My take on the classic Turkish dish firikli sebzeli, which uses griddled vegetables to create a beautiful smokey flavour, layered over a base of bulgur wheat and nutty freekeh. The whole thing Is cooked in one pan to create a stunning centrepiece finished with parsley and pine nuts. This is delicious served with a side of yoghurt or homous.
Serves 6
1 large zucchini, thin sliced lengthways
1 capsicum, roughly sliced
2 onions, finely sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp dried mint
1 tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp Turkish red pepper paste (or tomato paste)
1 ½ cups / 225g bulgur
½ cup / 100g freekeh
1x 400g can chopped tomatoes
2 ½ cups / 750ml vegetable stock
3 tomatoes, sliced
To serve:
2 tbsp parsley leaves, roughly chopped
20g pine nuts, toasted
1 lemon, sliced into wedges
1. Heat a griddle pan over a high heat. Toss the zucchini & capsicum with olive oil and a pinch of salt and place on the griddle pan, turning to lightly char each side. Transfer the zucchini & capsicum to separate plates.
2. In a deep wide based pan, heat a drizzle of olive oil and fry the onion until softened and lightly caramelised, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, spices and red pepper paste and cook until fragrant. Stir through the charred capsicum, bulgur, freekeh and chopped tomatoes. Pour over the veg stock and season with salt and pepper.
3. Place the charred zucchini slices on top and the arrange the tomatoes in a circular pattern. Season the tomatoes and cover the pan. Leave to cook for 30 mins until the grains have cooked.
4. Leave the pan to rest, covered for 15 minutes to absorb all the flavour. Drizzle with olive oil and scatter over the parsley and pine nuts to serve with the lemon wedges.
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