Just the other day I got to enjoy my first taste of tabouli while dining at one of Athen’s finest vegetarian restaurants, The Grit. Tabouli falls under the category of salad because it contains numerous ingredients, among them bulgar and scallions. Here is a recipe to make your own delicious tabouli from Epicurious:

This is the real Lebanese Tabouli which you will notice has little Bulgur in it. There are two kinds of Bulgur: fine or coarse, and for Tabouli we use fine. You can find fine Bulgur in Lebanese/Middle Eastern grocery stores. Lebanese like to eat their Tabouli with crisp hearts of romaine lettuce. It’s so refreshing, especially on a hot summer day! Try mixing the salt and pepper with the chopped onions before adding them to the other ingredients; it brings out the sweet juice of the onion.

Serves: 6 people

INGREDIENTS

• 3 bunches finely chopped flat leaf parsley
• 1 cup chopped fresh mint
• 2-3 tablespoons fine bulgur
• 1 chopped firm tomato
• 1/2 onion or 2 scallions chopped
• 1/2 cup extra Virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon cayyene pepper (optional)

PREPARATION

1. Prepare the chopped parsley and mint and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, mix Bulgur, chopped tomatoes, chopped onions/scallions with lemon juice, salt and pepper. Add to them the parsley and mint and olive oil and mix, adjusting seasoning by adding more oil and lemon if desired.
3. Serve cold garnished with romaine lettuce.

Invite friends and family over to enjoy your easy-to-make Lebanese dish!

Tabouli image from: www.themedgrill.com
Tabouli recipe from: www.epicurious.com