Tabouleh

We made this particular tabouleh recipe a couple weeks ago for an Aziza! potluck and needless to say, it was a huge hit. We have experimented with a variety of tabouleh recipes in the past, never quite finding the exact one we prefer. We've been spoiled to have been exposed to and tried many tabouleh recipes in our lifetime, many being prepared by people who are from or have lived in the Middle East. Yet, somehow we've never been able to produce our own version that's quite up to par. At least, not until now!

The best part of making tabouleh is that we are able to use fresh herbs from our garden which exponentially makes it taste better. Fresh veggies from the farmer's market help provide a crispness that makes the tabouleh stay fresh for days, which we have found can be difficult. However, the pre-crisping the parsley and the selection of a more ripe tomato, really assist in making sure the food is completely ready for being in a salad. If you ever want to make tabouleh, I strongly recommend using this recipe-it's better than anything else out there!

Cooking Notes: We always add about a half a cucumber to any tabouleh recipe because that's how we're used to eating it. This recipe also calls for the tabouleh to be eaten in lettuce leaves, which we have never tried but sounds really enticing! Otherwise, we consider this to be the best tabouleh recipe we make.

Tabouleh (adapted from The Middle East Cookbook; serves 6-8)
3/4 cup fine burghul
2 cups cold water
2 cups chopped parsley
1/2 cup finely chopped spring onions
1/4 cup finely chopped mint
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 firm ripe tomatoes

Place burghul in a bowl and cover with 2 cups cold water. Leave to soak for 30 minutes. Drain through a fine sieve, pressing with the back of a spoon to extract all the moisture. Spread onto a tea towel or lint-free cloth and leave to dry completely. While burghul is drying, prepare the parsley. Wash it off and shake it as dry as you can, then remove the stalks. Wrap in another tea towel and place it in the refrigerator to crisp and dry.

Once dry (enough), put burghul into a mixing bowl and add spring onions. Squeeze the mixture with your hands so that the burghul absorbs the onion flavor. Chop the crisped parsley coarsely, the add to the burghul with the chopped mint. In a separate bowl, beat the olive oil with the lemon juice, then stir in the S&P. Add the mixture to the salad and toss well. Peel and seed the tomatoes and cut into a dice. Gently stir them into the salad. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour before enjoying!