Tabouli

Tabouli is one of the very popular dishes which jumped the borders of its origin, in this case the Middle East, a long time ago. I've been making it and eating it for many years now. I love it! It is also one of the dishes which carries many opinions and passions about how is should be made.

This is the way I make it. I like a LOT of parsley, which is one of the "super foods", not just a garnish in restaurants. I love the way parsley tastes. I don't use very much mint in my tabouli, because my husband doesn't enjoy it all that much.

Tabouli
1 cup bulghur (cracked wheat)
2 cups boiling water
2 bunches parsley (about 6 - 8 cups)
1 bunch scallions, white and green parts, sliced (about 1 cup)
2 - 3 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint
1 or 2 cucumbers, seeded and diced into small cubes (about 2 cups)
2 fresh tomatoes or more, to taste, seeded and diced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
Salt, to taste

Pour boiling water over bulghur, stir, cover and let sit for 1 hour. Meanwhile, thoroughly rinse parsley in a sinkful of water. Parsley can hold a lot of grit, which is horrifying if you bite into it while trying to enjoy your meal, so you will want to be very diligent with this step.

Chop and dice all the remaining vegetables and place in a large bowl along with the parsley. Once the bulghur has soaked for an hour, add the lemon juice and olive oil to it. Mix well and add the mixture to the vegetables. along with salt to taste.

Taste the salad and add more lemon juice, olive oil, or salt if desired.




Try this rolled into a lettuce leaf as a sandwich. It is very heathful, cooling, and refreshing.