Conference turris::cooks

Tabouli salad has as many variations as there are eaters of tabouli.....
My current version is:

The secret to good tabouli is the wheat that is used.  I like to cook my
own cracked wheat, cool it, and then build the salad...so, start with
approximately 2 - 3 cups of cooked, cooled cracked wheat (cooked as per
instructions on the box).

	cooked cracked wheat, chilled
	2 large tomatoes, diced, seeded, and drained
	1 large or 2 small cucumbers, seeded, diced, and drained
	Salt to taste
	1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (or equivalent dried parsley)
	1/4 cup chopped fresh mint (or equivalent dried mint)
		if using dried herbs, add 2 tablespoons cool water
		to reconstitute them.

	I actually use LOTS of fresh mint - so I may be adding more than
	1/4 cup - it's hard to imagine having too much mint...

Toss these ingredients with a dressing:

	1/2 cup GOOD first press olive oil in a mixing bowl or large
	measuring cup...add the juice of 6 FRESH LEMONS - if you
	can't get fresh lemons, don't bother with this...they are
	REALLY mandatory.  Mix the oil and lemon with a wire wisk
	until they form an emulsion and toss with the salad.  
	Chill until flavors mix (at least an hour - up to 4 hours).

	Serve this salad on crisp lettuce leaves and offer lots of
	romaine lettuce leaves to scoop salad into when eating.

    Tabouli salad is delicious!  My favorite variation has a mustard
    sauce and contains snap or snow peas.  The sweet pea flavor goes
    very well with the wheat.  I also use tomatoes, cucumber, onion,
    garlic, and parsley.  I like parsley, lots of it, and fresh
    basil, instead of mint.
    
    --Louise

	 Middle eastern  food  is  one case where I don't eschew mixes.  In
    the  case  of  falafel,  unless you come up with a source for fava bean
    meal,  you've  got  to  go  the  mix  route.   Comes  in  boxes at some
    supermakets  (Middle  East  brand)  or  in larger amounts at any of the
    Armenian   stores   on  Mt.   Auburn  St.   in  Cambridge,  or  at  any
    Syrian/Middle  east bakery.  

	 Fresh tabouleh  is a win when you add fresh herbs.  When I use the
    Middle  East  Tabouleh  mix,  I usually add at least a *cup* of chopped
    parsley (Italian is best.)

	 Hummous is  easily  made  in a food processor.  Take a quantity of
    cooked  chickpeas  (canned are OK for this use) and mix with some lemon
    juice,  garlic,  tahini, and salt.  Pour into a bowl, make a depression
    in  the  top  with a spoon, and pour on a tsp or two of oriental sesame
    oil.   Sprinkle  on  some  paprika  and  garnish with parsley and lemon
    slices.

	 JJRitz

    These recipes are from a class I took a couple of years ago in Middle
    Eastern cooking.
    
    Humus
    
    1. Throw a can of chickpeas (drained) in a food processor or blender
       along with 2 T extra virgin olive oil and zap.
    2. Mix 1 T tahini with 1-2 T water to thin, blend well and add to
       the food processor.  Add salt if desired.
    3. Spread this mixture out on a plate; garnish with bermuda onion
       wedges; dribble a little olive oil on the top; and sprinkle with
       paprika.
    
    In class, as I recall, we broke up some pita bread and heated it
    and used that to scoop up the hummus.
    
    
    Mediterranean Salad
    
    I never knew parsley could be so good.  Ingredients are listed with
    no quantities.
    
    Parsley (the leafy kind, not the crunchy kind)
    bermuda onion
    scallions
    feta cheese
    olive oil
    lemon juice
    tomato (opt)
    cucumber (opt)
    
    This is real good dumped in pita bread.
    
    
    Bizilla
    
    A slightly strange, but very simple, dish.  I love the name most
    of all.
    
