Bulgur, a staple ingredient of Turkish kitchen.  Some recipes define it wrongly as “cracked wheat.” Well, it is cracked, it is also wheat but it is not just cracked wheat ;)  It is boiled as well as cracked.  You can find bulgur in different sizes. Prefer the coarse bulgur for the pilafs.
Last year I have decided to grow kale in our winter garden, and the only kale seeds I found locally were Russian/Siberian Kale.  Reading about it, it should have similar taste to the ordinary kale, but has different shape of leaves. Making this dish was an obvious choice to make use of the fresh leaves I have gathered from our garden.  Eating with homemade yogurt, it was one of the simplest, yet full of flavor meal I have made recently.

• 1 cup coarse bulgur
• 2 cups water (prefer chicken, beef or vegetable broth)
• 400 gr (about 1lb) kale - when trimmed, the green leaves were about 250gr (about 1/2lb) or less (could be used more)
• 1 big size onion
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon pepper or tomato paste
• salt to taste

Cut the onion in small pieces.  Wash and cut the stems of the kale, cut the green leaves for an inch thickness.

Heat the water or broth, when it is about to boil, heat the olive oil in a medium size pan, add pepper/tomato paste and onion pieces, cook for a short while. Add the bulgur and kale, mix, add water/broth + salt, mix well.  Cover, heat in medium heat until water is thoroughly absorbed.

Yes, I know Christmas was a week or so ago, but we finally had a chance to taste this pudding on the 30th and now I am getting around posting it ;)  Busy life you’d think but it is more like laziness.  Thanks to my mother-in-law who has been providing the Christmas pudding generously for the last couple of years and my husband who has been lighting them on fire, we had a great dessert!

If you are inclined to make your own, here is the altered recipe:

• 10 oz sultanas
• 10 oz currants
• 1/2 lb raisins
• 2 oz sweet almonds (skinned & chopped)
• 1 level tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 lb plain flour
• pinch of salt
• 1 lb soft brown sugar
• 1/2 lb mixed chopped candied peel
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• 1 tsp grated nutmeg
• 1/2 lb breadcrumbs
• 8 oz butter
• 6 eggs
• 4 Tbs stout
• Juice of 1 orange
• 1 wineglass brandy
• 1/2 pint milk

Grease 3 pint cup. Prepare the dried fruit, stone and chop raisins. Chop nuts. Sift flour, salt, spice, ginger, nutmeg into mixing bowl. Add everything else. Mix the dry and wet ingredients. Cover and boil steadily for 6 - 7 hrs.  Take the pudding out of the water and cover them with clean dry cloth and when cold, store in a cool place until required.  When required, boil the pudding for 1.5  hr before serving.

pour 1/4 cup brandy, light on fire!