T is for Tabbouleh (Jessica)

Good evening!

When I talk to people about cooking and baking, their responses generally fall into one of two categories. There's the "whoa, you're crazy, cooking takes forever" category and there's the "I love cooking too, it relaxes me" category.
Have you ever noticed this? Even people who have crazy work schedules, grad school to finish, or business trips multiple weeks in a row...if they're second category people, they get it.
Throughout our adventures creating this blog, I found out that I'm one of those people. I guess it's a bit crazy, but I LIKE working in the kitchen. I think a large part of that is that I love eating, but really, I could cook something and give it away and that would make me happy too.

So I'm sure you're wondering what my point is here and how this ties in with my recipe this week....I often wonder that myself when I get going ;) ...No, but this time I have a point.
This weekend, I chose to give myself time in the kitchen. It was just me, the new Incubus album on my ipod, and a whole lotta parsley. And you know what, it was extremely zen.

Stressed out? I suggest ignoring what you have to do and making this delicious tabbouleh recipe.
Now, I don't want to get too preachy here, so just channel my positive thoughts and read through the recipe!

Tabbouleh
from davidlebovitz.com

Ingredients: 
1/2 cup bulgur wheat (available in bulk at Whole Foods)
1 heirloom tomato
2 scallions
1 bunch of curly parsley, stems removed, washed and dried
1 bunch of mint leaves (I used a whole package from Trader Joe's)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
Salt to taste
Juice of 1 lemon
1/3 cup olive oil

Pita to serve with tabbouleh

Directions: 
1. Let bulgur sit in a bowl with hot water for about 20-30 minutes until grain expands and is soft to eat. Fluff with a fork. Drain any remaining water.
2. Dice tomato and drain of remaining juice. Slice scallions into very thin slices.
3. Slice mint leaves into very thin slices.

4. Chop parsley very small.

Parsley before.

Parsley after.

5. Combine diced tomatoes, scallions, mint, and parsley. Sprinkle bulgur all over and season with cinnamon, allspice, and pepper. Add salt to taste.
6. Add lemon juice and olive oil and adjust seasoning as necessary. Serve immediately with pita, or keep in fridge overnight.

Review: 
This recipe is great. It's very fresh and David Lebovitz's site is great inspiration. He goes into a lot of detail about different kinds of tabbouleh recipes, as well as the importance of getting quality ingredients. I had never had tabbouleh that tasted as interesting as this, I think the cinnamon and allspice really helped it.
I used this dish for my cooking club (which surely you remember from my earlier posts) as this month's theme was salads! Perfect!

Toodles,

-Jessica