Laila's tabuleh

The way I discovered Middle Eastern food was through my good friend Laila in Miami. She makes the best tabuleh and hummus. On hot Miami afternoons we would make tabuleh and hummus and eat it with fresh pita bread from the store Daily Bread. Her tabuleh was always juicy, lemony, and full of tomato flavor. That's the big difference because her recipe comes from her grandfather, who was from Lebanon but lived in Turkey and based his tabuleh recipe from Urfa, Turkey, where tabuleh has much more tomatoes than regular tabulehs.

Laila recommends that the parsley, tomato and onion be carefully chopped by hand (and not the food processor) because it gives it the best flavor. I believe her and do as I am told.

It is delicious, satisfying and so nutritious! Parsley has high levels of iron and vitamin C.

So here's to Laila's tabuleh, missing you!

Laila's Tabuleh

1 cup fine bulghur
1/2 cup tomato juice (from a can)
2 medium tomatoes, chopped into 1/4 inch cubes
1 medium red onion, chopped into 1/4inch cubes
2 cups curly parsley, chopped finely
salt and pepper
1 - 2 lemons
1 cup water
1/4 cup olive oil

Marinate the tomato sauce with the bulghur and water for about 30 minutes. Then mix in the rest of the ingredients. You want it to be juicy, so if you've added sufficient lemon juice and it's still stiff, you can add some more water. The longer you let it sit, the better it gets.

Enjoy with a side of hummus and pita bread under the sun.