Blogs: Amy's Green Kitchen - Tabbouleh

From The Green Guide

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6/17/2008

Given the disastrous flooding in the Midwest, I feel foolish complaining about the heat that recently engulfed New York City. I live on the top floor of a six-story walk-up, and my apartment was hot, all day and all night. I'm usually grateful for the sunlight that pours in my windows, but not last week. By late afternoon I was dreading dinner. The idea of turning on the stove was unimaginable. I needed an idea for dinner that would be delicious and keep my kitchen cool: Tabbouleh was the perfect solution.

If you've never had it, tabbouleh is a traditional Middle Eastern dish, essentially a salad of chopped fresh parsley, bulgur wheat, fresh mint, tomato and onion, dressed with lemon juice and olive oil. Many recipes contain a large amount of parsley, which I usually enjoy, but not when the salad is the main dish.

When serving tabbouleh as an entrée, I alter the proportions of the mixture, reducing the parsley and increasing the wheat, and then I toss in plenty of decidedly untraditional additions. Tabbouleh is one of those dishes that lends itself to endless variations.

Start with the bulgur, which is wheat that has been parboiled and then dried. As with most grains, it's sold in both refined and whole grain forms, and as with most grains, the whole grain is the best, for flavor and nutritional reasons. To cook bulgur, simply boil water (about 1-1/2 cups per cup of grain), pour it over the wheat and allow it to sit for about half an hour. When the time is up, strain out any remaining water.

Add chopped flat leaf parsley and fresh mint, diced ripe tomatoes, and minced onion, scallions or shallot. Then combine all the ingredients, douse generously with fresh lemon juice and olive oil, season with salt and pepper and you're good to go.

You can also toss in any combination of the following: cucumbers, bell peppers, jalapenos or other fresh chilies, finely minced garlic, diced celery, feta cheese, cooked and drained chickpeas, nuts (I especially like walnuts, but pine nuts and almonds work too), and spices such as cinnamon, coriander or cayenne pepper.

Serve tabbouleh as an entrée that is low in calories and packed with nutrients, or as a side dish with grilled chicken, shrimp or fish.