the friday feed: tabbouleh

I met my friend Annette when our her middle child and my first born were in the same kindergarten class. Her family history tells quite a story. Her mom was a German Jew living in Munich during WWII.  Ruta and her family left Germany to find haven in Israel. Annette's Palestinian dad lived in Jerusalem, Ruta and Elias met, fell in love and married, had two children, and moved to the United States, where they had three more children, Annette being one of them.

Through my friendship with Annette, she introduced me to Levantine food: zeit and za'atar (an olive oil mixed with za'atar dipping sauce with pita bread, Lahma bi Ajeen (Arabic pizzas), dolmas (stuffed grape leaves) falafel, and tabbouleh. When she makes tabbouleh, she'll send a text message: "I just made way too much tabbouleh. Want some?" Of course!

A couple weeks ago Annette went to a golf tournament in Phoenix and stayed with her friend who lives there. Her friend loves to garden, has a couple lemon trees on the property, and sent a few lemons home with Annette. She called me when she got home. "I brought you something from Phoenix!" She came by the house and handed me two lemons. The little orbs of sunshine smelled so fresh and I knew right then and there what I was going to do with them. "Im going to make tabbouleh!" 

Tabbouleh is a Middle Eastern salad that originated in Lebanon. It's made primarily from finely chopped parsley, tomatoes, mint, and onion, with soaked bulgur wheat, all tossed in a dressing of olive oil and lemon juice. I had some mini cucumbers and added those, too. That lemon juice in the dressing tasted so fresh. It wasn't puckery tart. Tabbouleh is served as a side or appetizer, often scooped with lettuce or pita bread. I scooped mine with a spoon. Todd is not a big fan of tabbouleh. More for me...darn.