In honor of my favorite month and summer barbecues, I am going to be sharing my favorite summer entertaining recipes during the month of June.
Tabbouleh, a Middle Eastern staple, should really be a staple at your summer table. It is light and refreshing thanks to the abundance of parsley, mint, and lemon juice! This is a true herb salad, filled with lots of market fresh produce. It is perfect side dish to grilled meats or as an appetizer option during cocktails.
This recipe for tabbouleh comes from the cookbook Jerusalem by Yotam Ottelenghi and Sami Tamimi. It is not hard to see why this cookbook quickly rose to success. Combining their Jewish (Ottelenghi) and Arab (Tamimi) backgrounds with the love of their hometown (Jerusalem), Ottelenghi and Tamimi beautifully demonstrate how to make delicious Middle Eastern dishes, both familiar and exotic.
This cookbook is one I am going to reach for in the years to come, not only for its tasty recipes, but also for the wonderful stories about Jerusalem. Jerusalem is such a unique and vibrant city given its rich history and importance to three of the world's religions. In just a few hundred pages, Jerusalem manages to capture the energy and spirit of this wonderful city.
Tabbouleh
from Jerusalem
1/3 cup fine bulgur wheat
2 large tomatoes, ripe but firm
1 shallot, finely chopped
3 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, plus a little extra to finish
4 large bunches flat-leaf parsley
2 bunches mint
2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon baharat spice mix
1/3 cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
If you cannot find fine bulgur wheat or if you do not know what grade bulgur wheat you have, then soak the wheat in boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain the bulgur, and then leave it to dry in a fine sieve.
Put the bulgur in a fine sieve and run under cold water until the water rinsing through looks clear. Transfer to a large mixing bow.
Using a small serrated knife, cut the tomatoes into slices 1/4 inch thick. Cut each slice in 1/4 inch strips, and then into dices. Add the tomatoes and their juices to the bowl, along with the shallot and lemon juice. Stir well.
Take a few sprigs of parsley and pack them together tightly. Use a large, very sharp knife to trim off most of the stems and discard. Use the knife to move up the stems and leaves, gradually "feeding" the knife in order to shred the parsley as finely as you can. Try to avoid cutting pieces wider than 1/32 inch. Add to the pick.
Pick the mint leaves off the stems, pack a few together tightly, and shred them finely as you did the parsley. Add to the bowl.
Finally, add the allspice, baharat, olive oil, and some salt and pepper. Taste and add more salt, pepper, and lemon juice if you like.
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