Week 9 – Tabouli

5 ears of corn

a big bag of potatoes

Nectarines

Peaches

Apples

a bunch of kale

Tomatoes

Cherry Tomatoes

Now that it is August, Tomatoes are heavy, juicy and just delicious.   We will now have tomatoes coming in our box almost every week, and should see them through at least the end of August.   I’m one of those folks who will only eat tomatoes while they are in season.  The sugary sweetness and warmth of a tomato just picked off the vine and popped into your mouth is one of the true treats of summer.

There is no shortage of recipes that use fresh tomatoes.  I use them in salads, cook them down in sauces, I even slice them and dry them in my oven.  Dried cherry tomatoes take on almost a raisin like quality.  They are actually quite addictive.  For this week, I’ve decided to stay in the salad lane.  On a hot summer evening, salads are refreshing and delicious.

One of my favorite ways to enjoy tomatoes is in a middle eastern salad made with Bulghur called Tabouli.  What is Bulghur you might ask?  Bulghur is a grain commonly found in Arabic and Middle Eastern cuisine.  Essentially, it is wheat kernels that have been steamed, dried, and crushed.  It is not exactly the same as cracked wheat, which is simply a wheat kernel broken into fragments without being cooked. The two are often confused and you may see recipes calling for cracked wheat when they really mean Bulghur. It comes in several grinds (fine, medium, coarse and whole) and is slightly chewy but still tender.   Best of all, Bulghur is one of the main ingredients in one of my family’s favorite salads…Tabouli.

Making Tabouli isn’t hard.  In a pinch, Near East makes a very good boxed version.  You just add hot water to the grain and add your veggies to their premade mix.  If you have the time and the inclination, making this dish from scratch will reward you with a delicious and very healthy summer salad.  Traditional recipes use Bulghur sparingly.  I tend to add a little more.  There is no wrong way to do this…it’s all personal choice.  The lemon juice and olive oil dressing goes well with almost any ratio of vegetables to grains that you prefer.  This recipe is adapted from The Mediterranean dish. com (https://www.themediterraneandish.com). 

Tabouli

1 cup bulghur

3 firm tomatoes

1 medium cucumber seeds removed

1 bunch parsley (stems removed)

12-15 fresh mint leaves (optional)

Salt

3-4 T lemon juice (basically 1 lemon..be careful not to let any seeds in)

3-4 T extra virgin olive oil (or less if you like)

There are a couple of ways to cook Bughur.  Coarse ground and whole Bulghur will need to be cooked in salted boiling water.  Medium and fine ground can just be soaked in boiling water.  I like to use medium grind Bulghur in Tabouli.

Use a ratio of 3 parts water to 1 part Bulghur.  For this recipe, soak 1 cup of Bulghur in 3 cups of salter water.  Let it soak for about 20 minutes.  The Bulghur will be soft, but chewy.  If there is water remaining, drain the excess.  Let the grain cool in a large bowl in the fridge until it is nice and cold.

Peel the cucumber and remove the seeds.  To remove the seeds easily, take a teaspoon, and starting from one end, scrape out the seeds.  When you’re done, the half cuke should look a little like a canoe.  Slice the cucumber into long strips, then crosswise into small pieces.  To deseed the tomatoes slice each in half across the middle.  Gently roll each half and shake out the seeds.  You don’t have to be perfect with this step, the goal is to remove as many seeds as possible.   Add the tomatoes and cucumbers to the Bulghur.

Finely chop the parsley and mint and add them to the salad.  Mix everything together to incorporate all of the ingredients together.

Add the lemon juice and the olive oil.  Mix everything together and taste.  If it needs salt, add just a little to taste.

For best results, cover the tabouli and refrigerate for 30 at least minutes. Serve the tabouli with pita bread, or the way my guys like it….plain!

Enjoy!