Real African Dishes: [MC-AllEthnic-Recipes] Pumpkin-Bulgur Dumplings with Spinach Stuffing in Yogurt Sauce

* Exported from MasterCook *

Pumpkin-Bulgur Dumplings with Spinach Stuffing in Yogurt Sauce - Vegetarian Kibbe

Recipe By     :
Serving Size : 6     Preparation Time :0:00
Categories    : LowFat (Less than 25%)          Veggie

Amount Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
                        For shell:
2               cups bulgur -- (10 oz) fine or medium-fine bulgur (often sold as tabboule mix)
1 1/2           cups pureed pumpkin -- (canned or homemade)
2        Tablespoons grated onion
3        Tablespoons flour
1         Tablespoon cinnamon
     1/2      teaspoon allspice
1           teaspoon salt
1           teaspoon Aleppo pepper -- or paprika
                        For stuffing:
                        olive oil
2             cloves garlic -- minced
16                oz fresh spinach -- (can substitute frozen)
     1/4           cup chopped walnuts
2          teaspoons pomegranate molasses -- or lemon juice
                        To fry: -- oil for frying
                        For yogurt sauce:
1              quart plain yogurt
1              clove garlic
1            squeeze lemon juice
1                     egg white
1         Tablespoon cornstarch -- or flour dissolved in 2 tbl water

1. Make stuffing: Heat a glug of olive oil in a saute pan. Add the garlic
cloves and saute for a minute to soften. Add the spinach (you may have to
add it in batches to get it all to fit) and saute over medium heat for
several minutes until wilted and dark green. Season with salt and add the
walnuts and pomegranate molasses and toss to combine. Set aside to cool.

2. If you have fine bulgur (the consistency of cornmeal) you do not need
to soak it. If you have medium-fine bulgur, pour hot water over it to
cover. Let sit for five minutes, then drain thoroughly (I drain it in a
cheesecloth lined mesh colander).

3. Combine the bulgur with the pumpkin puree, onion, cinnamon, allspice,
salt, Aleppo pepper and flour. Using damp hands knead everything together
for 5 minutes, until the mixture is cohesive. Let the mixture rest for 10
minutes. Knead the mixture one more time to combine- it should be more
cohesive after resting, if it is too dry you can add a touch of water to
loosen, or if it is wet add a bit of flour, though neither of these should
be necessary.

4. Form the dumplings: Work with damp hands to prevent sticking. Flatten a
heaping tablespoonful of the pumpkin mixture in your palm, place a
teaspoon of spinach filling in the center, then close up the pumpkin
mixture around it. Place on a baking sheet and continue forming dumplings.

5. Place oil in a deep pot for frying. Heat the oil to hot (355 F) and fry
the dumplings, a few at a time, for 3-5 minutes, until golden brown.
Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Continue frying
remaining dumplings.

6. Make yogurt sauce: Using a mortar and pestle or in a small bowl, smash
the garlic clove with the lemon juice and a pinch of salt. In a saucepan
off the heat, combine the yogurt, garlic mixture, egg white and dissolved
cornstarch, stir the mixture gently until it is very well combined,
smooth, and shiny. Place the pan on the burner and cook over medium heat,
stirring constantly (do not stop stirring or it might curdle). Let the
mixture come to a boil and simmer for a couple minutes (at this point you
can consider the yogurt stabilized and relax the stirring somewhat). Thin
the yogurt sauce with water to your taste (I use about one cup but use
your own judgement). Remove from the heat.

7. Combine the yogurt sauce and the dumplings in a large serving vessel,
or divide among serving bowls. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve
immediately.

To make a pie: Preaheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a 9" round pan
generously with butter.
Follow directions in steps 1-3 to make the pumpkin and spinach mixtures.
Place half the pumpkin mixture in the bottom of the pan, spread the
spinach mixture over top, then cover with the remaining pumpkin mixture.
Score a diamond pattern on the top of the pie. Melt four tablesppons of
butter and drizzle it over the top of the pie.
Bake 30-35 minutes, until fragrant and golden brown. Serve in wedges, with
plain yogurt on the side.

Serves 6

AuthorNote: This is a beautiful and unusual Lebanese dish. You can make it
in dumpling form, but it can also be baked like a casserole for an easier
version, both are delicious. Bulgur is often sold as "tabboule mix" and is
available in most groceries. Make sure to season generously.

While kibbe is generally synonymous with meat there are many vegetarian
versions, they were probably developped by Christians of the region who
fast during Lent, but are also a good option for poor families that cannot
afford meat. Which brings me back to that pumpkin and spinach recipe I
referred to earlier. This unique Lebanese dish is comprised of
pumpkin-bulgur dumplings stuffed with spinach and walnuts; I've chosen to
serve it in a warm yogurt sauce, my favorite tangy counterpart. I realize
that this discussion may seem esoteric, but in reality you can find all
these ingredients at your local grocery (bulgur is often sold as "tabboule
mix"). If you make the dumplings there's no getting around the fact that
it is time consuming, though it's not particularly difficult. However, you
can also make this in a casserole dish (I've done both here to
demonstrate), in which case it comes together in mere minutes, and it
smells wonderfully of pumpkin pie as it bakes. While I love the
presentation aspect of the dumplings, the pie tastes equally as good and
certainly wins when it comes to ease of preparation. My main piece of
advice is not to skimp on the seasonings, it would be a shame to have such
a beautiful dish risk being bland.

Cuisine:
"Lebanese"
Source:
"Mercedes potsted to Desert Candy"
S(Internet Address):
"June 2013"
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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 381 Calories; 9g Fat (20.7%
calories from fat); 17g Protein; 64g Carbohydrate; 14g Dietary Fiber; 21mg
Cholesterol; 512mg Sodium. Exchanges: 2 1/2 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 1
1/2 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 1/2 Non-Fat Milk; 1 1/2 Fat; 1/2 Other
Carbohydrates.

Nutr. Assoc. : 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0