Tabbouleh and our Mezze Meal

As mentioned the other day, I made pita for our mezze meal. Mezze is like Spanish Tapas except in Mediterranean places like Greece, Turkey, and the Middle East (so the Eastern Med. instead of Western Med like where Spain, France, and Italy are). In addition to pita, we had hummus, caponata (again, I know, Italy--it didn't quite fit either), cherry tomatoes--a handful of which were off of my tomato plants, cucumber slices, and tabbouleh. I knew my kids wouldn't really go for the caponata or tabbouleh and from the above picture, you can see I am right (pictured above is M's plate).

I made tabbouleh, for the first time in many, many years. I kinda overdosed on tabbouleh several years ago. I also used old bulgur the last time I made it and cucumbers (if you remember, I am NOT a cucumber fan). This time I was sure to chuck my two year old bulgur (if it smells a little rancid or old, don't use it!!) and find a new recipe that omits the cucumbers. As a result, I love tabbouleh again. We've had it for a side for a couple meals since my mezze meal and it's been perfect.

This makes 4 c of tabbouleh.



Tabbouleh
adapted from The Kitchn

1 c bulgur wheat
1 1/2 c boiling water
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
2 large bunches (Italian, if possible) parsley, finely chopped
1/2 c mint leaves, finely chopped
1/2 large tomato, minced fine
about 1/2 c lemon juice (from 3 lemons)
2 T olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Put bulgur wheat in a large bowl. Pour the boiling water over it, cover, and put in the fridge for an hour to soften.

Add the onion, garlic, parsley, mint, tomato, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt and pepper to the wheat. Mix well, taste and season accordingly. For best flavor, cover and refrigerate overnight to let the flavors marry. However, if you make this just an hour or less before you want to eat it like I did, it will taste just fine.

Alternate method: use a food processor to finely chop first onion and garlic. Remove onion and garlic and then process parsley and mint. Add to wheat along with other ingredients.

If you like cucumbers more than I do, you can add 1 cucumber that has been peeled, seeded, and minced. I don't know why you would want to do that, but I'm just letting you know that some people may think it's good.

Eggplant and Arugula Open Faced Sandwich

The hummus I posted about yesterday was made as a base for my sandwich. I got so much eggplant in my box this week and eggplant just doesn't keep well so I looked for lots of different ways to cook it. I discovered this recipe on Epicurious and it looked like a great way to change things up a bit.

I loved this sandwich. Curtis wasn't home when we had it and the kids don't like eggplant or arugula well enough to have wanted to try it. That was ok with me. It's a great lunch sandwich because you can make as much or as little as you want, just change the amounts proportionally.

Eggplant and Arugula Open Faced Sandwich
adapted from Epicurious

1 small eggplant, cut into 1/2" slices lengthwise
olive oil
1 c baby arugula
1 - 2 oil packed sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
hummus
a thick bread (I used sourdough, any good bread would work)

Brush both sides of eggplant slices with oil. (I didn't use the ends with lots of skin on them because I've found the skins too tough to eat). Broil or grill until very tender and golden, about 8 minutes, checking periodically so they don't burn. Meanwhile, mix one cup of arugula with the sun-dried tomatoes.

To assemble the sandwich, spread hummus over piece of bread. Follow with generous layer of arugula/tomato mixture. Top with grilled eggplant (remove skin, if desired before putting on sandwich).

Yields: two open faced sandwiches (which was just enough for me at lunch).

Hummus

I've made hummus for years, but have never quite been satisfied with it. Either the texture was wrong, usually on the very thick side, or the taste wasn't quite right. I think I've finally found my recipe.

Hummus recipes have all the same, basic ingredients: chickpeas, lemon juice, tahini, olive oil, and garlic. The secret to good hummus is the balance of it all. The key to this recipe is not draining and rinsing the chickpeas (if you popped open a can like I did). When you put the chickpeas in the food processor, dump the juices in with it. Perfect consistency.

M and J love hummus. I made mine a little too garlicky (next time I'll just put in one clove), but in between telling me it was "hot" the licked their plates clean. It made a great lunch paired with cucumbers from our CSA, grapes, and bread.

Hummus
slightly adapted from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman

2 c canned chickpeas (with cooking liquid)
1/2 c tahini
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, peeled
juice of 1 lemon
salt, to taste
1 t ground paprika, or to taste

Put all ingredients but salt and paprika in a food processor. Process until smooth. Taste and add salt and paprika as desired. Serve.