Parsley, for me, is King of Health and constantly I am told that I have something green between my teeth. I eat this all the time in the local Lebanese, with flat bread. It’s a modest and boosting lunch.
Serves 4
Ingredients
Put the bulgar wheat in a small bowl and cover with 50ml just-boiled water. Stir, then leave to stand for 20 minutes to allow it to absorb the water.
Cut out the green stalk ends of the tomatoes and make a small cross in the bases. Put the tomatoes in a bowl and cover with just-boiled water. Leave for about 30 seconds. Peel – after this time the skins should come away easily. Cut the tomatoes into quarters, discard the seeds and cut the flesh into a small, even dice. Put in a serving bowl.
Rinse the parsley under the tap and, holding it by the stalks, flick out the water (covering the floor and ceiling with a mist of water), then dry thoroughly in a tea-towel or salad spinner. Pick the parsley and mint leaves from their stalks. Chop the leaves finely and add to the tomatoes. Peel the onion and cut it in half, top to bottom, then strip off the skin. Finely chop the onion and add it to the salad. Fluff up the bulgar with a fork to separate the grains and tip into the bowl. The bulgar wheat should be the lesser player in this salad, like 30 sheep in an acre of forest, so to speak.
Squeeze over 2 teaspoons of the lemon juice and add the olive oil.
The leaves should look soft and glossy, but not swamped with oil. Season with plenty of salt and toss together well. Add a little more lemon juice or seasoning if needed and serve either with flat bread, for a simple lunch, or grilled meats such as chicken or lamb.
