RECIPE: Tabbouleh

 PHOTO BY VIRGINIA LEE

Hillary and I used to make tabbouleh after school on weekdays and take it to Bull Run Park when we were in high school.  We'd sit around and do whatever teenagers do.  Pretty sophisticated now that I think about it.  We've always shared a love of good food and we certainly didn't make hot pockets when we got home.  We made Mediterranean side dishes.  Check out Hillary's blog (www.modernfeast.com) and try not to judge Harness Your Kimchi for having a sixth of the recipes!  We'll get there.  In the meantime, please enjoy one of my favorite throwbacks.

Tabbouleh (Wheat or Parsley Salad...depends on how you look at it!)
Serves about 4 with leftovers

One of the great things about this recipe, other than being delicious, is that you can play with the amount of starch vs green.  I've seen this salad heavy on the Bulgar wheat, and some with hardly any. It's really whatever you prefer.

A bunch of parsley leaves, chopped finely either by hand or the processor
3-4 green onions, chopped thinly
5-6 sprigs of mint, leaves chopped finely
Pint of grape tomatoes, sliced in halve lengthwise
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped.  Just chopped if you have an English cucumber
1 cup dry Bulgar Wheat
1 cup stock (of any kind)
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
Few glugs of GOOD extra virgin olive oil

Bring the cup of stock to a boil.  Add Bulgar wheat.  Cover and refrigerate for no less than half an hour to cook the Bulgar wheat through.

Chop your fresh ingredients.

Man this recipe is easy.

Combine all fresh ingredients with the Bulgar.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Glug it down with some olive oil.  Combine thoroughly. Let stand for no less than 45 minutes to an hour. But I know you won't be able to wait...so go ahead and enjoy.  If you let this stand, the flavors will have time to combine and marinate.  The longer you wait, the better it tastes.  Serves best at room temperature.

Note: Your lemon not giving you enough juice?  Nuke it in the microwave for a few seconds and roll it on your counter to release the juices inside.  Not enough?  In most recipes that call for fresh lemon juice, the juice can be enhanced by grating the peel with your microplane.  Now you know.

Not freezable.  Mint looks gross frozen.

 PHOTO BY VIRGINIA LEE