    1.  Melt a stick of butter in a pan and saute 1-2 diced onions.
    2.  Add 2-1/2 lbs. beef (braising, sirloin, top of the round,
        tenderloin, etc.) or lamb, cubed.  Brown.
    3.  Add 2 29-oz. cans of tomato sauce (or crushed tomatoes or
        tomato paste), a bag of frozen peas and cover.
    4.  Simmer until the butter rises to the top (about 25 min.) and
        falls.
    
    nancy
     
    
    

    Here's a good recipe for hummus that I use a lot:
    
         1 can chickpeas
         3/4 cup lemon juice
         1/2 to 2/3 cup tahini
         Garlic (several cloves, to taste)
    
    To make the hummus, do the following using a food processor:
    
    1.  Chop the garlic.
    
    2.  Drain the chickpeas and add them to the food processor.  Also
        add the lemon juice and the tahini.
    
    3.  Processor the mixture until smooth.
    
    If you want, you can substitute some of the juice from the chickpeas
    in place of the lemon juice.
    
    Eat the hummus using wedges of peta bread.  A sliver of onion between
    the layers tasts good.
    
      -- Dan

for those who want the stuff that tastes exactly like in a restaurant,
look for the MIDDLE EASTERN and NEAR EAST Brand of boxed mixes.  They
have tabouli salad mixes and falafel mixes.  I use the ME brand falafel
mix all the time....Quite good, actually.

    You are correct...Lubyeh is simple to make.  Here is the recipe:
    
    1-2 lbs green beans, washed and trimmed
    1 lb of lamb chunks which have been boiled to eliminate fat
    1-2 whole onions quartered
    1 can whole peeled tomatoes
    salt and pepper to taste
    
    Fry lamb chunks in butter until slightly browned.  Add to that the
    onion and cook for 2 minutes more.  Add green beans and stir.  Let
    the cook covered for about 15 minutes.  Keep an eye out that things
    don't begin to burn.  Add whole peeled tomatoes, salt and pepper
    and simmer for 15 minutes more.  This can be served as is for a
    meal or serve this over rice.
    
    This is a peasant disk.  Whole lamb legs, once good meat is taken
    off, trimmed and put aside for shish kabab or stuffing, is then
    boiled in water until the left over, tougher meat is tender.  The
    meat is pulled from the bones and is used in this dish.

    More on hummus...try adding a 1/4 tsp. each of cumin, coriander,
    and cayenne pepper to any of the previously noted recipes (got the
    idea from the "Diet for a Small Planet" book.
    
    Mike

    Has anybody ever tried Couscous, the Moroccan pasta dish?  Near
    East company sells it.  I had bought a box, and we tried to cook
    it last night, but came up with something that looked and tasted
    like lumpy cream of wheat.  We tried to spif it up a bit by adding
    some Worcestshire sauce and cayenne pepper, but that just seemed
    to make it worse.  Any ideas on how to make the other half box edible?
    
    	-Nancy

    I like the stuff, myself, but there's no denying the cream-of-wheat
    resemblance.  I like to steam it over a pot of boiling soup, and then
    serve it with a bunch of roasted meats and vegetables.  Just don't
    overcook it, or you will have mush!

    
      Rep .0
    
      First of don't follow the cooking directions on the box. For
     some reason they use about twice as much liquid as is needed to
     cook the semoule. Semoule is its real name and not couscous.
     Couscous is a North African stew made with veggies and meat and
     served with a side dish of semoule. It's sort of like looking
     for Chicken Chow Mien in China.
    
      The best way to cook the semoule <ok couscous but my Moroccan
     friend would have my head for calling it that> is mix equal
     amounts of liquid and the grain together cover the pan tightly
     and wait 5 minutes. After that fluff the semoule with a fork
     and serve. I use 1 Cup of stock <chicken, beef, fish> and 1 Cup
     of semoule for 4 people. Just bring the stock to a boil and stir
     in the semoule cover the pan and remove from the heat. It's so
     simple. I usually add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and
     some herbs <herbs de provence, or dried mint, whatever you like>
     to the dry semoule and then mix with a fork before I add it to
     the hot stock. This helps give the semoule some flavor and helps
     it from getting to stuck together.
     
      Any leftovers you have you can turn into Taboule by adding a
     dressing of fresh lemon juice and olive oil. Then add cubed seeded
     tomatoes, cubed cukes, minced green onions, garlic and lots of
     fresh chopped mint. This makes a great summertime side dish for
     bbq's. I usually cook a double batch of the semoule and use the
     hot half as a side dish that night and make the Taboule for the
     next day or day after as it gets better with time.
    
