Scenes from My Pantry: Tabbouleh Summer Salad

PUBLISHED ON: 07.11.2016
Tabbouleh is a Middle Eastern salad traditionally made with parsley, mint, tomatoes, bulgur (cracked wheat) lemon juice and olive oil.   Like the spelling of Tabbouleh or  Taboule, or Tabouli, the variations are endless.  Traditional Lebanese and Israeli versions are focused squarely on the herbs, and the bulgur is meant only to be a garnish.
My version adheres to the general principles of good tabbouleh, but like my personality I rarely follow the rules.  However, there is a cardinal rule in Tabbouleh which cannot be broken no matter what part of the world you prepare and enjoy this salad. The ingredients must absolutely be FRESH.
 
Let’s start with the parsley. You are going to need a lot.  Mint?  You will need quite a bit too. Oh yeah, I use a lot of bulgur too, and chopped cucumbers, so get ready to break the rules.  No matter how you prepare this salad, its refreshing, healthy and delicious. You can serve it as vegetarian entree or simply as a side dish.
 
Tabbouleh Summer Salad
Serves 4-6
 

Ingredients:
2 cups bulgur (cracked wheat), pre-soaked.
3 cups parsley, finely chopped
1/2 cup fresh mint, finely chopped
1/2 white onion, or 3 scallions, finely chopped
1 large cucumber, seeded and finely chopped
3 medium ripe (firm) tomatoes, seeded, and finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:
Pre-soak bulgur: Place 1 cup bulgur in a bowl.  Pour 1 cup boiling water over bulgur and let stand for an hour ( Yields: 2 cups of bulgur)

In a large bowl mix all the ingredients together, except for the lemon juice and olive oil. Gently toss to mix the ingredients.

Add lemon juice and olive oil. Gently blend again. Cover and chill for at least hour to allow the flavors to develop.

SaveSave

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You cannot copy content of this page