Tabouleh

I want to call this a quick recipe even though it takes 3 hours to get ready. Most of that is letting it sit on the counter though so I think it is an easy addition to a menu. We served it alongside lemon grilled chicken thighs and sauteed corn with bacon this past weekend.

Tabouleh
Servings: 8+
Prep time: 60 minutes
Total time: 3 hours (with lots of downtime)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup bulgur , fine or medium grain, rinsed under running water and drained
• 2 lemon, divided (see directions), juiced and zested
• 1 lime, juiced and zested
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• Kosher salt and cracked black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. sweet paprika
• 2cups minced fresh parsley leaves
• 1 cup assorted tomatoes from the garden
• 4 medium scallions , green and white parts, minced
• 2tablespoons minced fresh mint leaves (or 1 rounded teaspoon dried mint)

Directions:

1. Zest and juice 1 lemon and 1 lime. Combine with enough warm tap water to equal 1/2 cup.
2. Place the bulgur wheat in a micowave safe bowl and add the lemon/lime water. Stir and let sit for 20 minutes so that the liquid can rehydrate the bulgur.
3. Taste the bulgur and see if it has rehydrated sufficiently. If not you can either let it continue to sit for another 10-20 minutes or you can cover it with plastic wrap and microwave it on high for 2 minutes.
4. While the bulgur rehydrates you make the dressing. Combine the zest and juice from the second lemon, olive oil, a big pinch of salt, several grinds of pepper and the paprika with a whisk.
5. When the bulgur is ready mix in the parsley and dressing. Stir to combine and refrigerate for 1-2 hours to allow the flavors to meld.
6. 15 minutes before you want to serve the tabouleh prep the tomatoes. We used a mix of grape, cherry and green zebra tomatoes. The grape and cherry ones were halved. The green zebra was diced to an equivalent size. Add the tomatoes, scallions and mint to the bulgur. Stir to combine and serve.

Notes:
Please don’t add the tomatoes before you refrigerate this dish. Tomatoes taste best at room temperature and putting them in the fridge dulls the flavor. Honest. You can refrigerate the leftover tabouleh however it won’t taste nearly as good the second time around.

Black bean, corn and tomato salad

I first made it for a summer outing to a friend’s house some years back. When I asked what I could bring he said “a salad”. Nothing like a narrow set of parameters. My goal was something that didn’t contain mayo since I knew it would need to sit out for some time.

Black Bean, Corn and Tomato Salad

Ingredients:
4 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2 cloves minced garlic
1/4 tsp salt
8-10 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
fresh ground black pepper to taste
1 16 oz pkg. frozen corn, defrosted
2 15 oz cans Goya black beans, drained and rinsed
16 oz. cherry tomatoes, halved
1/3 cup of chopped basil

Directions:

Mix together the first 3 ingredients in a large bowl.
Whisk in the olive oil and black pepper until well combined.
Add the corn, black beans, tomatoes and basil; stir well so that the dressing coats everything.

Notes:

This recipe is based on one from Joy of Cooking. They add 2 cups of chopped onion – I tend to leave it out because I think it is too heavy handed. They also call for fresh corn kernels – too much work in my opinion.

This salad is particularly good if you make it the night before and allow the flavors to mingle. If you do this leave the tomatoes & basil out until you are ready to serve. Bring the salad back to room temp before serving.