Tabbouleh and butter lettuce, veggie burgers in wraps with smoked Tabasco and coleslaw, sweet potatoes with honey, my loving spouse, and a couple of episodes of Black Lagoon: the Second Barrage.
Tabbouleh:
- 2 heads parsley†
- 3 bunches scallions†
- 5 heirloom tomatoes†
- 1 cup bulgur†
- the juice of 1.5 lemons†
- olive oil
- salt
- pepper
- cumin‡
- cinnamon‡
- oregano‡
- allspice‡
† you may increase or decrease the amount of these ingredients … a lot
‡ these spices are optional
Rinse the bulgur in water and leave soaking in 1.5x cups of water for 30 or so minutes in the fridge; optionally add the juice of a lemon to the water. Wash the parsley and chop as fine as possible (tip: separate into small, manageable bunches, roll the bunch tightly and hold it, cut with a knife to discard the stems, turn the bunch a quarter turn, and cut again as finely as possible; continue turning and cutting until the bunch is consumed and then chop any stragglers). Wash the green onions, cut off the roots and the frayed ends of the greens, and chop as fine as possible. Wash the tomatoes and dice them as fine as possible. Remove the bulgur and drain in a fine collander.
Combine the parsley and green onions in a large mixing bowl. Add the bulgur to the mixing bowl by taking a handful at a time, squeezing out any remaining moisture before tossing in; you may add more or less bulgur at this stage to your preferred texture. Stir until thoroughly mixed. Add the spices to taste. Add the tomatoes and stir until thoroughly mixed; you may add more or less tomatoes at this stage to your preferred texture. There should be a reasonable amount of juice at the bottom of the mix at this stage. Add lemon juice and olive oil to taste, alternating one to two large tablespoons of juice with oil so the mix never gets overwhelmed. Add any remaining spices to taste.
Serve in a bowl on top of leaves of lettuce, or however you want.
-The Centaur
P.S. For the recipes for the burgers, coleslaw and potatoes, you’ll need to ask my wife. 🙂
Pictured: the tabbouleh, just after tomatoes are added but before mixing.
