Ruby Red Bulgur Beet Salad

We had the pleasure of being hosted again by my SIL and BIL Yo and Len for yet another family event, the bar mitzvah of our great (yes he is) nephew Avichai, and this lovely salad was served to us by Yo as part of our third Shabbat meal and was purchased from a local place that they favor. It was beautiful on the plate and delightful to the taste and I decided to copy it to the best of my ability. Don’t worry, soon comes another post with a fab apple dessert Yo made which is utterly delish and light, too.

So it was fairly straightforward in that it was called bulgur beet salad taking much guesswork out of it but after making this copycat version, I found myself going back to the salad and having just one more spoonful, it’s that good.

So start by making your basic bulgur following my link here The Joys of Bulgur or Burgul or Cracked Wheat… which is not difficult but if you want that lovely fluffy texture, follow the instructions I give you and you will be pleased.

Once you have the prepared bulgur (or use leftover bulgur which I actually had on hand, perfect for this dish)

add your crushed garlic, chopped parsley and fresh or dehydrated onion. (I confess, I had no fresh parsley or garlic so I used frozen, there you go!).

Put in some lemon juice and take your cooked beets and slice or chop very finely.

I used my slicer dicer for this but you can chop with a good sharp knife as well, finely, really!

Add to the bulgur mixture.

Tell me that doesn’t glow like a ruby, right? Now mix mix mix and I used (throughout the prep) my latex gloves cuz beets stain your hands and it’s so much easier to just mix it up this way. Add some olive oil and salt to taste since the beets are a bit sweet and you will likely need extra salt (the bulgur is salted). Adjust the seasonings, toss and let sit a bit. This not only melds the flavors, it turns the bulgur, yes, you got it, ruby red. It’s just so gorgeous to see and a delight to eat, count on it being gobbled up merrily by all.

Ruby Red Bulgur Beet Salad

2 cups cooked bulgur (cracked wheat) (see instructions in link) The Joys of Bulgur or Burgul or Cracked Wheat…
1 teaspoon dehydrated onion OR 1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
1-2 cloves crushed garlic
2 medium cooked beets (I used vaccuum packed precooked beets)
1 teaspoon salt (to taste)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2-3 teaspoons lemon juice

Directions:

Prepare the bulgur according to the basic directions in the link provided. Once cooked, set aside to cool. Add the onion, parsley and garlic and stir well or do as I do, don latex gloves and toss by hand. Take the cooked beets and chop into fine cubes. Add to the bulgur. Sprinkle with the salt, olive oil and lemon juice and toss well, tasting to see if you need more salt, oil or lemon juice. Serve as part of a variety of salads, a side dish or you could plate on shredded greens, crumble some feta or bulgarian cheese on top and make it a meal.