Saturday, May 16, 2009

Tabbouleh - Salad

Tabbouleh - Salad

Tabbouleh salad is an all time favorite of the Middle East and has become a favorite all over the world. People have always thought tabbouleh salad is one of those dishes that you just cannot duplicate at home. Until the popularity of this salad has been ignited by the health gurus, people now are not afraid of trying to duplicated this dish at home. Even though there are lots of Tabbouleh recipes out on the Internet and in cook books, I am going to give you my families recipe to making the most delicious authentic Tabbouleh salad you will ever taste. Let's get started.

Ingredients:

4 bunches of coarse parsley
2 large tomatoes
1 bunch of green onions
1 cup Bulgar #1 found at any Middle Eastern Market http://www.jonsmarketplace.com/
3 lemons
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp. salt

Directions:
 
First you will need to soak the bulgar in water. Take the 1 cup bulgar and add it to 1 cup of water. The bulgar needs to soften so soaking it for about 15 minutes should do the trick. Then wash all the parsley and pat dry. A simple and quick way to chop the parsley is by leaving the rubber band at the stems of the parsley, and just below the parsley florets, chop off and discard the parsley stems. You now can start chopping the parsley florets until finely chopped. Next chop the green onions also finely but only use the green part of the onions and discard the white part. Chop the tomatoes into very small diced pieces. Once you have chopped the parsley, onion, and tomatoes you will add them into a large bowl. By now, the bulgar should have expanded and become soft. Discard any water from the bulgar and add the bulgar to the tabbouleh mix. Add the juice of the 3 lemons, olive oil, and salt. Cover the tabbouleh salad and put in the fridge for about 15 minutes until the salad chills.


Recipe serves 4 to 6.

Muhammara-Hot Pepper Dip

Muhammara - Hot Pepper Dip



This dish is one of my favorite. Muhammara which means roasted in Arabic, is made of roasted peppers and walnuts and pomegranate juice. It has a nutty, sweet, tangy taste with a kick of spicyness to it. Muhammara has the appearance of a thick paste and is served with pita bread as an appitizer or as a side dish to your main course. This dish is so delicious and very simple to make and a true favorite for those who are vegitarian or watching their carbs. I am dedicating this post to my friend Ilene who asked me for the recipe.