    
     -mike
                                                     
    
      

    Couscous is a staple in my house (along with rice).  The traditional
    way of cooking it is in a couscousiere.  Of course, they are rather
    difficult to find in the US (of coure, I haven't really looked for
    one here).  The best alternative is to place a strainer that fits
    over a large pot.  Inside the pot, you ususally cook a spicy beef
    stew with many vegetables like onion, carrots, and surprisingly
    squash (butternut) or pumpkin.  Use a lot of cumin.  
    
    First cook the couscous according to instructions on the box and
    then place it in the strainer (that's if you have the ICK! instant
    variety).  If you have good couscous, place it in the strainer
    and steam it.  The trick is that you MUST stir it with a fork
    to make sure it remains relatively dry and the couscous particles
    remain loose.  Serve it as you would rice.  The traditional
    way to serve it is to place a large amount of it in the center
    of a plate and pour the beef over it.  The stew is not ususally
    thick by the way.  

    
    I've found that it tastes much better if you use chicken broth
    to cook it, rather than water.
    
    mike

    
    
     Rep .5
    
      Yes it should be light and fluffy like rice and NOT the consistency
     of cream of wheat. Try my suggestion of equal amounts of semoule
     and hot liquid it makes cooking it sooo easy. Like I said the 
     directions on the Near East box use TOO much liquid unless you
     are making breakfast. Also try my suggestion of pre-seasoning the
     dry semoule. It is one of my favorite side dishes because it is
     so quick and easy to make.
    
    
     Rep .3
    
      I too have a couscousaire and love couscous and prefer to steam
     the semoule over the cooking stew but the Near East stuff makes
     a good quick side dish. I just can't see hauling out the couscousaire
     and making a stew everytime I just want to make a side dish of
     semoule. We all have likes and dislikes and I think the quick cooking
     semoule more than makes up for its taste/texture with its quick
     and easy cooking time. And no I don't use minute rice. ;-)
    
      -mike
    
    
    
    
    
    
     

    
    
     Rep .7
    
    
      There are about as many recipes for couscous as there are for
     BBQ sauces. I also believe that there are a couple of recipes
     for couscous already in this conference someplace. I think I
     remember typing mine in awhile ago. Try looking in the Moroccan
     recipe note or do a search for "couscous".
    
    
     -mike
    
     ps: if you can't find the recipe I'll put mine in again for you.
    
    

    I use the Near East stuff and find it ok.  I usually cook the whole
    box and (since it doesn't give directions for the whole box) I just
    do some multiplication sort of and add water.  It never comes out
    like cream of wheat. Always on the rice-y side.  
    
    I eat it with Spag. sauce on top.  Maybe sprinkle some cheese on
    it.  I know, how gauche!

    I copied this recipe from the current Better Homes & Gardens mag:
    
    		Spinach Couscous Salad
    
    1 C chicken broth
    3/4 C couscous
    1/2 C Italian dressing
    2 C shredded fresh spinach
    12 cherry tomatoes halved
    1/2 of an 8 oz can water chestnuts
    
    In saucepan bring chicken broth to boiling.  Stir in couscous.  Remove
    from heat.  Cover and let stand 5 minutes.
    
    Transfer to bowl, add salad dressing.  Cover and chill for 2-4 hours
    till completely chilled.
    
    Before serving toss couscous mixture with shredded spinach, tomatoes,
    and water chestnuts.  Serve on spinach leaves.
    
    Enjoy!
    
    -Dotti.
    

    I lived in Morocco for a couple of years.  What they do there when
    cooking the semoule is get the stew boiling hard in the lower half
    of the couscousiere.  Steam starts rising through the holes in the
    top half (steamer).  Then they sprinkle a layer of slightly dampened
    semoule (toss dry semoule with a few tablespoons of water) into
    the top, say half an inch deep.  Wait a bit until the steam starts
    appearing again through the semoule, then add another layer and
    so on until all the semoule is in the pot, with steam rising through
    it. 
    
    After about an hour they tip it out onto a big flat plate.  Working
    quickly they toss and fluff it to get out all the lumps.  If you're
    not used to doing this, you'll burn your fingers so use a fork.
    Then - this is the bit that makes it tasty - they pour on a ladle
    of the soup broth onto the semoule and toss it to mix.  Then it
    all goes back into the pot for an other steam.  They repeat this
    process two or three times until it is very tender and flavourful.
    
