1 cup lentils
4 cup vegetable broth or water
1 bay leaf
3 tbsp margarine
1 large onion, chopped
1 salt & pepper
1 cup coarsely ground bulgur
Directions
Rinse the lentils & put in a pot with enough broth to cover. Add bay
leaf, bring to a boil & keep covered. Turn off heat & let stand for
30 minutes.
While the lentils are soaking, melt margarine in a heavy pot. Add
chopped onion, salt & pepper. Saute till onions are tender &
transparent.
When onions are ready, keep heat at medium, stir in bulgur & continue
stirring till all the margarine is absorbed. Lower heat to a simmer &
add the rest of the broth & lentils in their broth. Bring to a boil,
reduce heat again, cover tightly & simmer till all the liquid has
been absorbed. Add more liquid till the bulgur & lentils are cooked.
Remove bay leaf & serve with a vegetable stew.
Vera Gewanter, "A Passion for Vegetables"
Servings: 4 servings
Bulgur & Lentil Pilaf Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Bean; Casserole; Rice; Vegetable
The History of Recipes
We can track the history of written recipes far back into the distant past, at least as far back into history as ancient Egypt, and maybe further still. In practice though, in the main part, these old recipes were just basic pictorial instructions for meal preparation.
In fact, the oldest recipe in existence, according to experts in ancient history are a few clay tablets in Sumerian which recount the making of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as having made anyone who drank it feel `wonderful`. Progressing into Roman times around 25BC a roman called Apicius created a few scripts describing recipes prepared by wealthy Romans. In his publication, Apicius describes how the meals of wealthy Romans were separated into starters, entrees and dessert, a style of dining still practiced today. Additionally, he recounts how the ancient chefs were skilled in the use of many different spices and herbs, including a few you will know like basil, rue and asafoetida. Later on in the 1400s, people returning from the crusades brought us many foods and herbs from Arab countries, including basil and rosemary. The introduction of these new tastes led to an outbreak in recipe publications, many of which are kept safe in academic collections. For the next few years, the families of Europe competed with each other to offer the most exotic meals, and as a consequence, the best cooks and their collection of recipes increased in prestige. Notwithstanding that, it was during the 1800s that haute cuisine and recipe collections became popular. Mrs Beeton in the UK, and the equally famous Fannie Merritt Farmer in the USA, spent years to collating, testing, and publishing recipes that were common in the better off homes of the day. The introduction of the TV gave us TV cookery programs and the recipe books that accompanied them. Which pretty much brings us up to date and the internet revolution, permitting us all to access thousands of recipes like those on this site. |
We hope you enjoy this Bulgur & Lentil Pilaf recipe.
