This casserole is really delicious and different!!
- 1 cup of bulgar(bulgur, bulghur..) wheat
- 2 med-large potatoes
- 300g/10,5oz carrots
- 100g/3,5oz smoked bacon, well cooked and crumbled
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2 bayleaves
- 1 egg
- 100-150g mozzarella, sliced
- bread crumbs
- grated parmigiano
- Provencal herb mix (or mixture of rosemary, thyme, majoram, oregano)
- s&p
- evoo
1. peel and cut potatoes and carrots in small cubes. Boil them with just enough water, garlic and bayleaves for about 5-6min. Drain, remove the bayleaves and mash them in a large bowl.
2. Toast the bulgar in a skillet dry, as soon as they take on a golden colour and you start to smell the toasted aroma (be careful not to burn them, which can happen quite quickly) pour 1 cup (or same volume of the bulgar) of water. Mix well. When the water is boiling and get well absorbed by bulgar (only takes a few minutes) cut the heat.
3. Blend in the bulgar, egg, bacon, salt & pepper into the mashed potatoes/carrot mixture.
4. Brush a baking pan with evoo, then sprinkle breadcrumbs on the surface. Then lay out 1/2 of the bulgar mixture evenly. Lay out the sliced mozzarella to cover the surface, then spread out the rest of the mixture over the mozzarella. Cover the top with a mixture of the breadcrumbs and parmigiano.
5. Bake in the oven at 200C°/400F° for 20minutes, or until golden brown.
Some idea for a little variation. This was delicious as is, but the next time we would like to try it with some chopped and sautèed scallion and/or mushrooms.