Taboulé - Recette du jour

Picnic food

Burghul salad - taboulé - is eaten in all parts of the middle east and is a particular speciality of the Lebanon.

It can be eaten by itself or as an accompanying salad.

Burghul - also called cracked wheat, blugur wheat or, in Greek food shops, pourgouri - is wheat which has been boiled until it cracks open then dried and ground.

Taboulé with Lime and marinated red peppers.

Preparation time : 1 hr + chilling

Ingredients :

225g of fine Burghul
2 large red peppers
3 average sized tomatoes (plum tomatoes are best)
6 tbs of olive oil
Juice of 1 Lime
2 Cloves of crushed garlic
2 finely chopped spring onions
2 tbs of chopped fresh parsley
2 tbs chopped fresh mint
juice of 1 lemon

Method :

1) Put the Burghul into a large bowl and add enough cold water to cover it by about 2.5 cms.

2) Leave to soak for about 30-40 minutes until all of the water has been absorbed.

3) Whilst the wheat is soaking : prepare the vegetables - skin, un-seed and cut into tiny cubes all the tomatoes, chop the onions as finely as possible.

4) Prepare the Peppers : cut the peppers in half lengthways and remove the core, white membrane and seeds. Grill the peppers, cut sides down until the skin blisters. Skin the peppers under cold running water, then dry them thoroughly with absorbant kithchen paper. Cut the peppers into very fine strips - place these strips in a shallow dish.

5) Mix half the olive oil with the lime juice, salt and pepper to taste and one third of the crushed garlic - spoon the mixture over the peppers, cover and leave to chill in the refrigerator.

6) Drain the soaked burghul thoroughly and squeeze in a clean cloth to dry it out further.

7) Mix the burghul with the onions, the tomatoes, the remaining garlic, chopped parsley and mint. Mix together the remaining olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste - stir thoroughly into the burghul.

8) Spoon the Taboulé onto a shallow dish and mound it in the centre. Spoon the marinated red peppers around it and stud it with halved black olives. This can be served immediately or is better if left to chill for an extra hour.

Accompany with warmed pitta bread, houmous, Tarmasalata as a starter.

* Best eaten with cold chicken drumsticks, barbecued lamb cutlets or beef off the bone ... don't forget a nice glass of chilled rosé (Cabernet d'anjou)