    You do have to be a bit careful not to overdo adding liquid to the
    semoule, otherwise it will all dissolve into a mush.  Households
    pride themselves on rolling their own fine semoule.  I remember
    watching the women sitting cross legged up on the flat roofs of
    their houses preparing for feasts.
    
    I've tried some of the recipes in Robert Carrier's Taste of Morocco
    and I think they are pretty good.
 

    OK, I'm a real novice at this couscous stuff.  I've made it exactly
    twice, and it's good!  I used the Near East stuff that you just
    steep in broth for 5 minutes.  The first time I made two servings
    according to the directions on the box, and it turned out nice and
    fluffy, vaguely like rice for want of a better comparison.  I noticed
    at the time that the directions for more servings are *not* exact
    multiples of the ingredients for 2 servings, and thought it curious.
    The second time I made it I wanted smaller servings, and so I added
    50% to the ingredients for 1 serving, to make 1-1/2 servings.  This
    time it turned out like mush.  It was still pretty good, but not
    nearly as good as the first time -- the consistency of cream of
    rice.
    
    Can anyone explain to me the technical reason why 4 servings doesn't
    require exactly twice as much broth and couscous as 2 servings?
    
    							Pat

    
    
     Rep .12
    
     I have no idea but the simple rules I follow for the Near East semoule
    is equal amounts of semoule and liquid. <ie 1/4C semoule 1/4C liquid,
    etc> Also figure that the semoule will expand about 3x in volume. So that
    1/4C of semoule when cooked will yield 3/4C when finished. If remember
    these simple rules you should have no problems with semoule.
    
                                        
    -mike

    While we're off the topic,
    
    I'm looking for a Couscoussier (couscous steamer).  The two leads I
    tracked down (Williams-Sonoma and Commercial Aluminum Cookware) no
    longer purvey this item.
    
    Short of flying to Casablanca to pick one up (which is rather
    appealing...) any ideas on where a Couscoussier might be had and for
    what price?
    
    Kak

    
    	Rep .0
    
    
      One of my favorite salads for a crowd is taboule and it easy to make
     here's my recipe,
    
    
     1 Box Near East Couscous
    
     Boil either two and half cups of chicken stock or water and remove
    from the heat. Add the the box of couscous and cover.
    
     While the couscous is "cooking" combine the following,
    
     the juice of two lemons
     an equal amount of olive oil. <since I don't measure too often just
    				    double the volume of the lemon juice>
    Whisk together the oil and lemon juice.
    
    After the couscous has reached room temperature add the following
    
    1 tomato finely diced
    1/2 cucumber finely 
    2 green onions finely diced
    1/2 can black olives finely diced
    1/2 C finely minced fresh mint
    1 TBsp finely minced fresh parsley
    1 large carrot coarsely grated
    
    Mix all of the veggies with the couscous and then slowly add the
    dressing. The final mixture should be damp but not really wet with
    the dressing.
    
    You can double or triple this with no problem for a big crowd.
    
    -mike
    
    

    One of my favorite summer salads is simply taking largely diced
    tomatoes, sliced cukes and finely sliced purple onion  (then cut the
    slices in half or quarters so you gets semi-circles or smaller). Gently
    toss these with some olive oil and lemon juice. The proportion of olive
    oil to lemon juice is very important because you can really over-power
    the flavor with the olive oil. I use approximately 1/2 part (or less)
    oil to 1 part lemon juice. Add some fresh crushed pepper and a little
    salt and some finely chopped parsley. This salad doesn't need to be
    drowning in the dressing - just enough to coat it. This won't spoil in 
    the sun and is a great alternative to tossed salads and take the worry 
    of leaving dressings out.
    
    There is also a potatoe salad (Sorry I can't remember what it is
    called) that is made with potatoes tossed with butter and oil instead
    of mayo. My mother-in-law makes an excellent potatoe salad like this.

    Now that fresh garden tomatoes are in.....how about trying TABBULI?
    Burghul is readily in most supermarkets & natural food stores by the
    pound or box.  Inexpensive and nutritious.
    
