Tabbouleh

 
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This is a traditional Middle Eastern dish originating from an area between Lebanon and Syria, but now popular all around the Mediterranean. It is primarily made from parsley and bulgur wheat, but you can also use couscous, quinoa or buckwheat if the bulgur is hard to find. If you live in La Mesa or El Cajon, you can find bulgur wheat right at the very end of isle three at the Albertsons on Fletcher Parkway.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup bulgur wheat

  • 1 1/2 cups finely chopped parsley (leaves and stems)

  • 1/4 cup finely chopped mint (stems removed and discarded)

  • 1/4 cup finely chopped scallions or red onion

  • 1 medium tomato or 4 to 5 of the small salad tomatoes in your box this week, finely diced

  • 1/2 a medium cucumber (optional) peeled and diced

  • 1/4 tsp salt

  • 1/4 tsp ground cumin

  • 1/4 tsp ground pepper

  • 2 Tbsp lemon juice

  • 2 Tbsp olive oil

Method

  1. Prepare the bulgur wheat according to the packet instructions. This usually involves soaking the wheat in an equal volume of boiling water in a sealed container for anywhere between 20 minutes and 1 hour depending on how fine the bulgur is ground. Once it has soaked for the required amount of time, make sure to drain well and squeeze out any excess water before adding it to the veggies.

  2. Before chopping the parsley, remove two to three inches of the lower part of the stems. You wouldn’t need to do this with parsley from the store, but I included a lot of extra stem on my bunches this week that you could use for cooking, but they would be a bit tough for this salad.

  3. Once all the veggies are chopped and the bulgur is cooked, combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

  4. Cover and leave to chill in the fridge for at least an hour. This is important because the parsley can be a bit tough to begin with, but the lemon and salt will soften it up as it rests.

This is typically served as part of a meze, which is a selection of small dishes sort of like Middle Eastern tapas. It is also commonly eaten as a side with meat dishes and curries, and it could be added to a pita or a wrap with some humus, chicken, or feta to make a lunchtime sandwich.

 
Andrew Williamson