With fresh ingredients from the garden, this Middle-Eastern dish is the perfect summer salad. It’s light, refreshing, and even vegan, yet also filling. One batch serves four. This version is based on the recipe from The Complete Middle Eastern Cookbook by Tess Mallows. Lansdowne Publishing: Sydney, 2000.

You can double it for a potluck, especially if you have a large quantity of parsley, mint, and tomatoes in your garden that you need to use. If you’re picking home-grown parsley, be sure to keep an eye out for swallowtail caterpillars, as they love parsley, too. If you have more mint than parsley available, you can adjust the proportions, though it’s best to have more parsley than mint in the salad.

Our parsley hasn’t been quite as plentiful this year as in previous years, but due to some unfortunate gardening choices when we first moved into our house, our mint has been so productive that we could use it to make enough tabouleh to feed everyone in Gaza. So come on, Israel. At least let us bring the mint. Maybe a few tomatoes, too. No one needs to go hungry.

3/4 c. bulgur wheat
2 c. cold water
2 c. chopped parsley
1/2 c. finely chopped spring onions, red onion, or shallots
1/4 c. chopped mint leaves
1/4 c. olive oil
2 Tbs. lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 firm ripe tomatoes

Place the bulgur wheat and water into a bowl and let it sit for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, chop the parsley (removing the stems), mint, onion, and tomatoes and add to a medium/large mixing bowl. 

Drain the wheat and spread out on a tea towel to dry. 

Add the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper to another bowl and stir. Add the dried bulgur wheat to the chopped ingredients, then the oil, juice, salt, and pepper. Stir.

This will keep for a couple days, but it’s best when it’s fresh.