Koupes; umami mushroom, kalamata olives, onions, garlic, parsley and pine nuts encased in a bulgur wheat polenta pastry.
Slide your tongue into something moist and lush. And, breath.
This dish will eradicate any belief that vegan food can’t be super scrumptious.
Make this:
- When you’ve thrown out the buggy, pram and the kitchen sink out. It’s your annual spring clean detox. And, all that remains is celebrating with a tasty morsel that’ll cleanse your soul
- When you’ve got a case of relatives visiting sequentially. And, a dish that’ll keep them at bay at all the intrusive questioning will provide a slither of relief
- When a party celebration calls for an exquisite savoury dish that’ll get the dancing and plate throwing going
Koupes was inspired when I’d had a vegan Greek Cypriot chef over for a few days and we created concoctions of delicious insatiable yummy food.
This dish is a vegan air fryer dish and Greek/Cypriot cuisine.
What equipment to use
For this recipe, I suggest:
Airfryer
High speed blender
Stove
What to do next
Tag me on @ethiveganquantum on Instagram to show me what you’ve made and let me know you’re happy for me to share.
My recipes are featured in vegan speciality publications: Nourished, Vegan Life, Plant Based and Vegan, Food and Living.
Order my first self-published book, “Essence: The Beginner’s Guide to Veganism” part of the three-part Circle of Food series. My second book “Presence: The Ascending Vegan” – which explores how to maintain a vegan practice is out in 2027 – I have compiled all the chapters including recipes.
Going strong since 2013.
Love.
Edward x
Ingredients
- For casing
- 500g bulgur wheat, finely ground
- 75g polenta
- 3tbs olive oil
- 1200ml boiling filtered water
- 2tsp salt
- 1/2tsp black pepper
- For filling
- 400g mushrooms, finely chopped
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2tbs olive oil
- Few sprigs of parsley, finely chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 10 kalamata olives, chopped finely
- 2tbs pine nuts, chopped (optional)
- 1/2tsp cinnamon
- Season to taste
- Olive oil for air frying
- Bowl with water to wet hands in
- Lemon
Instructions
- Grind the dried bulgur wheat in a high-speed blender until fine and transfer to a large bowl with the polenta, salt and pepper. Mix well with a spatula.
- Pour over boiling water and oil. Mix, cover and set to one side overnight.
- In a large wok, sweat the onions and mushrooms in oil over a medium heat, until the mushrooms reduce in size. This should take about 10 minutes.
- Toss in the parsley. Once the parsley wilts, switch off the heat. Add in the garlics, olives, pine nuts and cinnamon. Mix well. Season to taste. Set to one side.
- Have on the side a bowl of water at room temperature.
- Line a tray with parchment paper.
- Take a portion of the pastry and shape it around to encase your thumb. You should be forming a long cylinder with a middle cavity. Place onto the tray. Use the side bowl with water to assist you. Repeat this action until your use most of the pastry.
- Take a small spoon and using the end of it scoop the mushroom parsley mixture into the crevice. Cover the pastry over the hole – use any pastry left over to seal the crevice.
- Using a pastry brush, slather oil, all over the Koupes. Refrigerate for a couple of hours.
- Air fry the Koupes for 15 minutes.
- Serve piping hot with lashings of lemon juice.
