comfort food in summer

A lot of my comfort foods are heavy on umami and feel like winter foods. Which is as it should be, because winter demands comforting. But I had a yearning for some favourites from childhood, and the veggies sitting in my fridge encouraged it.

I wanted bulgur. I also wanted the traditional rice with fried eggplant, which is eaten cold in the summer. So I combined them, and tweaked it some more to stuff it with more nutrients, because I refuse to make more than one dish a day in this heat. Last night I had it warm for dinner, and today I had it cold for lunch. Both were delicious.

ingredients:

• bulgur (2c)
• eggplant (1 large)
• green bell pepper (1 large)
• chickpeas (1 can)
• beef stock (2 c)
• olive oil
• salt & pepper
• red pepper flakes
• walnuts

Cut up the eggplant and the green pepper. Put them on a large oven tray - don't crowd them. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and some olive oil. Put them into a pre-heated 425 F oven and roast until done.

Put a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a pot. Add the beef broth. When it comes to a boil, add the rinsed bulgur. Cover and cook at medium heat until there is no liquid showing above the bulgur. At this point, it's done or almost done. Note that unlike rice, the bulgur generally likes a 1:1 water ratio.

Add to the bulgur the roasted vegetables and a can of chickpeas which have been rinsed. Feel free to substitute some other legume as the protein source. Season with salt and pepper. Let it cook about 20 minutes on the lowest possible heat, so everything has a chance to meld.

Before serving, sprinkle the top with red pepper flakes (Aleppo, of course) and add walnut pieces. Enjoy. And as usual, it's very low GI, so no guilt at all.