Η συνταγή και στα ελληνικά στο τέλος της ανάρτησης!
Around 4,000 BC a nation called Canaanites, from their city of origin Canaan, inhabited the coastal areas and forested mountains of East Mediterranean coast, exactly where Lebanon is found today. During ancient ages Canaanites showed a very intensive trade activity throughout the Mediterranean Sea. Back at those ages Mediterranean Sea was experiencing heavy traffic from Greeks Canaanites and generally all people around it.
Greeks called these people Phoenicians which meant “red”, in reference to the purple dye they produced from murex seashells. That name remained and they have been called that way ever since. The Phoenicians were excellent navigators and dominated the Mediterranean Sea trade for over 500 years.
It was the Phoenicians who invented the alphabet around 1,600 BC and passed it to the Greeks and that led further to the Latin one.
Tabbouleh derives from the Arabic word taabil and it means seasoning. Tabbouleh is a vegetarian dish very popular in the Arab world and the Middle East. It is made with bulgur, tomatoes, parsley, mint, onion and a dressing of olive oil and lemon juice. Of course there are quite a few variations and I believe each home cook has her own recipe.
I was in a salad mood and since summer is approaching fast and temperatures here have climbed to the 30’s C, I thought that a light meal is more appropriate plus we have a figure to preserve. Now that, clothes are not as heavy as during winter, our figures show more precisely and any additional kilos are quite difficult to hide.
Having all these in mind and having a ton of cracked wheat in my pantry, begging to be used, I decided to make a tabbouleh salad only a bit differently. I wanted it to be a full meal so my son could eat it as well and get all the necessary ingredients out of it. This salad in its original form is a completely vegan meal, but I decided to infuse a bit of feta cheese and make it from vegan to vegetarian. I also decided to add a few olives so as to be a combination of Greek salad and a tabbouleh.
The experiment was extremely successful and I can tell you that if you want a light yet filling meal for the summer this salad is the one for you. Packed with green flavors from the mint and parsley, filling from the cracked wheat, protein rich from the feta cheese and loaded with vitamins from tomatoes, this salad has it all. If you decide to make it with cracked wheat, you can follow my instructions. If you want to use bulgur, you don’t have to boil it, just let it soak its water for about 20 to 30 minutes.
- 200 gr. / 7 oz. cracked wheat or bulgur (see above for instructions)
- 700 ml / 24 fl oz. water
- 1 large or two small tomatoes, diced
- 1 large scallion or two small, chopped
- 1 small cucumber or half large, diced
- A bunch of parsley, finely chopped
- A bunch of mint leaves, finely chopped
- 60 gr. / 2 oz. feta cheese, grated
- 5 olives, chopped
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp sugar
- In a pot put the cracked wheat and water in high heat.
- Bring to boil and let it boil for two minutes.
- Remove from fire and let it stay until it absorbs all the water and cools down.
- It must be firm outside and soft inside.
- If you see that it needs more, boil it for a minute with a one to two tbsp. of water.
- In the meantime prepare the vegetables, the feta and the olives.
- Once the cracked wheat has absorbed the water, drain it in a fine sieve.
- Place it in a deep bowl and add the cumin, salt, olive oil and lemon juice.
- Mix to incorporate.
- Add the vegetables and mix to incorporate as well.
- Finally add the salt, sugar and cumin and pour the olive oil and lemon of the dressing.
- Mix and put in the fridge for about half to one hour so the flavors of the vegetables will be released.
- Serve with pita bread or any other bread or as a side dish to meat.
- 200 γρ. πλιγούρι
- 700 ml νερό
- 1 μεγάλη ή δύο μικρές ντομάτες, σε κύβους
- 1 μεγάλο κρεμμυδάκι ή δύο μικρά, ψιλοκομμένα
- 1 μικρό αγγούρι ή μισό μεγάλο, σε κύβους
- Ένα μάτσο μαϊντανό, ψιλοκομμένο
- Ένα μάτσο φύλλα δυόσμου, ψιλοκομμένα
- 60 γρ. τριμμένο τυρί φέτα
- 5 ελιές, ψιλοκομμένες
- 1 κ.γ. κύμινο
- 1 κ.γ. αλάτι
- 2 κ.σ. ελαιόλαδο
- 1 κ.σ. χυμό λεμονιού
- 3 κ.σ. ελαιόλαδο
- 2 κ.σ. χυμό λεμονιού
- 1 κ.γ. αλάτι
- 1 κ.γ. κύμινο
- 1 κ.γ. ζάχαρη
- Σε μια κατσαρόλα βάλτε το πλιγούρι και το νερό σε δυνατή φωτιά.
- Βράστε για δύο λεπτά.
- Βγάλτε από τη φωτιά και αφήστε το να μείνει μέχρι να απορροφήσει όλο το νερό και να κρυώσει.
- Πρέπει να κρατάει αλλά να μην είναι σκληρό.
- Αν είναι σκληρό βάλτε το πάλι στη φωτιά και βράστε το για ένα λεπτό με ελάχιστο νερό.
- Εν τω μεταξύ, προετοιμάστε τα λαχανικά, τη φέτα και τις ελιές.
- Μόλις το πλιγούρι έχει απορροφήσει το νερό, στραγγίστε το σε λεπτό κόσκινο.
- Βάλτε το σε ένα βαθύ μπολ και προσθέστε το κύμινο, το αλάτι, το ελαιόλαδο και το χυμό λεμονιού.
- Ανακατέψτε να ενσωματωθούν.
- Προσθέστε τα λαχανικά και ανακατέψτε ξανά.
- Τέλος, προσθέστε το αλάτι, τη ζάχαρη και το κύμινο και ρίξτε το ελαιόλαδο και το λεμόνι.
- Ανακατέψτε και βάλτε στο ψυγείο για περίπου μισή έως μία ώρα, για να δώσουν τα λαχανικά τα αρώματά τους.
- Σερβίρετε με πίτα ή οποιαδήποτε άλλο είδος ψωμιού ή σαν γαρνιτούρα σε κρέας.
