:: metching and kvetching ::

I'm trying to eat a little healthier and sometimes that makes me angry. But the recipe below makes me happy! It's for metch, a traditional Armenian side dish made from bulgar. It's similar to tabbouleh but thicker and grainier (with less parsley), and not as tangy. You can eat it warm or cold, as a side dish or spread on crackers. Really, the options are endless. Here's a super healthy and delicious option served on cucumbers, courtesy of Miss Jeanie's Catering:

Metch 

(source)

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked bulgar wheat 
• 1/2 vidalia onion (chopped teeny tiny--everything below also chopped really small...) 
• 1 jalapeno – optional (seeded & chopped) 
• 1/2 red bell pepper (seeded & chopped) 
• 1/2 green bell pepper (seeded & chopped) 
• 1/2 cup olive oil 
• 8 oz tomato sauce 
• 8 oz water 
• 1/2 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice 
• 1 tbsp paprika salt and pepper to taste 
• 1/2 cup parsley 
• 1/2 cup chopped scallions  

Directions 

1. Heat olive oil in a medium pan over medium heat
2. Add onions and all 3 peppers
3. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat
4. Allow to simmer, covered, for 30 minutes
5. Using a slotted spoon, remove onions and peppers and discard (or use for something else).
6. Make sure to leave as much liquid as possible in the pot
7. Add tomato sauce, water and lemon and stir well
8. Add paprika and bring mixture to a boil
9. Add bulgar wheat
10. Cover and remove from heat
11. Allow to sit until the liquid disappears, approximately 15 minutes
12. Salt and pepper to taste
13. Add parsley and scallions and stir well

Serve as a side dish or salad, hot or cold!