There are lots of variations of this Middle Eastern salad, but most of them contain way too many herbs for my liking, masking the flavor of the vegetables. So I’ve cut down the amount of herbs called for in the original recipe and added red onion for additional flavor. If you like more herbs, the original recipe calls for 1 cup of each.
Ingredients
- 1 cup bulgur wheat
- 1½ cups boiling water
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 ½ tsp. kosher salt
- 1 cup minced scallions, white & green parts (1 bunch)
- ½ small red onion, finely diced
- ½ cup chopped fresh mint leaves
- ¾ cup chopped fresh curly parsley
- 1 medium hothouse (English) cucumber, peeled, seeded, diced
- 2 cups grape tomatoes, quartered
- 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- fresh parsley, fresh mint (for garnish)
Makes 8 servings.
Directions
1. Place the bulgur in a large bowl. Pour in the boiling water, and add the lemon juice, olive oil, and 1½ tsp. salt. Stir, then let stand at room temperature for about 1 hour.
2. Add the scallions, red onion, ½ cup chopped mint, ¾ cup chopped parsley, cucumber, tomatoes, 1 tsp. salt, and freshly ground pepper; mix well. Taste, and adjust seasonings as needed. Cover and refrigerate for a few hours.
3. Taste, and adjust seasonings again, if necessary. Sprinkle top with a little bit of chopped fresh parsley and mint to serve.
Adapted from Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa