Salmagundi

I told my husband we were having salmagundi for dinner tonight and he said "Isn't that the novelist who had a fatwa put on him by the Ayatollah?". No David, that's Salman Rushdie. Salmagundi is a delicious vegetarian dish (although when I looked up salmagundi, it appears to be something else). My math colleague, Meghan Southworth (who calls it salamgundi), brought it in for our staff meeting last week and we all raved about it! I tried Meghan's recipe tonight with a few modifications. Also, my husband is not a big fan of tofu but he really liked this. You could substitute chicken for the tofu, but really- try the tofu- it's perfect in this dish and may make you a fan of tofu! The cumin flavor melds so nicely and it's cheesy and gooey. My friend Janre made it with artichoke hearts instead of green pepper. I think I might try it with both next time. Enjoy!

Salmagundi

1 cup of bulgur
1 cup boiling water
1 lb extra firm, cubed tofu (8 oz drained)
1 T olive oil
1 diced onion
1 diced green pepper
1/2 bag of fresh spinach, chopped
1/2 tsp of sriracha (or use Tabasco or half a minced jalapeno)
1 lb of Monterrey Jack cheese
1 20 oz can sliced tomatoes (discard half of the juice)
1 tsp cumin
salt and pepper to taste

1. Put bulgur in bowl and pour boiling water over bulgur. Cover and let all water get absorbed.
2. Meanwhile saute the green pepper, onion, and spinach in olive oil until just soft. Add salt and pepper. Stir in bulgur and drained tofu. Mix thorougly.
3. Mix tomatoes with cumin and hot sauce.
4. Butter the bottom of a deep casserole dish and make a layer of the tofu/bulgur/veggie mixture.
5. Place slices (1/2 thick) of Monterrey Jack Cheese on top. Spoon tomatoes and some juice over the cheese.
6. Repeat layer.
7. Cover and bake at 375 for 40 minutes. Uncover and continue baking for 15 more minutes.