Lebanese Tabouleh ( I could eat this everyday!)

Tabouleh must have been the salad of the gods. It has a flavor you can't get enough of, and is amazingly good for you, too. Bulgur wheat is available almost everywhere now and you want to buy the finest ground bulgur you can get.

The authentic way to eat this is with leaves of lettuce (such as Boston lettuce) instead of with utensils. As some of my friends say, "you'll want to smack yo mama" when you eat this. I wouldn't. My mama is stronger than I am.


3 very large bunches of fresh parsley, washed and drained
1 bunch fresh mint, washed and drained
2 scallions
1 cup finely ground bulgur wheat
4 large tomatoes
4 fresh lemons
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper (Lebanese pepper if you have it)

Put the bulghur wheat in a bowl of cold water and let it soak for 30 minutes. It will absorb the water and swell and become softer. Do this because you don't want it to swell once you have eaten it and your belly will blow up like a puffer fish.

Cut the stems from the parsley and pull the leaves of mint off the stems. Put the parsley and mint in a food processor and process until finely chopped. Finely chop the scallions and tomatoes. If you would like, you can scoop the seeds out of the tomatoes, so they are more meaty. I like Roma tomatoes because they are less seedy and  watery, but in summer home grown are the best!

Drain the bulghur wheat and press the extra water out it. Mix the parsley, scallions, tomatoes, and wheat together in a large bowl.

Now the magic: Squeeze the lemons onto the mixture (watch those seeds!) Add the olive oil. How come I am not saying how much? Because some people like their tabouleh drier than others. So add a little at a time until it gets to the consistency you like. Salt and pepper to taste.

The authentic way to eat this is with leaves of lettuce (such as Boston lettuce) instead of with utensils.