BULGUR WITH PARSLEY AND CHIVES

25 MINUTES (5 ACTIVE)

4 SERVINGS

My kids are not great whole-grain eaters, but bulgur is part of the transition effort. From white pasta they grew to love maftoul, a kind of whole wheat couscous, and from there, tender, nutty bulgur isn’t that far away. They like it plain, but I love it with a great big shower of fresh herbs on top. The other handy thing about bulgur is its quick cooking time.

•  1 lemon

•  1 tablespoon olive oil

•  1 cup medium bulgur wheat

•  Fine sea salt to taste

•  ½ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

•  ¼ cup chopped fresh chives

•  Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Using a peeler, remove the bright yellow peel of the lemon, leaving behind the white pith. Cut the lemon into wedges and reserve.

Place the lemon peel and oil in a small sauté pan and heat it over medium heat for 1 minute. Turn off the heat and set the pan aside to let the oil infuse with the lemon.

Meanwhile, place the bulgur in a medium saucepan with 2 cups water and salt. Bring the water to a boil over high heat, turn the heat to low, cover, and cook until the bulgur is tender, about 12 minutes.

Pour off any excess water and fluff the bulgur with a fork. Cover and let stand another 5 minutes.

Place the bulgur, parsley, and chives in a large bowl; add the lemon-infused oil and stir. Remove the pieces of lemon peel, taste, and season with salt and pepper.

Serve with the lemon wedges to squeeze over.