    				TABBULI
    			    (Arabic Salad)
    
    1-1/2 Cups Burghul
    1 Cup Chopped Fresh Parsley
    1 Cup Finely Chopped Fresh Mint or 1/3 Cup Dried Mint
    1/4 Teaspoon Cinnamon mixed with 2 Teaspoons Salt
    Fresh Ground Pepper to taste
    2/3 Cup Lemon Juice
    
    1 Medium Onion, finely chopped
    2 Large Fresh Tomatoes, diced
    3/4 Cup Olive Oil
    
    Rinse burghul (crushed wheat), drain through cheesecloth (or strainer) 
    & squeeze out excess water.  Remove cheesecloth & place burghul in a
    large mixing bowl.  Mix all ingredients together except tomatoes & oil. 
    Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before
    serving.  Add tomatoes & oil and toss thoroughly.  This is eaten by
    hand using very tender, young grape leaves, romaine lettuce, or head
    lettuce to pick up tabbuli in bitesize servings.  
                                      
    Can also be served with a fresh salad or as a side dish.

    Will this "keep" in the refrigerator a couple of days?  I love
    tabbouleh, but I'm the only one that eats it, and I can't seem to make
    a single serving size taste as good as a larger recipe.  Could I
    prepare the wheat in advance, then mix in the tomatoes and onions as
    needed?  
    Sarah

    I do tabbouleh very offen, and it keeps well in the fridg...
    several days is fine.

    Some additional possibilites :
    
    		Chopped black olives
    		A pinch of cumin
    		Substitute leeks or scallions for onions
    		One tablespoon of seseme oil
    
    	and yes, it keeps for a week or so.
    		

    REPLY .2
    
    Add the tomatoes only when you're ready to eat each serving.  
    (my preference).
    
    The addition of black olives, etc. from a previous note sounds like
    good ideas also.  Thanks,
    
    Mona
    

Tabouli salad with cold grilled chicken and sliced avocado.  

Tabouli salad is a wheat based salad with diced cucumbers (sliced, seeded
and well drained), diced tomatoes (diced, seeded, well drained) and dressed
with a salad dressing made of fresh lemon juice/olive oil/dried mint leaves
and salt to taste.

The Far East brand of tabouli salad is a fine base to start with.  I make it
up according to directions, making a little extra dressing.  I toss the
avocado slices with the extra dressing.  I slice the grilled chicken breast
and fan it across the salad along with the avocado.  Sour dough baugette
and iced tea finish it off.

I know, strange...but I LOVE tabouli salad...I also sometimes add cooked,
drained black beans and/or kidney beans to tabouli for extra zing.

O - for this to really taste good, the chicken breasts must have been
marinaded for approx. 5 hours in non fat italian dressing and then grilled
over mesquite charcoal.

re .2

Try adding about 1/4 teaspoon of Inner Beauty Hot Sauce to a serving.  Yow! 

Inner Beauty Hot Sauce is available from the East Coast Grille in Cambridge, Ma.
(I think by mail, too).  They now call it "Inner Beauty Real Hot Sauce", because
thay also have "Inner Beauty No So Hot Sauce", too.


			-JP

	Here's a salad recipe from the July 91 issue of Gourmet Magazine.
	I tried it today for lunch, and it is absolutely yummy.  Great for
 	a light summer lunch.

	Middle-Eastern Pita Salad

	1/2 cucumber, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch dice

	1 1/2 large (7 inch) pita loaves (preferably Mediterranean style
                     pocketless) cut into 3/4 inch pieces
	
	1/4 cup olive oil

	1 tbsp fresh lemon juice, or to taste

	1 garlic clove minced

	1/2 red bell pepper cut into 1/4 inch dice

	1 tomato chopped fine

	1/4 cup thinly sliced scallion

	2 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley leaves

	3 tbsp finely chopped fresh mint leaves, or 2 tsp dried, crumbled,
          plus fresh mint sprigs for garnish

	inner leaves of Romaine lettuce, rinsed and spun dry, for garnish

        (I skipped the formality of the garnish).

	In a sieve sprinkle the cucumber with a pinch of salt, let it drain
       	for 20 minutes, then pat dry.  While the cucumber is draining, in a
	baking pan bake the pita pieces in the middle of a 325 preheated oven,
	shaking the pan occasionally, for 18 to 20 minutes, or until they are 
	golden brown and crisp, and let them cool slightly.

