any rewards or prizes for posting this here, but received a complimentary copy of this issue, and you bet that I’m holding on to that for a long time to come 🙂

This issue of Fine Cooking is special.  Yes, the editors did think I was passionate about cooking and very graciously chose my recipe for the December 2012/January 2013 issue.  Was it some fancy recipe that required a trip to the grocery store for ingredients?  No, in fact you’ll be surprised (if you get to the bottom of this post) that most of the ingredients might be in your pantry right now.  I say that because Thanksgiving is just days away and Sweet Potatoes – the star of the recipe – might be in many kitchens already waiting to be whipped up in casseroles and pies, breads and more.

So, I guess the picture tells you what I dished up – Sweet Potato Curry.   Curry?  Not a favorite for Thanksgiving I guess, but for those people who are always looking for a tweak on some recipe – here is a very simple and easy recipe. If you are a vegetarian, use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. If you like your curry spicy, use more than a pinch of cayenne or chili powder. You could add cubed potatoes to the mix or any other vegetable – but for me this is divine. The color is so vibrant, it just looks so gorgeous and tempting, and can be used with rice, couscous, or with flatbread or pita bread. The sauce is delicious and perfect for dipping a piece of bread. It would also be delicious with idlis and dosas.

Here is the rest of the story….

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Bulgur Wheat Salad with Caramelized Pears and Sweet Potatoes

The concept of including whole grains, fruits, and vegetables into our diets has gained momentum resulting in easily accessible whole grains in supermarkets.  Some of these include farro, buckwheat, quinoa, and bulgur wheat.  Whole grains have crept into home pantries and find their way into baked goods, soups, stews, casseroles, etc.  A little bit of imagination and creativity can end up in a beautiful meal that is light, nutritious, and beautiful too, making you want to dig in even if you hate bulgur wheat (in this case).

I recently used up a solitary sweet potato and a pear to create this salad.  I wasn’t planning this salad at all, until I started caramelizing the boiled sweet potato. I thought it would be great in a couscous salad, but decided to go with bulgur.  Its sturdiness stood up to the sweet caramelized goodness and I had leftovers for lunch the next day.  Hope you will enjoy it…..

Ingredients I used:
1 medium sweet potato, peeled, and cut into chunks
1 pear, peeled and diced into small cubes
1/2 cup bulgur wheat
1 cup hot water
1 small chilli, finely minced (optional)
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp chopped cilantro
1/2 tbsp butter
Salt to taste

A few simple steps and you are done:

1. Soak the bulgur wheat in one cup hot water, close the pan, and set aside.
2. Boil the sweet potato chunks and dice it.
3. Heat a medium skillet and add butter, diced pears, and sweet potato.  Add minced chilli and salt.
4. Continue cooking until the pears and sweet potatoes begin to caramelize and look yummy….
5. Remove from heat and set aside.
6. Uncover the bulgur wheat and fluff with a fork.  Add a pinch of salt and mix well.
7. Toss the caramelized goodness into the bulgur and toss gently – do not mash up the lovely brown diced pears.
8. Sprinkle with lemon juice and chopped cilantro.  Enjoy warm or at room temperature.