Apple Snitz is everywhere this time of the year.  The apples are harvested in the fall and over winter the slices dry. Apple Snitz or Schnitz, is a Pennsylvania German (Pa Dutch) term for dried apple slices. Last Saturday I took my mom to Central Market in Lancaster and we stocked up on local produce, enjoyed lunch at a middle eastern stand, and enjoyed each other's company. I picked up two bags of apple snitz, one from tart apples the other sweet apples, two large acorn squash, spring onions, red potatoes, dried beans, rolled oats, and more.

While the season is still cold this early March, I thought I'd enjoy one last winter meal  before spring begins. This recipe combines the sweet flavors of dried apples, sugared dried ginger, with the nutty flavors in the bulgur and squash.

Stuffed Acorn Squash with Bulgur, Apple Snitz, and Ginger
Serves 2 as a main dish

1 large acorn squash, halved, seeds removed
1 cup bulgur
2 cups water
1/4 generous cup roughly chopped low sugar dried ginger
1/4 generous cup roughly chopped tart apple snitz
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, chopped
drizzle of your favorite nut oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add bulgur and cover. Reduce heat. While bulgur is cooking chop ginger and apple snitz. Near to the very end of cooking add chopped ginger, apple snitz, and chipotle pepper to the bulgur. Cover for approximately 5 minutes, stir and fluff with a fork. Reserve to the side. Place squash with their flesh facing towards you in an oven safe pan and using a spoon fill the centers with the bulgur mixture. Fill the bottom of the pan with 1" of water to surround the squash, careful not to splash. Drizzle the smallest amount of walnut oil on top of the filled squash, then cover. Bake for approximately 50 mins or until the squash is fork tender. Remove from oven and serve. 

I wish this combination was my idea. I scoured the web for ideas on what to bring to the staff Christmas luncheon last Friday afternoon for the vegans and vegetarians on staff. (I'm included in that group). I visited Heidi Swanson's site at www.101cookbooks.com. She has a great photo of her bulgur and pomegranate salad on her blog. I adapted the recipe here to include the nuts I had available as well as the fresh herbs in my garden. It's a perfect salad to serve at a luncheon as you can make it the night before, and toss in the toasted nuts in the morning. Refrigerate until you're ready to serve. It will serve 8-10 people as a side dish.

Bulgur Pomegranate Celery Salad
Adapted from Heidi Swanson
Serves 8-10 as a side dish

1 cup red bulgur wheat
2 cups water
1 shallot, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pomegranate, reserve seeds and juice
3-4 stalks of celery (I used relatively short stalks)
2T fresh mint, chopped
2-3 T extra virgin olive oil
4oz of pine nuts, toasted
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Freshly ground sea salt

Combine bulgur and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat. Fluff with a fork after 15-20 mins.

While the bulgur is cooking, cut and separate the pomegranate. Reserve 3-4 tablespoons of juice in a small bowl and set the seeds to the side to further drain. If you need to make juice, crush the seeds to make more.  Chop celery, shallot, garlic, and mint. Set vegetables and spices to the side. Cool bulgur.

Toast the pine nuts in two batches in a dry saucepan or frying pan. Use medium heat and stir constantly until the pine nuts turn golden brown on all sides. Set aside to cool. Toss pine nuts with a small amount of sea salt.

Combine bulgur, celery, and shallot in a bowl. Gently toss in the pomegranate seeds. In a small measuring cup, combine reserved pomegranate juice, 2-3T olive oil, garlic, mint, and pepper. Stir to combine. Pour on top of the bulgur salad. Gently fold in the dressing, cover, and refrigerate. If you're making the salad to serve immediately or within the next few hours, fold in the pine nuts gently through the salad with the dressing. If you will wait to serve the salad until the next day, fold in the pine nuts that morning.  Refrigerate the salad until ready, or serve at room temperature.

The last few days I've been making a warm porridge with oat groats for breakfast. This morning I thought I'd try using bulgur instead. I usually reserve bulgur for pilafs and grain salads, but here it takes on a different flavor when drizzled with maple syrup and speckled with currants.

Breakfast Bulgur with Currants and Maple Syrup
Yield: 1 Serving

1/2 cup dry red bulgur wheat
3/4 cup water
1 1/2 T currants (or other dried fruit)
1 spoonful of maple syrup

Cook bulgur in water over medium heat in a small saucepan until tender and most of the water has been absorbed. 10-15 mins. Remove from heat, add currants, and transfer to a serving bowl. Drizzle with maple syrup and enjoy.  Other variations could include adding cinnamon or dried fruits, dates, raisins, or apple snitz.

Inspired by the recipes for stuffed cabbage I've been browsing through the cookbooks I brought back from Germany I decided to make a vegetarian alternative. Bulgur is one of my favorite grains and takes on a nice ground meat consistency when cooked with tomato paste and onions. In this recipe I rolled cabbage leaves with bulgur and baked it with my own tomato sauce.

Stuffed Cabbage with Bulgur
Yield: 9  cabbage rolls with sauce

Stuffing:
2 shallots
3 cloves of garlic
1 Tablespoon organic tomato paste
3/4 cup dried bulgur
5 small sundried tomatoes (no oil), chopped
1/2 to 1 tsp chili powder
sea salt
3/4 cup water

9 large leaves of raw cabbage
Boiling water

Sauce:
1 small onion chopped
3 small cloves garlic, minced
1 qt of canned, whole peeled tomatoes (mine are self canned)
a palm full of fresh herbs: oregano and basil, chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Prepare bulgur stuffing. In a small to medium saucepan over the stovetop, saute onions and garlic in a small amount (less than a quarter size drop) of olive oil until transparent over medium heat. Add the tablespoon of tomato paste and combine. Add the bulgur and stir again. Drop in the sundried tomatoes. Pour in the water and bring to a simmer. Add the chili powder and salt (if you need it), stir, cover and reduce heat. You may need to add an additional small amount of water if the mixture is too dry. It will take approximately 15 minutes to absorb all of the water. Once bulgur is tender and can hold a stiff shape with a spoon, remove from heat and set aside.

While the bulgur is cooking, in a larger saucepan over medium heat begin to prepare the sauce.  Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Add a small amount of olive oil to the pan. Add the onion and garlic, cook until almost transparent. Pour in the entire quart of tomatoes with juice, and break the tomatoes up with a wooden spoon to form a chunky sauce. Bring sauce to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes or longer, reducing the amount of liquid by half. Stir frequently to ensure sauce is not stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add the fresh herbs when sauce is at desired consistency, stir and remove from heat. 

 Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Add the cabbage leaves, make sure leaves are covered with water. When the cabbage leaves are flexible and slightly transparent,  about 10 minutes, remove leaves from boiling water and dab leaves with a towel. Place approximately 1/4 cup of bulgur mixture on top of each leaf and roll, folding the edges of the leave inside and roll up. More or less stuffing may be necessary depending on the size of the cabbage leaf. Place each roll seam side down onto a baking dish. Top with the chunky tomato sauce and bake for approximately 20 minutes at 375 degrees.