Entertaining

Spring tabouleh

Name: Tabouleh recipe
Yield: 10
Ingredients: 300g Burghul (bulgur wheat); 125 ml extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon extra; 2 lemon, juiced; 4 heirloom tomatoes, roughly chopped; 2 bunches flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, shredded; 1 bunch spring onions (scallions), thinly sliced; 2 bunch green asparagus, thinly shaved lengthways; 250 g fresh peas, blanched; 400 g snow peas (mangetout), roughly sliced; 1 fennel bulb, shaved, fronds reserved; 1/4 savoy cabbage, diced or shredded; 1/2 broccoli head, shaved thin; 2 tablespoons sumac, plus extra for sprinkling

Rate now

Jump to recipe

by Mike McEnearney

Chef and delicious. columnist

Sep 06, 2021

This recipe is called Spring Tabouleh, but you can take the same approach as using seasonal ingredients throughout the year. I’ve suggested ways to cut vegetables, but you can dice them or cut them however you wish. If you are gluten-free, use cooked quinoa instead of burghul. Pomegranate molasses is a nice touch in the dressing to add vidcocity and a tart flavor. If you spot fresh pomegranates, the seeds are also nice little jewels to scatter through the salad.

300g Burghul (bulgur wheat)
125 ml extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon extra
2 lemon, juiced
4 heirloom tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 bunches flat-leaf (Italian) parsley, shredded
1 bunch spring onions (scallions), thinly sliced
2 bunch green asparagus, thinly shaved lengthways
250 g fresh peas, blanched
400 g snow peas (mangetout), roughly sliced
1 fennel bulb, shaved, fronds reserved
1/4 savoy cabbage, diced or shredded
1/2 broccoli head, shaved thin
2 tablespoons sumac, plus extra for sprinkling

Method

1.

Soak the burghul in boiling water (1:1 volume ratio of water to burghul), with a pinch of salt and the extra tablespoon of olive oil. Cover and allow to cool so all the liquid is absorbed.
2.

Whisk the lemon juice and olive oil together to make a dressing.
3.

Toss the burghul with all the remaining ingredients in a large bowl. The burghul will absorb the dressing, so only dress the salad when you’re ready to serve. The sumac is good tossed through the salad along with a little more sprinkled on top.