Two Wheat Salad
Ingredients to serve 4 as a starter or 2 as a main course
half a cup of bulghar (cracked) wheat
quarter of a cup of buckwheat
cup of leftover white wine
half a small onion and 4 spring onions (scallions)
vegetable stock cube
half a tin of plum tomatoes and juice
1 tablespoon of tomato puree
4 tablespoons of chick peas
4 tablespoons of sweetcorn
2 tablespoons of chopped coriander leaves
2 tablespoons of chopped parsley
small amount of butter or oil for frying
S&P to taste
Method
Put the two wheats in a bowl and cover with the white wine: leave for 15 - 20 minutes, until the wine has been absorbed. Meanwhile chop both onions into small pieces (not too small, otherwise they're not chunky enough); chop the coriander finely and the parsley finely, too. Drain the chick peas and the sweetcorn and put them in a small bowl ready for use.
Chop the tinned tomatoes into medium sized pieces and keep them to one side along with their juice.
Now gently fry off the onions in the butter or oil until they are soft, medium heat and don't burn them! As the onions as finishing add the coriander and parsley: heat through, stirring as you do so. Now add the two wheats and stir in the chopped tomatoes, together with the tomato juice and the tomato puree. Stir to mix thoroughly then add the stock cube and enough water to make it all sloppy! (This is probably not quite covering the mixture).
Cook slowly now until the two wheats are cooked through: you might have to add more water, check every couple of minutes.
Add the chick peas and sweetcorn for the final two minutes, as they just need heating through.
The consistency of this dish should be like a well cooked rice: separate grains, not sticky, not sloppy.
Serve hot or cold with brown buttered bread and a green salad or a tomato and cucumber salad.
Goes with a fresh fruit salad (eg chopped banana, chopped nectarine with a fresh strawberry sauce drizzled all over)
