Minty Tabbouleh

My daughter-in-law Alison reminded me about a recipe she introduced into our family repertoire, Minty Tabbouleh.  The dish makes an appearance at many family gatherings.  It is refreshingly delicious, can be made in advance and is a much healthier alternative to mayonnaisey salads.  The recipe comes from The Silver Palate New Basics Cookbook by Julie Rosso and Sheila Lukins.  I am old enough to remember when the Silver Palate was a small gourmet shop on the Upper West Side. I was too intimidated to ever enter the shop but peeked through the window to see what sophisticated people were eating.

1 heaping cup bulgur

1 cup cold water

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (I use much less- maybe 1/3 cup)

1 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint leaves

1 cup coarsely chopped fresh Italian parsley

1/2 cup coarsely chopped red onion

2 tsp. minced garlic

1 tsp. freshly ground pepper

1/2 tsp. salt

4 ripe plum tomatoes, seeded, and cut into 1/2 inch dice

1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2 inch dice

fresh mint leaves for garnish

Combine the bulgur, water, lemon juice and 1/3 cup olive oil in a large bowl.  Mix well and set aside for 30 minutes at room temperature.  After 30 minutes, fluff the mixture with a fork.

Add the mint, parsley, red onion, garlic, pepper and salt.  Toss well with a fork. 

Add the tomatoes and cucumber and toss again.  Adjust the seasonings if necessary, and add additional lemon juice and/or olive oil, if desired.  Allow to stand, loosely covered, for at least 30 minutes for the flavors to come out.

Garnish with fresh mint leaves and serve.

Serves 6 to 8

Notes: Minty tabbouleh is wonderful served with an assortment of middle eastern appetizers such as hummus, babaganoush, vines leaves and feta cheese. Pita bread is, of course, essential. 

Alison is thinking about substituting quinoa for the bulgur wheat.  My guess is that will work very well.