SHOPPING, SPENDING AND EATING MORE SUSTAINABLY ARE INCREASING PRIORITIES FOR MANY OF US. ROSIE SYKES’ RECIPES DELIVER ON ALL THREE FRONTS
Bulgur pilav
This pilav is based on a recipe I love from the excellent Moro East book by Samantha and Samuel Clark. I find walnuts, skin-on almonds or, if you’re feeling flush, pistachios or pine nuts, work best.
SERVES 4
FOR THE PILAV
• 60g butter
• 1tbsp light olive oil
• 6 large spring onions, lightly trimmed and sliced
• 1 generous tsp ground allspice
• 50-80g nuts, roughly chopped, see intro
• 400g greens of choice, well shredded
• 400g bulgur wheat
• 600ml vegetable or chicken stock (home-made or from a stock cube or bouillon powder)
• Squeeze lemon juice
• Handful parsley, roughly chopped
FOR THE YOGURT
• 1 large garlic clove
• 150g good thick Greek yogurt
• 1tbsp cumin seeds, toasted and crushed TO SERVE
• Steamed vegetables tossed with harissa, optional
1 Melt the butter and oil in a medium heavy-based pan (that has a lid) over medium heat. Add the spring onions, soften for 5min, stirring regularly, then add the allspice and nuts. Give them a couple of min to toast among the spring onions, then add the greens. After about 5min, when they’ve wilted down, tip in the bulgur wheat and a generous dose of salt. Stir about to get everything well coated, then add the stock and bring to a simmer. Put a lid on and cook for 5min at a quite fast simmer, then stir thoroughly, making sure there’s nothing sticking on the bottom of the pan. Turn the heat down to low, put the lid back on and cook for a further 5min, or until all the stock has been absorbed. Now stir in the lemon juice and parsley and season to taste. Return the lid, remove from the heat and leave the pilav to stand for 5min.
2 Crush or finely grate the garlic, then mix with the yogurt and cumin seeds. Season to taste with salt.
3 Spoon the pilav on to warmed plates and top with the seasoned yogurt. Serve with some steamed vegetables tossed with harissa, if you like.
Satsuma, pomegranate and fennel salad with feta
Pomegranates and satsumas come into season around the same time and make very good partners, with their contrasting notes of sharp and sweet. This salad is ideal eaten with warm flatbread or pitta to mop up all the juices. It would also make a lovely starter.
SERVES 4
• 6 satsumas
• 1 small red onion, very finely sliced
• 1 pomegranate
• 1½tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1tsp runny honey
• 4tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 fennel bulbs
• 200g feta
• 3 chicory or a generous head of radicchio, leaves separated, or a mixture of bitter leaves
• Small bunc
