Tabouleh/Levantine salad (Virginia's recipe)

Ingredients

• 2 cups fine bulgar wheat

• 1-2 cucumbers, diced

• 2 cups diced tomatoes, seeds removed and diced

• 1/2 cup fresh flat leaf parsley, minced

• 1/4 cup fresh mint, minced

• 1-2 Tbsp olive oil

• 3-4 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

• Salt, pepper, and spices to taste

Note: these proportions are a baseline. Adjust as you see fit--some tabouleh recipes are primarily parsley and other vegetables with only a small amount of bulgar wheat.

Directions

Bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Turn off the heat, stir in bulgar wheat, and cover.

While the bulgar wheat is soaking, combine the tomatoes, cucumber, and herbs in a large mixing bowl. Set aside. Combine oil and lemon juice in a bowl and add salt, pepper, and spices to taste (I ususally go for about 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2-3/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper, about 1/8 tsp fresh ground cinnamon, and 1/8-1/4 tsp ground cumin). Whisk together until the lemon juice and oil have emulsified.

Fluff the bulgar wheat, making sure it has absorbed the water (if there is any extra pooling at the bottom, strain it out). Add the bulgar wheat to the vegetables and herbs, and mix to combine. Pour dressing over and mix again to thoroughly distribute.