Vegan Meze
By: Anonymous
Published: Sunday, February 14, 2010 - 7:09am

Ingredients




2 tablespoons Olive oil
1 medium Onion, finely sliced
25 grams Vermicelli, (1oz)
225 grams Bulgar or cracked wheat, (8oz)
300 mls Good vegetable stock, (½ pint)
50 grams Raisins, (2oz)
Salt and pepper
4 tablespoons Tahini paste
2 Cloves garlic, crushed with sea salt
1 lrg Or 2 small lemons, Juice of
4 tablespoons Best quality olive oil
1 teaspoon Cumin seeds, freshly ground in a spice mill
Freshly ground black pepper
Chopped fresh parsley, to garnish

Preparation

1 Heat the oil in a heavy based flame proof casserole and cook the onion gently for 5 minutes. Add the vermicelli, breaking it into the pan with your hands into manageable sized pieces. Stir for 1 minute until it becomes transluscent from absorbing the oil. 2 Rinse the wheat under the cold tap, then add to the casserole immediately. 3 Add the stock, raisins and seasoning. Cover and simmer gently for 9 to 10 minutes or until all the stock is absorbed. 4 Leave the pilaff to stand for 5 minutes before serving. 5 For the Tahini: Put the tahini paste, garlic, lemon juice, pepper, olive oil and ground cumin in a food processor and blend until smooth. The mixture will be very thick, so gradually add 3 to 4 tbsp cold water while blending it in the machine to thin it to a dipping consistency. 6 Serve in a bowl, with a sprinkling of parsley to garnish.