Homemade Sour Bulgur Trahana From Ikaria Recipes

This is just about the simplest dish to make with trahana, yet I find it incredibly satisfying and refreshing. I like it both hot and cold; it is cooling on a hot summer day and comforting on a cool one (we were in the middle of a bad heat wave when I was testing this week's recipes). The soup is adapted from a recipe in Diane Kochilas's new cookbook: "Ikaria: Lessons on Food, Life, and Longevity From the Greek Island Where People Forget to Die." My favorite herb to use with the soup is fresh dill. If you want to add more ingredients, simmer vegetables of your choice in the broth, or add blanched or steamed vegetables to the soup when you serve it. Broccoli would be great, as would peas, beans, or sugar snap peas.

Provided by Martha Rose Shulman

Categories     appetizer, main course

Time 25m

Yield Serves 6

Number Of Ingredients 8

• Ingredients

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 224, UnsaturatedFat 7 grams, Carbohydrate 28 grams, Fat 11 grams, Fiber 5 grams, Protein 7 grams, SaturatedFat 3 grams, Sodium 887 milligrams, Sugar 1 gram

Trahana is a wheat product that is eaten throughout Greece and the Eastern Mediterranean. There are many versions, some made with milk, usually from goats or sheep that is called sweet trahana, some with a combination of milk and yogurt, called sour trahana, and even a lenten version made with vegetable pulp. The liquid is combined with wheat - bulgur, semolina, or a mix of semolina and flour - and made into a dry dough (if using flour) or simmered until it is a thick porridge. Then it is spread out on netting and dried in the sun. Once thoroughly dry it is broken up into granules that can range in size from bulgurlike morsels to small pellets. You can find imported Greek trahana in Greek markets. I found five different types in my local Greek market in Los Angeles and each one behaves a little bit differently when you cook it. It is easy to make yourself, as I found when I made this recipe from Diane Kochilas's wonderful new cookbook "Ikaria: Lessons on Food, Life, and Longevity From the Greek Island Where People Forget to Die." This is the trahana that I used for all of this week's Recipes for Health. I am happy to have this new staple on hand in my pantry.

Provided by Martha Rose Shulman

Categories     breakfast, dinner, lunch

Time 3h30m

Yield 1 1/4 pounds trahana, about 18 servings

Number Of Ingredients 6

• Ingredients

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 124, UnsaturatedFat 1 gram, Carbohydrate 24 grams, Fat 2 grams, Fiber 4 grams, Protein 5 grams, SaturatedFat 1 gram, Sodium 163 milligrams, Sugar 2 grams