Homemade Bulgur Tabbouleh

Holidays mean more homemade meals in Casa Poniente. Yesterday I made myself a nice and citrusy Bulgur Tabbouleh Salad since I've been craving for it for days. 




Tabbouleh is a Mediterranean vegetarian dish (considered a salad) traditionally made of tomatoes, finely chopped parsley, mint, onion and seasoned with olive oil, salt and lemon juice. Bulgur is often added to the dish.  Traditional tabbouleh is really a parsley salad with some bulgur wheat scattered in to bulk it out. Mint and lemon also play an important role. Less common but still wonderful is the addition of ground allspice (or the more elusive Lebanese 7-Spice mix). 




Ingredients
1/2 cup bulgur (I get mine from the US but Healthy options should have this)
1 lemon
1 to 2 large bunches of flat leaf parsley, washed and dried

2 medium tomatoes
1/4 cup of extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
A few whole leaves of mint for garnish

Procedure

1. Soak the bulgur. Place the bulgur in a small bowl and cover with very hot (just off the boil) water by 1/2-inch. Set aside to soak until softened but still chewy, about 20 minutes.  

2. Prep the herbs and vegetables. While the bulgur is soaking, juice the lemon and chop the parsley. You will need roughly 1 1/2 cup packed chopped parsley for this amount of bulgur. Medium chop the tomatoes; you will have roughly about 1 1/2 cups. Medium chop the cucumber, about 1/2 cup.





3. Dress the bulgur. When the bulgur is done, drain off any excess water and place in the large bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Toss to coat the grains. As you finish prepping the herbs and vegetables, add them to the bowl with the bulgur, but reserve half of the the diced tomato to use for garnish.

4. Season and toss.  Add 2 more tablespoons of olive oil and another 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and the optional allspice to the bowl. Toss everything together, taste, and adjust seasonings as needed.  

5. Garnish. To serve, garnish the tabbouleh with the reserved tomato and a few whole mint sprigs if you want. Serve at room temperature with crackers, cucumber slices, fresh bread, or pita chips.


Enjoy the rest of the long weekend and hopefully get a glimpse of the Pope,

Pattie

Comments

Popular Posts