Carl Tremblay/America’s Test Kitchen via AP

From The Asian Reporter, V29, #01 (January 7, 2019), page 13.

By America’s Test Kitchen

Tabbouleh is a signature Levantine salad made of bulgur, parsley, tomato, and onion steeped in a penetrating mint and lemon dressing.

We started by salting the tomatoes to rid them of excess moisture that otherwise made our salad soggy. Soaking the bulgur in lemon juice and some of the drained tomato liquid, rather than in water, allowed it to absorb lots of flavor as it softened.

Chopped onion overwhelmed the salad; two mild scallions added just the right amount of oniony flavor. Parsley, mint, and a bit of cayenne pepper rounded out the dish. Adding the herbs and vegetables while the bulgur was still soaking gave the components time to mingle, resulting in a cohesive dish.

Also, do not confuse bulgur with cracked wheat, which has a much longer cooking time and will not work in this recipe.

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Servings: 4-6

Start to finish: 2 hours, 30 minutes

3 tomatoes, cored and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

Salt and pepper

1/2 cup medium-grind bulgur, rinsed

1/4 cup lemon juice (2 lemons)

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 1/2 cups minced fresh parsley

1/2 cup minced fresh mint

2 scallions, sliced thin

Toss tomatoes with 1/4 teaspoon salt in a fine-mesh strainer set over a bowl and allow to drain, tossing occasionally, for 30 minutes; reserve two tablespoons drained tomato juice. Toss bulgur with two tablespoons lemon juice and reserved tomato juice in a bowl and let sit until grains begin to soften, 30 to 40 minutes.

Whisk remaining two tablespoons lemon juice, oil, cayenne, and 1/4 teaspoon salt together in a large bowl. Add tomatoes, bulgur, parsley, mint, and scallions and toss gently to combine. Cover and allow to sit at room temperature until flavors have blended and bulgur is tender, about one hour. Before serving, toss salad to re-combine and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Nutrition information per serving: 194 calories (131 calories from fat); 15 g fat (2 g saturated, 0 g trans fats); 0 mg cholesterol; 17 mg sodium; 15 g carbohydrate; 3 g fiber; 3 g sugar; 3 g protein.

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