Tabbouleh

Holler is back hosting No Croutons Required and has asked us to feature herbs in either a soup or salad.

The timing couldn't be more perfect as the salad I have in mind is a ideal accompaniment to these falafel.

The herbs I'll be using are


Parsley

and

Mint

and along with Burghul, tomatoes and an aromatic lemon dressing they will form Tabbouleh.

Tabbouleh

20 grams parsley, leaves only
20 grams mint, leaves only
¼ cup fine Burghul
4 cherry tomatoes
4 yellow cherry tomatoes
Dressing:
juice of half a small lemon
¼ teaspoon allspice powder
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
salt and freshly ground pepper
olive oil

Prepare Burghul:

There are various grades of Burghul and this salad uses fine burghul



which is about the size of sugar crystals. Rinse the burghul and then place it in a bowl with enough hot water to cover it. Place a lid over the bowl and let it sit for 10 minutes or until the water has been fully absorbed. Fully the burghul and then spread it out on paper towels to help remove all excess water. It's important that the burghul is left as dry as possible.

Make dressing:

This dressing is based on one by Greg Malouf and found in his book Arabesque. Rather than just using a simple lemon/oil base this incorporates allspice and cinnamon which brings those smoky-sweet aromatic notes into the dressing.

Place the ground allspice and cinnamon into a bowl and add the lemon juice along with a grinding of salt and pepper - stir until the spices have almost dissolved and then begin to whisk in the olive oil until a thick emulsion has formed. It's important to taste and adjust to suit.

The dressing is best made ahead of time to allow the flavours to develop - there will more than likely be more dressing then you'll need for this salad.

Prepare the salad:

Finely chop the parsley and mint leaves - this is best done by hand and not a food processor. With a processor there is the risk of forming a paste.

Cut the tomatoes in half, squeeze out the seeds and then cut into a small dice.

Place the burghul in a bowl with the chopped parsley, mint and tomatoes. Stir and then drizzle in the dressing a spoonful at a time until the grains are well moistened.

Spoon out onto a serving bowl to serve.



Add falafel and pita bread and you've got a complete meal.