Bulgur, broad beans and dates salad with griddled broccoli
Prep time: 30 minsTotal time: 
Bulgur, broad beans and dates salad with griddled broccoli
Prep time: 30 minsTotal time: 
Annie Bell
Annie started her career as a chef, and is now an award-winning food writer who has written more than a dozen cookbooks. Her recipes are always as beautiful as they are delicious.
Annie Bell
Annie started her career as a chef, and is now an award-winning food writer who has written more than a dozen cookbooks. Her recipes are always as beautiful as they are delicious.
Ingredients
- 150g bulgur wheat
- 300g fresh or frozen broad beans (about 1kg unpodded beans)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice, plus zest of 1 lemon
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground allspice
- 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 Medjool dates, stoned and cut into thin strips
- 3 tbsp chopped mint, plus a few small leaves
- 3 tbsp chopped dill sprigs
- 50g shelled pistachios
- 4 lemon wedges, to serve
- sea salt
For the griddled broccoli:
- 400g tenderstem broccoli, trimmed
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Step by step
Griddle the broccoli and prepare the salad up to the point of adding the dressing several hours ahead.
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For the broccoli, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, add the broccoli and cook for 3 minutes. Drain and leave for a few minutes for surface moisture to evaporate.
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In a large bowl, cover the bulgur wheat with plenty of boiling water and leave to soak for 20 minutes until tender but with a slight resistance.
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Meanwhile, heat a griddle pan over a medium heat. Toss the broccoli in a bowl with the oil and seasoning and cook in 2 or 3 batches for 2-3 minutes each side until lightly charred. Cool.
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Bring a medium-sized pan of water to the boil and simmer the fresh broad beans, if using, for 6-7 minutes. Drain and cool in cold water. Unless they are tiny, skin them. If using frozen, cook according to the pack instructions, then drain, cool and skin.
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Drain the bulgur wheat into a sieve and shake to get rid of as much water as possible. Whisk the lemon juice with the spices and some seasoning, then whisk in the olive oil and set aside.
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Combine the bulgur wheat, beans, dates, herbs and half the pistachios in a serving dish. To serve, pour over the dressing and gently toss; check the seasoning. Scatter over the lemon zest, the remaining pistachios and a few mint leaves. Serve with the broccoli, and lemon wedges to squeeze over while eating.
The griddled broccoli makes the salad into a complete affair, though grilled lamb chops seem to call fairly strongly, too
