Lebanese Tabouleh
Maureen Abood - Food Writer
Seasonal
Salads
Summer
Tabbouleh is the epitome of summer on a fork. My family’s huge backyard garden where I grew up in Lansing, Michigan was planted just so that we could make fresh tabbouleh as much as possible during the harvest months. Two ingredients make this salad special, with signature Lebanese flavor: cracked wheat (bulghur) and spearmint (nana). Bulghur is available in three grades, which indicate coarseness. The growth of a nana garden is unstoppable, so if you plant some, be sure to keep it separate from your other vegetables and flowers.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup fine bulghur, #1 grade
- 2 bunches curly parsley
- 1 cup fresh spearmint leaves
- 6 green onions
- 4 medium tomatoes
- Juice of 3 lemons
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Method
Rinse bulghur and cover with water (1 inch above bulghur). Soak for 15 minutes and pour off excess water.
Finely chop parsley (stems removed) and mint by hand. Do not use a food processor; it won’t produce a properly-textured tabbouleh. Dice tomatoes. Thinly slice green onions (if using another type of onion, finely dice them).
In a medium-size salad bowl, combine parsley, mint, tomato, and onion with the bulghur. Season with lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix well and serve immediately.
Serves 6.
