Serves4
- Active time:1 hr
- Start to finish:1 1/4 hr
June 2009
Okay, you caught us: There’s no sliced bread here, and you’ll need a knife and fork. But this bulgur and grilled-vegetable salad has so much gusto that it simply cries out for a daring presentation to match.
For Tomato Vinaigrette
-
1
large garlic clove
-
1
pint
grape or cherry tomatoes
-
1/2
cup
flat-leaf parsley leaves
-
1/3
cup
extra-virgin olive oil
-
1/4
cup
red-wine vinegar
-
1
tablespoon
finely chopped rosemary
-
1/4
teaspoon
hot red-pepper flakes
for salad
-
8
large portabella mushrooms, stems reserved for another use (see cooks’ note, below)
-
1
small red onion, cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick wedges (keeping root end intact)
-
2
medium yellow bell peppers, quartered lengthwise
-
1
medium zucchini, halved lengthwise
-
1 1/2
tablespoons
extra-virgin olive oil
-
1 1/2
cups
boiling-hot water
-
1
cup
medium bulgur
-
1/4
cup
pine nuts, toasted see Tips
-
2 1/2
oz
baby arugula (4 cups)
-
1
firm-ripe small avocado
Make vinaigrette:
-
With motor running, drop garlic into food processor and finely chop. Add tomatoes, parsley, oil, vinegar, rosemary, red-pepper flakes, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper and pulse until tomatoes are finely chopped but not puréed.
Make salad:
-
Peel skin from portabellas using tip of a paring knife, pulling from edge of mushroom toward center. Gently scrape off gills from mushrooms with tip of a spoon. Toss portabellas with 1/2 cup vinaigrette in a 13- by 9-inch glass baking dish and let stand, turning occasionally, 20 minutes.
-
Prepare a gas grill for direct-heat cooking over medium heat; see “
Grilling Procedure”.
-
Push 1 wooden pick into each onion wedge to secure for grilling. Toss onion wedges, bell peppers, and zucchini with oil, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/8 tsp pepper. Oil grill rack, then grill vegetables, covered, turning occasionally, until tender (6 to 8 minutes for bell peppers, 6 to 10 minutes for zucchini, 8 to 12 minutes for onion, and 12 to 15 minutes for portabellas).
-
Transfer portabellas to a plate and remaining vegetables to a bowl as cooked. Cool slightly, then remove wooden picks and coarsely chop onion, bell peppers, and zucchini.
-
While vegetables cook, pour boiling-hot water over bulgur with 1/2 tsp salt in a large bowl and let stand until water is absorbed and bulgur is tender, about 5 minutes. Drain in a sieve if any water remains.
-
Add vegetables to bulgur with pine nuts and remaining vinaigrette and toss.
-
Put one fourth of arugula on each of 4 plates. Top with upside-down portabella. Pack bulgur mixture into a cup measure, then unmold on top of portabella. Top with another portabella, right side up. Serve with an avocado quarter.
Cooks’ notes:- Vegetables can be grilled in an oiled hot 2-burner grill pan.
- We also have a Web-exclusive recipe using portabella mushroom stems