bEat the HeaT...maKe taBBuli!

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!

firefly...a box set WorTh catcHing

i know that some of you folks are HUGE sci-fi fans...and the rest of you just stopped reading this blog! if you're still reading, there's a great tv series on dvd only that i think you'll enjoy. Firefly only lasted 1 season on the WB before getting the axe. if you liked Buffy, the vampire slayer, or star trek, or enjoy a well written show, then this is the series for you. it is a sci-fi western (yes, a western!) that includes some great moments of comedy, romance, and suspense. the 14 episodes center around a ship called Serenity, the captain, Mal, his renegade crew, and their adventures. if you're not so sure you want to add all 4 discs (or even just the first one) to your Netflix list, then get Serenity (the movie) instead. it is the same story with not as much detail, and is a little more complete than the tv show - so don't be surprised that you don't learn as much about some of the characters in the episodes. here's the one thing that you've got to promise: if you rent firefly, then you have to ignore the intro song. just skip to the next scene. hmmm...maybe the song is why the show got cut?

HeaVen...soft cenTered chocoLaTE cake

we just got back from 5 glorious days in Kaua'i. we, upon an excellent recommendation, tasted the food at Roy's in Poipu on friday night. they have this wonderful chocolate souffle that reminded me of the recipe that i have for soft-centered chocolate cakes. here's the recipe (from the Williams-Sonoma San Francisco cookbook with a few modifications). it is really easy to make and will impress your guests if you serve this at the end of a dinner. enjoy! (of course, w-s sells the pre-made mix too so you can always just buy and make...)

Ingredients
- 2/3 cup (5oz/155g) Unsalted butter + a little more for buttering ramekins (Note: using a little parchment paper on the bottoms helps get the cakes out)
- 5 oz (155g) "top-quality" bittersweet chocolate, chopped (Note: I have used Baker's Secret squares and had good results)
- 2 large whole eggs
- 1 large egg white
- 3/4 cup (6oz/185g) sugar
- 1/2 cup (2oz/60g) sifted all-purpose (plain) flour + a little more for ramekins

Cookware - 4 ramekins, 1 saucepan, 1 large mixing bowl, and 1 baking sheet

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottoms and sides of four 1-cup (8-fl oz) ramekins. Dust with flour, then tap out excess.
2. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Remove from the heat and add in the chocolate. Let stand until the chocolate softens, then stir until smooth.
3. In a bowl, whisk together the whole eggs, egg white, and sugar until well blended. Add the chocolate mixture and incorporate thoroughly. Gently fold in the flour. Divide among the prepared ramekins, then place the ramekins on a baking sheet.
4. Bake the cakes until they are puffed and cracked on top, 26-28 minutes. Remove from the oven and, working with 1 cake at a time, gently invert onto a dessert plate. Turn right side up, let cool for about 3 minutes, and then serve with ice cream (espresso or coffee ice cream works well with this cake).