Tabbouleh is one of those awesome summertime dishes that I only make when tomatoes and herbs are cheap and plentiful. It's also a treat to have a filling, cool dish on a warm, summer evening. The version I'm posting here is adapted from the
Joy of Cooking. We added chick peas to make it a more filling vegetarian main dish. Feta cheese would probably be a nice addition as well, or perhaps just a little sprinkled on top. All in all, the dish is very flexible- the tomatoes, bulgar, and herbs are important, things like beans, feta, olives, cucumbers, and onions are all optional and you can mix and match depending on your taste and availability. You can adjust your parsley and mint ratio according to taste, as well. We topped ours with squash blossoms- doesn't make much of a difference in flavor, in fact, I don't even think they taste that good, but they're elegant! Ours fell off our zucchini plants. Basically, this recipe should be seen as a jumping off point- be creative!
Tabbouleh
Prepare 1 cup bulgar- place bulgar in a glass or other heat safe bowl. Add 2.5 cups boiling water and about 1/4t salt. Cover and let sit for 30 min or until most of the water is absorbed. Bulgar should be chewy. Drain excess water (being careful not to lose any grain) at the end.
Meanwhile, dice (large dice ok) 3-4 large tomatoes. We used mostly brandy wine tomatoes, which are soft and sweet, but anything fresh and ripe will do.
Slice 1/2 red onion thinly, add to tomatoes.
Chop up to 2c parsley and up to 1c mint, add to tomato mixture.
Stir in 3c or so chick peas.
Stir in 1-2 finely diced jalapeños and a handful of chopped olives (optional).
Toss the above with 1/3c lemon juice and 1/3c EVOO, as well as salt and black pepper to taste.
When bulgar has finished cooking, mix all ingredients together in whichever bowl is larger.
Enjoy!
3 comments:
Years ago, I made tabbouleh in vast quantities, because I had mint beds at the house on Rutledge and loved the contrast between the lime and the mint. Adding the chickpeas is a great idea. Did you use canned ones or rehydrated / cooked ones?
I used rehydrated (or as M says, reanimated) ones. I got in the habit of using them when I used to walk to the grocery store bc they're so much lighter! They're also cheaper, and I think they taste a little better. Easy to do with a slow cooker.
I was relieved to read that you dressed your salad with a squash blossom. At first glance, it looked like you'd snagged the famed Inner Harbor jellyfish.
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