Tabouli Salad with Cucumber, Tomato, Feta, and Olives

Bulgur is a quick-cooking, versatile grain that is very forgiving. You can make it a day ahead, refrigerate it, and when you take it out the next day and fluff it with a fork, it will still be light and delicious. I use it as a base for a variety of salads or make it alone with a swirl of olive oil and a pinch of salt as a simple side dish.

Often Tabouli salad doesn’t include cucumber, tomatoes, olives, and cheese. But, try it this way and see what you think.

I like to mince the scallions, parsley, and mint in the food processor – just turn the processor on and add through the shoot. They’ll be perfectly minced in about 5 seconds. Serve this alone as a light lunch or as part of a Meze.

Ingredients

1½ cups boiling water or broth
1 cup dry bulgur
1 t salt, (omit if you are using broth)
juice from 1 lemon, 2-3 T
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
3 scallions, finely chopped
½ cup minced fresh flat leaf parsley
a dozen or so fresh mint leaves, minced
1 large tomato, coarsely chopped
1 cucumber, peeled if you like and cut in ½-inch cubes
2-3 ounces crumbled feta, (my favorite is Valbreso sheep's milk feta)
a dozen or so Greek or kalamata olives, pitted and halved.

Instructions

Bring water to boil, add dry bulgur to boiling water or broth, stir. Turn heat off, leaving the pan in place; cover and let stand 25 minutes.
Fluff bulgur with a fork and then allow to cool to room temperature.
Once the bulgur is cool, add salt, lemon juice, and garlic. Stir to combine; cover tightly and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
About ½ hour before you plan to serve this salad, remove the bulgur mixture from the fridge and toss with a fork to lighten and separate. Add remaining ingredients and stir gently to combine. Taste for seasoning – add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Serve.

Makes 4 generous servings.