Beautiful Bulgar and Spinach Pilaf with Labneh and Chili Roast Tomatoes
from
Crazy Water Pickled Lemons: Enchanting Dishes from the Middle East,
Mediterranean and North Africa
by Diana Henry (Author)

1 onion, finely chopped
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves
6 ounces bulgar wheat
1 1/4 cups (10 fluid ounces)
salt and pepper
10 1/2 ounces spinach
leaves torn from a small bunch of mint, torn
extra-virgin olive oil

For the labneh:
1 1/8 cups (9 fluid ounces Greek yogurt)
1 fat garlic clove, crushed
pinch of salt

For the tomatoes:
12 plum tomatoes
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 - 1 1/2 teaspoon harissa
2 teaspoons soft dark-brown sugar

For the onions:
2 onions, very finely sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoon soft brown sugar
juice of 1/2 small lemon
You have to start the labneh the day or night before. Just line a sieve with
a bit of cheesecloth and set it over a small bowl. Put the yogurt into the
cheesecloth and refrigerate the while thing. The yogurt will lose a bit of
excess moisture over the next 24 hours, leaving you with a firmer mixture, a
bit like cream cheese. Help it by giving it a squeeze once or twice. Tumble
the yogurt into a bowl. Add the garlic, a little salt and mash it all
together. Cover and put the labneh into the refrigerator until you need it.

Halve the tomatoes lengthwise and put them in a small roasting pan or oven
proof dish. Mix together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, harissa, some salt
and pepper, and pour this over the tomatoes. Turn them over, making sure
they get coated, ending with them cut-side up. Sprinkle the soft brown sugar
over the top and put in an oven pre-heated to 350F degrees. Cook for 40-45
minutes (hs note: less time if you use smaller cherry tomatoes), until the
tomatoes are shrunken and sweet. they can either be hot or at room
temperature when you add them to the pilaf, so you could do this part in
advance.

For the pilaf, saute the chopped onion in half the olive oil in a fairly
heavy-bottomed saucepan. When the onion is soft and translucent add the
garlic and cook for another couple of minutes. Tip the bulgar wheat (or
alternately couscous - see headnote) into the pan, pour in the stock, and
season. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and let the bulgar simmer
in the stock for about 15 minutes. All the stock will have been absorbed by
then. Cover the pot and let the bulgar sit to fluff up for another 10
minutes.

Take the stalks off the spinach and wash the leaves well. In a covered pot,
cook the leaves in just the water that clings to them after washing. they
will wilt in about 4 minutes. Squeeze out the excess moisture and chop the
leaves very roughly. Saute the spinach for a few minutes in the remaining
olive oil and season it well with salt and pepper. Stir this into the bulgar
wheat.

Quickly cook the finely sliced onions in very hot olive oil - you want them
golden brown with some crispy bits. For the last minute of cooking time, add
the cinnamon and brown sugar. Stir this around and, once the sugar has
melted and begun to slightly caramelize, add a good squeeze of lemon juice
and some salt and pepper.

Layer the different components in a broad, shallow bowl: tip in the bulgar
wheat, sprinkle on half the mint, then the tomatoes, then the rest of the
mint. Break the labneh into lumps and scatter them over the tomatoes. Now
strew the onions on top, drizzle with a slug of extra-virgin olive oil, and
serve.

Serves 4 to 8 (main / side).