Roast Summer Vegetable & Green Garlic Pilaf
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Total: 55 mins
Sweet, mild green garlic has a short summer season, so we’re making the most of it in this rich veggie pilaf, roasting it with broccoli, courgettes, red onion and carrots, flavoured with earthy spices and folded through nutty bulgar wheat with spinach and dried dates.
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459 kcal
(per portion)
Ingredients you'll need
  • 2 red onions
  • 2 carrots
  • 2 courgettes
  • A head of broccoli
  • 1 green garlic bulb
  • A pinch or two of cayenne pepper
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 100g spinach
  • 50g dried dates
  • 1 vegetable stock cube
  • 500g bulgar wheat
  • 1 lemon
From your kitchen
  • Sea salt
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 ltr boiling water
You'll need
  • Large roasting tin
  • Measuring jug
Step by step this way
  • 1.

    Warm your oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Gas 6. Peel the red onions and slice them into thin wedges. Trim the carrots and thinly slice them thinly into 1cm-thick pieces. Trip the tops off the courgettes and cut them into thick batons. Trim the base off the broccoli and break the head into small florets. Slice the stalk into small pieces. Trim the base and top 4cm off the green garlic stalk. Finely shred the bulb and remaining stalk.

  • 2.

    Arrange the veg in a large roasting tin and scatter over the green garlic. Dust with a pinch of cayenne pepper (it’s very spicy, so use as much or little as you prefer), along with 2 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp turmeric and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Pour over 2 tbsp olive oil and toss to coat. Slide the veg into the oven and roast for 15 mins.

  • 3.

    After 15 mins, turn the veg over. Return the tray to the oven and roast for another 15 mins.

  • 4.

    Fill and boil your kettle. Pop the spinach into a bowl or sink full of cold water, swish it round a few times to rinse, then drain. Give it another rinse under the tap, then shake off the excess water. Trim any woody ends and finely shred the spinach leaves.

  • 5.

    Pour 1 ltr boiling water into a heatproof jug. Roughly chop the dates and add them to the jug. Crumble in the stock cube and stir to dissolve it.

  • 6.

    Remove the veg from the oven. Tip in the bulgar wheat and the spinach. Gently fold to combine. Pour over the stock and dates. Cover the roasting tin with foil, loosely scrunching it onto the edges of the tin (mind your hands on the hot tin) and return to the oven. Turn the heat off and leave the pilaf in the warm oven for 15 mins, till the bulgar wheat is tender and the stock has been absorbed.

  • 7.

    Take the pilaf out of the oven. Grate over the lemon zest and squeeze in the juice. Stir to mix, taste and add more salt or pepper if needed. Divide the pilaf between warm plates and serve.

  • Tip

    Keep & Eat
    The pilaf will keep for up to 3 days in the fridge. Transfer to containers, cool, then seal and chill. Reheat it in the microwave or on the hob, adding a splash of water or stock and making sure it piping hot all the way through.

  • Tip

    Extra, Extra
    This one pot is a hearty meal for 6 on it's own, or you can make it go further with a few extras. Try whipping up side of baba ganoush to go with it. Roast a couple of aubergines till soft, then peel and mash with crushed garlic, lemon juice, tahini and a little olive oil. Or rustle up a fresh salad of chopped watercress or rocket tossed with sliced radishes, shallots, and a mix of chopped mint, parsley and chives and a lemon dressing.

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