Arabesque
This big bowl of yumminess brings together a lot of my favourite ingredients and flavours. It takes me back to childhood years and many ensuing summers spent in Damascus, Syria where it is hot and dry and full of happy times. I have since moved around and lived in other parts of the world hence a little diversion from a more traditional recipe.
Traditionally tabouleh is a parsley salad with mint, spring onions, tomatoes and bulgar wheat in a dressing of salt, olive oil and lemon juice. It is served as a side dish or as part of the muqabillat, Damascene for tapas. We bring it to the forefront of a meal and serve it as the catalyst for side dishes, a broader variety of seasonal veg and big and bold enough to stand its own ground. It is not unrelated to the traditional version. In the recipe bellow I've added (in addition to what is usually called for) more bulgar, although this is typical of restaurant versions, coriander/cilantro, bell pepper, courgette/zucchini, and garlic. To accompany it are hummus, olives, and dark rye bread (no, you wouldn't normally find this in a middle eastern home). So gather your ingredients and get chopping!
Ingredients:
- 2 X cups of cooked bulgar according to packet instructions
- 1 X bunch of parsley
- 1 X bunch of coriander
- 1 X small handful of mint
- 1 X red bell pepper
- 1 X medium courgette
- Juice of 2 lemons
- 4 X tbs of virgin olive oil
- 3 X spring onions
- 3 X cloves of garlic, crushed in a garlic press or diced fine and smashed with the blade of a large knife
- Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
Salad:
- Chop spring onions, parsley, coriander and mint leaves by hand, or gently in a food processor and put into a large salad bowl along with the cooked bulgar wheat.
- Dice the bell pepper and courgette and add to the salad bowl
- Mix in the dressing when you are ready to serve so that the leaves stay bright and crisp and the bulgar keeps its bite.
Dressing:
- In a jar add the olive oil, lemon juice, crushed garlic cloves, salt and pepper and shake it baby!
Equipment:
- Large chef's knife
- Garlic press
- Food processor
- Pot for cooking the bulgar
- Smallish jam jar
- Citrus juicer
- Large mixing bowl
