Bulgur Wheat and Pepper Salad

Not every dish is blessed with stunning good looks. There are those dishes that need to work hard to make friends (mushroom soup springs to mind) but there are also those that linger on the sidelines and might go unnoticed if they weren't pushed to the front.

For sure, this Bulgur Wheat and Pepper Salad is not a dish that will stop traffic or cause a hush when it enters a crowded room, but it is a dish that, for very little effort, tastes fantastic and always has people coming back for more ... and asking for the recipe.

This is definitely a 'side dish', not the main event and is one that I've been cooking since I was in college ... so that will be several more than quite a few years ago.

The recipe came from one of my college housemates and I imagine that back then (don't even think about saying 'in the olden days') bulgur wheat was pretty cutting edge. This salad is very simply dressed with soy sauce and french dressing (straight off the shelf) and combined with a few chopped, fresh vegetables it really is lovely stuff.

And this is why you'll want to be scribbling this recipe for Bulgur Wheat and Pepper Salad into your little black book of golden recipes -

• This is easy. Easy and quick. Boil the kettle. Simmer the bulgur wheat on the hob for 15 minutes or so. Chop the vegetables and stir them in with the flavourings. Done.
• It's seriously delicious ... great taste and great texture, so it's got lots going for it.
• This is a timeless dish. The fact that I've been making it for 20+ years counts for a lot in my book.
• It works a treat with a BBQ, fish, roasted chicken or to stretch out some leftovers. Tonight we're enjoying it with some sausages, a few roasted tomatoes on the vine and steamed fine green beans. I cooked the bulgur salad yesterday, so dinner will come together in a flash. Great stuff.
• And that brings me nicely to the fact that it is exceptionally well-behaved when you ask it to wait a while in the fridge.
• Works perfectly in a buffet-style spread too.
• Leftovers are great for packed lunches.
• It's an ideal dish to quickly rustle up when you hear those dreaded words ..."Could you possibly bring a salad?"

There you go - another great side dish to add to your growing repertoire of gorgeousness. Go forth and enjoy.

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