Earlier this week hubby and I prepared a beautiful mezze platter filled with grilled lamb kabobs, grilled cherry tomatoes, mint yogurt, home made hummus and of course, tabbouleh.
I’ll post about the gorgeous assortment of the platter later this week. But let’s talk about tabbouleh.
One of the most popular salads in Middle Eastern cuisine, tabbouleh salad is one of my favorite salads as well.
A refreshing and light chopped salad filled with bright herbs, fibrous bulgur, sweet tomatoes and dressed with nothing more than silky olive oil and bright lemon juice; tabbouleh is the perfect partner on a rich mezze platter filled with charred meats and creamy dips.
I prefer the Lebanese style of tabbouleh, meaning that there is more parsley than bulgur ratio. I love the feel of the herbs in the salad and prefer the overpowering of the chopped leaves instead of having the bulgur insist on weighing the greens down.
Ingredients:
1 large bunch of flat leaf parsley
1/2 c bulghur
1/3 c boiling water
1/2 c olive oil
1-2 tomatoes, chopped and seeded
1-2 stems of scallions or green onions
4-6 leaves of fresh mint
Juice of 1 lemon (fresh)
Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
1) Soak 1/2 c boiling water in 1/2 c of bulgur. Place a dishcloth or towel over the bowl and let it soak for about 30min until all the liquid evaporates.
2) Meanwhile, start chopping! Chop parsley leaves (try to remove large stems), scallions, mint leaves and tomatoes. Add together in bowl.
3) If bulgur is ready, add bulgur.
*I actually didn’t add the entire 1/2c that I prepared, but use what looks good to you.
4) Mix well. Add olive oil
*Again, the amount is up to you. You don’t want the greens swimming in oil, but you don’t want it dry either. Start with 1/4c of olive oil and see how you like it first, you can always add more.
5) Add fresh lemon juice, salt and pepper. Stir well and taste for seasoning.
*I always find that I need to add more lemon and mint to mine. And if you are going to add extra lemon, step back on the salt since lemon is a fabulous salt substitute.
Enjoy!
Stephanie @ Eat. Drink. Love. says
September 19, 2011 at 2:54 pmOhhh, this sounds yummy! I love tabbouleh and I love parsley so I would be all over this!! Can't wait to see pictures from the rest of your spread!
Cassie @ Bake Your Day says
September 20, 2011 at 12:11 amI love tabbouleh. I think my favorite is the lemon, mint and parsley all melded together. Yours is beautiful Samantha!
Stefanie says
September 20, 2011 at 1:23 amI've never had tabbouleh before, but it looks delicious! Love the herbs with the lemons, and the tomatoes add great color to the greens!