Bulghur pilaf

Bulghur pilaf is a good high fibre substitution for a risotto. Better than risotto in some ways, as it doesn't suffer from being refrigerated and reheated, and it is also nice at room temperature in a bento.  This is a tomato, red pepper, and guanciale one.

Put some sliced onion, …

… some diced guanciale, pancetta, or bacon,

… and some chopped garlic …

… into a pan and sauté in some olive oil …

… until the meat is cooked and the onions are soft:

Add some uncooked coarse bulghur (burghul, bulgar) wheat. This is two cups:

Stir it around on the heat the way you would with rice in a risotto. Add more oil if necessary:

Add a teaspoon or so of smoked paprika, …

… some red peppers …

… that you've sliced …

… and give it a bit of a stir.

Then add a tin of chopped tomatoes

… and give it another stir.

Fill the empty tomato tin with water and add that and some salt and pepper. You can taste it to see how much you need.

Bring the pan to the boil and simmer it covered until all the liquid has been absorbed.

This is nearly done:

And this is done:

When it's done you can cover it with a double thickness of paper towels then put the lid back on and leave it to rest for ten minutes or so. That will absorb any last bits of unwanted moisture. It's delicious served with labneh on top, either as a side dish at dinner or with a salad for lunch.

Recipe

Red bulghur pilaf

Ingredients:
1 onion, sliced
100g bacon, pancetta, or similar, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups coarse bulghur wheat
olive oil
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 bottled roasted red peppers (or could use fresh)
400g tin chopped tomatoes
the tomato tin full of water
salt and pepper to taste

Method:
Sauté the onion, garlic and meat in a little oil over a medium heat until the onions are transparent.
Add the wheat, stir around and fry slightly to mix with the oil. Add more oil if necessary. Some fat will have been rendered from the meat, so you just need to use your judgement about how much you need.
Add the rest of the ingredients, mix well, cover and simmer until all the liquid has been absorbed.