Sunday, July 20, 2008

Tabbouleh

Holler is back hosting No Croutons Required and has asked us to feature herbs in either a soup or salad.

The timing couldn't be more perfect as the salad I have in mind is a ideal accompaniment to these falafel.

The herbs I'll be using are

parsley© by haalo

Parsley

and
mint© by haalo

Mint

and along with Burghul, tomatoes and an aromatic lemon dressing they will form Tabbouleh.

81DSC_4800.jpg


Tabbouleh

20 grams parsley, leaves only
20 grams mint, leaves only
¼ cup fine Burghul
4 cherry tomatoes
4 yellow cherry tomatoes
Dressing:
juice of half a small lemon
¼ teaspoon allspice powder
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
salt and freshly ground pepper
olive oil

Prepare Burghul:

There are various grades of Burghul and this salad uses fine burghul

fine burghul© by haalo


which is about the size of sugar crystals. Rinse the burghul and then place it in a bowl with enough hot water to cover it. Place a lid over the bowl and let it sit for 10 minutes or until the water has been fully absorbed. Fully the burghul and then spread it out on paper towels to help remove all excess water. It's important that the burghul is left as dry as possible.

Make dressing:

This dressing is based on one by Greg Malouf and found in his book Arabesque. Rather than just using a simple lemon/oil base this incorporates allspice and cinnamon which brings those smoky-sweet aromatic notes into the dressing.

Place the ground allspice and cinnamon into a bowl and add the lemon juice along with a grinding of salt and pepper - stir until the spices have almost dissolved and then begin to whisk in the olive oil until a thick emulsion has formed. It's important to taste and adjust to suit.

The dressing is best made ahead of time to allow the flavours to develop - there will more than likely be more dressing then you'll need for this salad.

Prepare the salad:

Finely chop the parsley and mint leaves - this is best done by hand and not a food processor. With a processor there is the risk of forming a paste.

Cut the tomatoes in half, squeeze out the seeds and then cut into a small dice.

Place the burghul in a bowl with the chopped parsley, mint and tomatoes. Stir and then drizzle in the dressing a spoonful at a time until the grains are well moistened.

Spoon out onto a serving bowl to serve.

Tabbouleh with falafel© by Haalo


Add falafel and pita bread and you've got a complete meal.

13 comments

  1. Delicious! Tabbouleh is such a perfect summer salad. I love its bright flavors.

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  2. This looks delicious, I am not familiar with Burghul, I will have to try it.

    LOVE your pics!

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  3. Okay, I am back :) ... is burghul bulgar wheat ?

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  4. Ooooh, holy --! Your tabbouleh looks spectacular!

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  5. That looks really delicious!

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  6. Thanks Kitt!


    Thanks OM - yes burghul is bulgar wheat. I forgot I wrote about it in this post

    Thanks TS!

    Thanks Candice - it was!

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  7. Love this entry. It has all the makings of an awesome summertime dish.

    I just picked up some bulgar the other week because I was actually able to find it and this is going to be a great trial run.

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  8. Love the tabbouleh. What a gorgeous picture of it!

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  9. I love the dressing you made for the tabbouleh. And the zucchini falafel looks great as well!

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  10. Your photos are just exceptional. So beautiful and so inviting. Lovely just lovely.

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  11. Thanks Jeff - hope you enjoy the bulgar

    Thanks JS!

    Thanks Nora - the spices just lift it nicely.

    Thanks Squishy, that's very kind of you to say!

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  12. Our regular takeout favorite, this great middle eastern place, knows us so well that they are automatically overly generous in their servings of tabbouleh. I adore the fresh and clean taste in contrast to the richness of grilled meats and fried falafel. Yours looks just as delicious, thanks for posting.

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  13. Thanks Tara - that is a great compliment!

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