Name: Spiced Tabbouleh
Total time: 2 h 20 min
Cuisine: Middle EasternAfrica & Middle-East
Ingredients: 3 tomatoes , cored and cut into 1/2-inch pieces; Salt and pepper; 1/2 cup medium-grind bulgur; 1/4 cup lemon juice (2 lemons); 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice; 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper; 1 1/2 cups chopped fresh parsley; 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint; 2 scallions , sliced thin

Why This Recipe Works

Tabbouleh is a Levantine salad that features fresh herbs and bulgur. In the Middle East, tabbouleh is often served as part of a meze, a selection of appetizers. To keep our tabbouleh from becoming too soggy, we salted the tomatoes to rid them of their excess moisture. But to make sure that our tabbouleh recipe still guaranteed the fresh flavor we wanted, we soaked the bulgur wheat in some of the tomato liquid and lemon juice instead of water.

Before You Begin

Serve the salad with the crisp inner leaves of romaine lettuce and wedges of pita bread.

Instructions

Toss tomatoes and ¼ teaspoon salt in large bowl. Transfer to fine-mesh strainer, set strainer in bowl, and let stand for 30 minutes, tossing occasionally.

Rinse bulgur in fine-mesh strainer under cold running water. Drain well and transfer to second bowl. Stir in 2 tablespoons lemon juice and 2 tablespoons juice from draining tomatoes. Let stand until grains are beginning to soften, 30 to 40 minutes.

Whisk remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice, oil, cinnamon, allspice, cayenne, and ¼ teaspoon salt together in large bowl. Add drained tomatoes, soaked bulgur, parsley, mint, and scallions; toss gently to combine. Cover and refrigerate until flavors have blended and bulgur is tender, at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours. Toss to recombine, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.