This simple salad has become a global celebration. I have seen all kinds of tabbouleh. Some should no longer be called tabbouleh, as they have moved away so much from the original recipe. However, each variant that I have tasted can only be described as very tasty. This version is my tabbouleh. It is closest to the Lebanese style, due to being very green and using less bulghur. I suggest you try this version. You can always add more of one or less of another. For example, when my daughters were young, I added two cucumbers (finely chopped) to the recipe.

Ingredients

• 3 large bunches parsley
• 1 bunch fresh mint
• 1 bunch scallion
• 4 medium (or 2 large) sun-ripened juicy tomatoes
• 5 small (or 4 large) lemons (fresh lemons only)
• 1⁄2 cup fine extra virgin olive oil
• 1⁄2 cup fine (#1) bulghur
• 1 full tsp. salt.
• Do not rinse or soak the bulghur. This can make a big change in its taste. Number one bulghur is the finest ground and it is easily found in Mediterranean stores. It is the one I recommend for tabbouleh.

Directions

1. Place the dry bulghur in a big deep bowl.
2. Add the tomato, chopped in as small pieces as
   possible. The juices get absorbed by the bulghur
   while you’re chopping other greens.
3. I wash the herbs by opening the bunch but
   keeping it the same while holding it under running
   water. Keeping the stems together makes it easier
   to cut the unwanted ends off . On a big healthy
   bunch, I cut off about two inches from the bottom.
   This area is usually tough, but I keep it for soups,
   stocks or smoothies. I chop the rest as small as
   possible. With the mint, I only try to use the leaves, finely
   chopped, and keep the stems for other uses.
4. The white part of the scallions, I cut vertically
   before chopping all of them together.
5. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
6. Check the salt level by tasting. Let it sit for about 15
   minutes before serving, to make sure the bulghur
   got completely immersed with