Twisted Tabbouleh

Here is a twist on a recipe that might either start a fight or end one. As many of you know, I was single for a bit and Cooking-4-One was a personal indulgence. I could eat what I wanted to try, buying whatever ingredients I needed. But in all fairness, that is not practical when you plan meals for two. Each person’s likes and dislikes and level of experimentation have to be considered. Frankly, another aspect is storage. Even with a large kitchen, storage is a premium and buying an ingredient you may not use but once in a great while is not practical. So today’s recipe is a twist on the typical tabbouleh – substituting couscous for the bulgur. I know, that means it really isn’t tabbouleh, right? Well, to twist Johnny Cochran’s famous line – if the flavor fits, you must acquit!

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Twisted Tabbouleh

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 2 hours

Total time: 2 hours 10 mins

Serves: 2

Ingredients

¼ cup of fine bulgur OR ¼ cup of couscous
1 small clove of garlic, minced
⅓ cup of lemon juice (approximately 2 lemons)
3 cups of parsley, roughly chopped
¼ cup mint, finely chopped
1 cup tomato, finely chopped
½ cup onion, finely chopped
kosher salt to taste
¼ cup (more or less) extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

If you are using bulgar:

Soak it in water for 20 minutes before straining it into cheesecloth to squeeze out the excess moisture.

If you are using couscous:

Cook the couscous to a firm al dente (I reduce the cooking time by a minute or two) and strain out any extra liquid. Set aside to cool slightly.
In a large bowl, add the bulgur or couscous, parsley, tomato, onion, garlic, mint, salt, and lemon juice.
Fold the ingredients together and allow to rest for 2 to 3 hours refrigerated so the flavors can meld and the bulgur/couscous can absorb the liquid.
Remove from the refrigerator and drizzle the olive oil over top and toss to combine.
Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.

Notes

This recipe is based on this NYT recipe.

Ana and I did a little experiment with this recipe. I made the tabbouleh, minus the bulgur and couscous, then added equal parts of the parsley/mint/lemon juice mixture, and allowed it to rest and meld. Then we did a taste test (against Ana’s favorite Trader Joe’s Tabbouleh) and we both agreed the bulgur version was tastier, but the couscous version was a nice change of pace. Sorry Trader Joe… but I will be making my wife’s favorite snack from now on!

If you are using bulgar:
Soak it in water for 20 minutes before straining it into cheesecloth to squeeze out the excess moisture.
If you are using couscous:
Cook the couscous to a firm al dente (I reduce the cooking time by a minute or two) and strain out any extra liquid. Set aside to cool slightly.

In a large bowl, add the bulgur or couscous, parsley, tomato, onion, garlic, mint, salt, and lemon juice.
Fold the ingredients together and allow to rest for 2 to 3 hours refrigerated so the flavors can meld and the bulgur/couscous can absorb the liquid.
Remove from the refrigerator and drizzle the olive oil over top and toss to combine.
Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.