Our much-anticipated heat wave hit this weekend, much to the delight of all of us here in gray and mossy Skagit County. It’s been a long, dark, irritating wet season, and everyone was very ready to get out the summer clothes and try being too hot for a change. We celebrated by hauling out the patio furniture, opening a bottle of rosé and eating dinner out by the grill. The air was warm, the wisteria was blooming, and I had put the tabouli together earlier, so I got to sit back and watch my husband cook.
Dinner was grilled lamb chops, grilled eggplant, tabouli, grilled bread and a Graham Beck pinotage rosé. What can I say, but mmmmmm. It’s summer.
Tabouli (my usual version)
Combine, cover and let sit for half an hour:
- 1 cup bulgur
- 1 1/2 cups boiling water
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
then add:
- juice of one lemon
- a few fresh mint leaves, torn up (dried mint is fine if there’s no fresh to be had)
- good glug of olive oil
- a few garlic cloves, pressed
put the bowl away in the fridge to marinate, preferably all day. Shortly before dinner, add:
- lots of chopped fresh parsley (as Brother Peter Reinhart says, the more parsley you add, the more garlic you can have in it)
Stir well and eat. Keeps well in the fridge for several days.
Food on the Brain 
I love the simplicity of this recipe. Here in northern Maine we have a fair population of Syrian/Lebanese, and tabouli is a common feature in restaurants, potluck suppers, and grocery stores. I would respectfully suggest the addition of very thinly sliced green onions be added to your version. It will add another layer of flavor. Let me know if you try it, I’d like to know what you think.
Connie, I do sometimes add green onion to tabouli or other grain salads, and I love the flavor and texture. I don’t always have them on hand, though, and I do grow my own parsley and mint, so I can throw this tabouli together any time I happen to have a lemon. If I had green onions around I would definitely consider adding them.