Bulghur wheat salad with lamb

Method
Prep:30min  ›  Cook:10min  ›  Ready in:40min 

1. Preheat the grill. Put the bulghur wheat in a mixing bowl, pour over enough boiling water to cover and stir well. Leave to soak for 15–20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, grill the lamb pieces for 6–7 minutes on each side or until browned on the outside but still slightly pink inside. Remove from the heat and leave to rest in a warm place for 5–10 minutes, then slice into chunky pieces.
3. Put the shallots, red pepper, olives, cucumber and chopped mint in a salad bowl.
4. Drain the bulghur wheat in a sieve, pressing out excess water. Add to the salad bowl, together with the lemon and orange juices, the orange zest, and salt and pepper to taste. Toss to mix everything well.
5. Add the lamb and lettuce, and toss again. Serve immediately.

Another idea

Make a spicy pork and bulghur wheat salad with pineapple. Preheat the oven to 220ºC (425ºF, gas mark 7). Mix together the grated zest of ½ orange, the juice of 1 orange, 1 tbsp sunflower oil, 1 tbsp dark rum or soy sauce, 2 tbsp muscovado sugar, 1 large crushed garlic clove, and ½ tsp each ground cinnamon, ground allspice and pepper in a shallow ovenproof dish. Add 400 g (14 oz) pork fillet (tenderloin) and turn to coat with the mixture. Roast for 25 minutes or until tender but still moist. Meanwhile, soak the bulghur wheat as in the main recipe, then mix with ½ sweet ripe pineapple, peeled, cored and chopped, 1 large red pepper, seeded and chopped, 4 shallots, thinly sliced, the juice of 1 orange, 55 g (2 oz) watercress sprigs and 1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander. Season to taste. Spoon onto 4 plates. Slice the pork and arrange on top of the salad. Spoon over the cooking juices and serve immediately.

Plus points

Lamb is an excellent source of zinc, which is necessary for healing wounds. Lamb also provides useful amounts of iron. * Olives contain about 18 per cent fat by weight, and most of this is healthy monounsaturated fat. * Bulghur wheat makes a refreshing alternative to potatoes, and it has a relatively lower Glycaemic Index.

Each serving provides

Excellent source of niacin, viatamin A, vitamin B1, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, vitamin C, vitamin E, zinc. Good source of copper, folate, iron, vitamin B2. Useful source of potassium.