Taboulah!
- Preparation and cooking time
- Prep:
- Easy
- Serves 6
Ingredients
- Couple of large handfuls of bulgur wheat
- Large bunch of fresh mint
- Bunch of flat leaved parsley
- Bunch of basil (optional)
- Handful of cherry tomatoes (pref vine)
- Big handfull of shelled walnuts (placed under newspaper and lightly bashed to break up the bigger pieces)
- Couple heaped spoonful’s of green raisins (soaked in hot warm water)
- Bunch of radishes (topped, tailed and chopped)
- 4 or 5 spring large onions (chopped, including green tops)
- 1 pomegranate
- 1 red pepper chopped finely
- ½ - 1 green pepper chopped finel
- 2 lemons, quartered
- 10 sweet pickled chillies (optional)
- Few green (non-pitted) olives
- Few black (non-pitted) olives
- Plenty of flat breads like, Kobleh, metzo, pitta, or thin nan etc…etc…
For the dressing:
- Couple of large handfuls of bulgur wheat
- Large bunch of fresh mint
- Bunch of flat leaved parsley
- Bunch of basil (optional)
- Handful of cherry tomatoes (pref vine)
- Big handfull of shelled walnuts (placed under newspaper and lightly bashed to break up the bigger pieces)
- Couple heaped spoonful’s of green raisins (soaked in hot warm water)
- Bunch of radishes (topped, tailed and chopped)
- 4 or 5 spring large onions (chopped, including green tops)
- 1 pomegranate
- 1 red pepper chopped finely
- ½ - 1 green pepper chopped finel
- 2 lemons, quartered
- 10 sweet pickled chillies (optional)
- Few green (non-pitted) olives
- Few black (non-pitted) olives
- Plenty of flat breads like, Kobleh, metzo, pitta, or thin nan etc…etc…
- Spoonful of yellow mustard seeds
- 3 spoonful’s of peppercorns
- Spoonful of fennel seeds
- 3 cloves
- 2 red dried hot chillies Juice of 3 large lemons
- Large spoonful of cumin seeds
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled, sliced lengthways
- 2 red dried hot chillies
- Juice of the 2 large lemons
- Big dollop of garlic paste Lots of EV olive oil
- Generous measure of EV olive oil
Method
- STEP 1First, kick off with the dressing, which must steep whilst the rest of the prep goes on. Start off with the pomegranate: Follow the instruction in the link to release the seeds… http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how_to_cut_and_de_seed_a_pomegranate/ Try to collect as much of the juice as possible by gently squeezing the fruit as each segment is removed. Drain the seeds on kitchen towel and set aside.
- STEP 2In a spice grinder whizz up briefly the yellow mustard seeds, peppercorns, fennel seeds, cloves, cumin seeds and dried bay leaves. Or use a pestle and mortar. In a shaking bottle/oil dispenser or any smallish container (old jam jar etc…) with a lid, place the ground spices inside, add the sliced garlic cloves, red dried hot chillies, lemon juice, the dollop of garlic paste, pomegranate juice and EV olive oil (the amount of EVOO should be roughly about double the amount of the rest of the dressing). Shake very well. Put aside for later and whilst the prep is going on give it the odd shake. That’s the most difficult bit over!
- STEP 3Onto the rest Now, pour the bulgur wheat into a shallow bowl and pour in very hot water (or chicken/veg stock) just enough to cover it and set aside to allow the wheat to swell up. Strip the mint leaves off the stems and discard the stems (They are very bitter). Now combine the mint leaves, parsley and basil (chopped stems included) on a chopping board and using a large knife or herb chopper chop up fairly roughly all the herbs. Throw them into a large bowl. Into the same bowl throw in the chopped spring onions, cherry tomatoes, radishes, pomegranate seeds, chopped peppers, the sweet pickled chillies, green olives, and the black olives. Also drain the soaked green raisins and add them too. Mix like a crazy, making sure not to bruise the herbs, pomegranate seeds or break up the tomatoes. Set aside.
- STEP 4Pour over the bulgar wheat enough of the dressing to wet it again and to allow it soak up the tangy flavour. Make sure it does not get too wet. Leave everything for half an hour.
- STEP 5After ½ hr. add the crushed walnuts to the big salad bowl. Fluff up the bulgur wheat and spoon it in in small batches and mix into the salad bowl containing all the other ingredients. Mix carefully with each added batch. Add enough bulgur wheat to speckle the salad rather than to dominate it.
- STEP 6Bring the overflowing salad bowl to the table and allow your guests to spoon into their own plates as much as they want. Pass round the remaining dressing for your guests to add to their portions as they wish. Serve with lots of flat breads and quarters of the remaining lemons. Encourage your guests to use the flat beards to scoop up their salad in place of forks/spoons.
