wonderiNg what happened to me for the last montH?! between travelling, hosting Family, and jOb hunting, I seemed to have lost track of my blog. have no fear...here's another reCipe! this is based on a recipe from Madelain Farah's Lebanese Cuisine.
(sorry for the blurry pic - it was the only one I had!)
what You need:
2 large bunches of parsley
1/2 bunch of green onions, minced
1 small white onion, minced
3/4 cup of bulgar wheat (a.k.a. burghul)
1 cup of fresh mint (a teaspoon of dried mint should be a decent substitute), chopped
1-2 large tomatoes, chopped
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp jamaican allspice
2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 cup to 2/3 fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
start by plucking the parsley leaves off the stems (this takes some time, so plop down in front of a good sitcom and pluck away; be sure to avoid stems- unless you are ok with Being compared to the chunky version that restaurants and grocery stores serve up).
in a separate bowl, rinse and soften the bulgar wheat by letting it sit in some water for 5 -10 min. squeeze the excess water out and place in large mixing bowl. going back to the parsley - wash and drain carefully. very finely chop the parsley (note: the purests will say that only the blade of a knife will do for this but... i say use a food processor and give it a few pulses! ).
set the chopped parsley in the mixing bowl atop the bulgar wheat. Next add chopped mint and green onions on top of the parsley in an even layer. then on one side, add white onions and on the other side, add the chopped tomatoes. Add seasonings to the onion side and mix it up with your fingers! Add 1/2 cup of lemon juice to the onion side of the bowl, pouring through and toss with a spoon and fork. add olive oiL and toss again. Serve with cabbage or pita bread.
the Tabbuli tastes better a day later, after being refrigerated and allowing the flavors to be soaked up by the bulgar wheat. so make it ahead and enjoy for days!
