February 21st, 2008 by heidi@heidiswanson.com

Today's chickpea hot pot recipe was inspired by a small burst of early spring cleaning. I have a certain shelf in a certain cupboard in my kitchen that houses all manner of grains, legumes and rices. These ingredients do their best to spill over and infiltrate other areas in their proximity (the refrigerator, various bowls on the countertop, other cupboards), but I do my very best to keep them in their place. One of the problems I run into are the almost empty bags and jars - the 1/2 cup of purple rice here, the 3/4 cup of whole wheat couscous there. I end up with whole clusters of these stragglers. On this particular cleaning spree I came face to face with a large billowy plastic bag containing just a handful or two of bulgur wheat nestled in one of its corners. Not wanting to toss it out, I used it as the starting point for today's recipe. I have an abundance of citrus around right now, so the fast-cooking bulgur cooks in a light orange-juice accented broth. Plenty of chickpeas, tiny cauliflower pieces, onions, and greens add texture and substance to the hearty pot.

And for the sticklers, I don't meant hotpot in the traditional sense, I'm naming it this because we're literally talking about a big hearty pot of hot stew - and truth be told I think I've overused the soup title lately here, here, and here.

Other bulgur recipes:
- Bulgur, Celery and Pomegranate Salad Recipe
- A Beautiful Bulgar and Spinach Pilaf Recipe

Readers looking to make this gluten-free can trade in an alternate grain (quinoa would be nice) and this should work for you as well - I'd likely pre-cook the grain and stir it in, but you might also cook it in the pot.