Tabbouleh

Thanks to my new Luxembourgish golf friends Hana and Dan, I had large bunches of fresh parsley and mint at my disposal and Tabbouleh immediately sprung to mind.  Tabbouleh is the Lebanese parsley salad made with bulgur or cracked wheat, tomatoes, green (spring) onion, mint, lemon juice and olive oil.

Many Mediterranean countries have their own similar versions of this dish.  The Lebanese version uses more parsley than bulgur in the dish than the other versions.  

The bulgur should be well drained to ensure that the salad is not too watery.  Adjust the amount of dressing to suit the type of bulgur used and the time that it needs to absorb it.  The salad can be served as an accompaniment to other dishes as you would rice or pasta,  or it can be served as a starter or snack on lettuce leaves (romaine works especially well) or with pita bread.    

Taboulleh

Serves 6-8

125 mL (1/2 cup) bulgur

250 mL (1 cup) boiling water

125 mL (1/2 cup) fresh lemon juice

125 mL (1/2 cup) olive oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1250 - 1500 mL (5 - 6 cups) parsley, finely chopped

250 mL (1 cup) fresh mint, finely chopped

8 green onions, chopped

4 large tomatoes, finely diced

Rinse bulgur under cold running water; cover with boiling water and let soak for 20 minutes.  Drain well, squeezing out excess moisture with hands; place in a large serving bowl.  Stir in lemon juice, olive oil and seasoning.  Set aside.

Combine parsley, mint, green onions and tomatoes; add to bulgur mixture.  Toss and serve.