	In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, lemon juice, garlic, and
 	salt and pepper to taste, whisking until the dressing is emulsified.
	Stir in the bell pepper, the tomato, the scallion, the parsley, the
	chopped mint, the pita pieces, the cucumber, and more salt and pepper
	to taste, and toss the salad to combine it well.  Transfer to a platter
	and garnish it with the romaine leaves and the mint sprigs.

	Serves two.

  	Give it a try, I think you'll enjoy it - Larry

    Sounds more like fattoush -- pita instead of bulgur.
    
    nancy

    
    Sounds kinda like a sandwich, but the pita pieces are toasted and mixed
    into the salad.  They're kinda like a low cal crouton and make a nice
    contrast to the rest of the salad.  I don't think the parsley/mint
    flavor is as pronounced in this dish as it is in tabouleh.
    
    Regards, Larry
    

    I just found out about this notes file and hope somebody knows what I'm
    talking about.  A middle eastern restaurant in Pittsburgh, Kahlil's,
    served a dish called Sleehk(?). I've tried to duplicate it but can't. 
    It's based on kale, onions, some legume, and the `mystery ingredients'.
    If anyone has knows what this dish is I'd appreciate the recipe, I don't
    get to Pittsburgh anymore. 
    

I just had some store-bought taboule.  And then looked in here for a
recipe.  But what I just ate had, I think, a lot of parsley in it, and 
The recipe in 161.32 only seems to have a little.  Maybe like a more
traditional tossed salad, the dressing is the most important thing to the
flavor???

Also, I assume that the "couscous" are the little cream colored specs?

    Traditional taboule (tabouli, tabbouleh, etc) is made from bulgur,
    which is a precooked, dried, cracked wheat.  The amount of parsley
    in taboule varies wildly between recipes, as do the vegetables.  
    
    Couscous is also a precooked semolina product.  I think the difference
    is that couscous is more processed than bulgur.  Bulgur has a nuttier,
    chewier, coarser texture, while couscous consists of tiny, light, fluffy 
    particles.
    

    Couscous is a sort of pasta.  Bulghur is cracked wheat.  I like
    tabouleh made with fresh mint leaves and lots of lemon.  But don't talk
    to me about it during Passover....
    
    /Charlotte (munching on matzohs)

In note 175.30 I asked how one made Taboule -- after doing a dir/title search I
just picked this 'salad' note.  Unknown to me there was a whole discussion,
with recipes in 161. and of course Taboule was spelled a few different ways.

As luck would have it last night in the Nashua Telegraph there was a about a
1/4 page discussion on Tabbouleh, and they included a recipe that really looks
interesting.  I include it, without permission, here.  If anyone is interested
in the text of the article let me know and I'll type it in. 

                                  Tabbouleh

1/2 cup bulghur, fine grain (No. 1)
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
    Pinch Middle Eastern red pepper (optional)
1 clove garlic, crushed with salt (optional)
1 large bunch parsley, preferably Italian
2 medium tomatoes, minced to about 1/3-inch cubes
4 green onions, minced
10 fresh mint leaves, chopped, or 1 tablespoon dried mint
2/3 cup olive oil

Rinse the bulghur thoroughly and drain. Cover with lemon
juice, stir in the red pepper and optional garlic; set
aside to soak.  The age and type of wheat will determine
soaking time: Usually 15 to 40 minutes is sufficient. The
grains should be uniformly tender.

Clean the parsley and dry completely. Pinch off the leafy
branches and pulse briefly and lightly in a food processor to
produce pieces about 1/4-inch in diameter. Repeat as
necessary until all parsley is minced.

Combine all the ingredients; toss to mix well. Set aside for
an hour or two to blend flavors. Taste and add more lemon
juice and olive oil if desired. Makes 4 servings.

Note: Arabs frequently serve this salad on a serving planner
with a small side tray heaped with the crisp inner leaves of
romaine lettuce.  The lettuce is torn and used as a spoon to
scoop up the salad from the serving dish.

Per serving: Calories:419; Fat: 36g; No cholesterol;
Sodium:279 mg; Percent calories from fat: 76%