Tabbouleh Salad with Grilled Portabellas and Grilled Pita Bread

I had tabbouleh salad for the first time on 5/16/2012 when a friend made it for a picnic at Half Moon Bay.  Bulgur was something I had never tried before.  If you like brown rice you will like bulgur so give it a try.  Although mint is growing on me I am not it's biggest fan so I reduced the amount.  Last night I made my third salad of the week using a different recipe for Tabbouleh Salad from the same Cuisine at Home magazine.  Although I did modify it slightly, it wasn't much different from the one I had but it had extra goobers which I think, the more goobers the better.   This one added feta, kalamata olives and grape tomatoes but 1 T. of garlic was a bit much so I can’t imagine using the 2 T. they suggested.  I'm still tasting garlic this morning.  The other difference was they topped the salad serving with a grilled portabella mushroom which made it a meal and served it with grilled pita bread which was an excellent addition for this bread lover.  The salad looked beautiful and unlike before I didn't finely dice the veggies so you clearly know what is in it but mainly it was easier.

Since the three salads I made this week were quite different it is a bit difficult to compare but here are my comments.  My favorite was the Bread salad but the dressing was my least favorite a bit tart so I will be adjusting it next time, probably leaving out the oregano, maybe reducing the vinegar and definitely adding the additional ingredients a little at a time and one at a time, tasting as I go.  The Spicy Melon Salad had a great dressing and was best served with the Blackened Ham Steak.  The ham gave it that needed boost because it was basically a fruit salad with a touch of spicy arugula.  We had 4 servings the first night, seconds of a salad is never too bag but we ate most of the arugula.  I added spinach to the leftovers the following day to make it more than just fruit.  And finally this Tabbouleh Salad was beautiful, but I've reduced the amount of garlic for next time.  The pita bread sent this over the top for me and I'm going to look for more bulgur recipes or try it in place of brown rice.

TABBOULI (Bulgur & Chickpea Salad)
1 C. dry bulgur wheat, soaked
15 oz. can chickpeas, drained, rinsed
½ C. pitted kalamata olives, sliced
1 English cucumber, cut in half lengthwise, seeded, thinly sliced
1 C. (4-5) green onions, chopped
1 pint grape tomatoes, cut in half
½ C. Italian flat leaf parsley, minced with scissors
2 T. (5, 5” sprigs) mint, minced with scissors
½ C. crumbled feta cheese
Dressing:
⅓ C. EVOO
⅓ C. lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, grated
1 T. sugar
-Salt and Pepper to taste

Soak bulgur in boiling water fore 30-45 minutes.  Drain in a fine mesh strainer, pressing to remove any excess water.  Lay on a plate to cool.  Drain and rinse chickpeas, slice olives, chop veggies and scissor cut herbs.  Add all ingredients to a large bowl, top with feta.  If making ahead wait to add the tomatoes so you  don’t have to refrigerate them.  In a small bowl, whisk dressing ingredients and pour over salad, toss.  Serve.

Notes:  Reserve 3 T. of dressing to brush on portabellas if adding.  Measure parsley before you chop it.  Wash, twist off the main leaves then pull out the larger stems before measuring.  If you don’t chop the parsley enough it can be tough.  Once measured I use my scissors to mince it in the measuring cup.  It is easier and cleaner than chopping it on a cutting board.  You can either slice the veggies as shown here or cut them in a small uniform dice depending on the look you want.  Always check kalamata olives for pits even if they say they are pitted because sometimes they miss one.  Slicing them helps you catch this.  One cup of dry bulgur makes 3 cups of cooked.  Lastly 5 cloves was very garlicky, good but the garlic taste lasted all night.

Variation:

• Add 2 T. cilantro, finely chopped to the dressing.  I don’t add it any longer to save money because it is just as good without it. 
• I’ve also added 1 onion, finely chopped with only ½ C. of green onion but since a half of a cup is only 2-3 onions I always have leftovers that I forget to use so why not use more green onions and leave out the other onion.
• Meal:  Grill up a portabella mushroom for each person.  Brush with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and grill on  250°F for 2 minutes per side.  Serve with grilled pita bread and feta yogurt dip.  Grill the pita rounds at the same time you grill the mushrooms also brushed with EVOO, salt and pepper.  See the feta yogurt dip in the Appetizer section (½ C. Greek yogurt, ½ C. feta, 2 t. EVOO, ½ t. garlic, salt and pepper.  Process)
• Reserve 3 T. of the vinaigrette to  brush on mushrooms before grilling.

FETA YOGURT DIP

½ C. Greek yogurt

¼ C. crumbled feta cheese

2 t. EVOO

½ t. fresh garlic, grated

¼ t. coarse black pepper

¼ t. Kosher salt

-Pita bread

To a food processor add all ingredients, process till smooth.  Brush pita bread with EVOO and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Grill 250°F for 2-3 minutes per side or till golden brown.  Serve.

Variation:  Rub grilled pita with the cut side of a clove of garlic for added flavor.