Minted tabbouleh & Heritage Tomatoes with feta and basil
Two of my favourite summer BBQ side dishes!
TABBOULEH
Ingredients:
225 g Bulgar wheat
50g parsley finely chopped
8 spring onions, finely chopped
4 tablespoons lemon juice
2 large beef tomatoes
40g fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
10 cm cucumber, very finely chopped
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and freshly milled black pepper
Method
Cover the bulgar wheat with plenty of cold water and leave for approximately 20 minutes or until the grains soften and lose their crunchiness .Then have ready a large sieve or colander lined with a clean tea cloth.
Once the bulgar wheat has softened, pour the contents of the bowl into the sieve, drain and squeeze hard to extract as much water as possible. Shake the wheat into a deep bowl and stir in the parsley and spring onions followed by the lemon juice and 1½ teaspoons of salt to combine thoroughly.
Meanwhile, skin the tomatoes.Pour boiling water over them and leave for 1 minute, then slip off the skins. Halve the tomatoes and squeeze out the seeds before chopping the flesh quite small and adding to the bowl containing the wheat.
Next, add the mint, cucumber and olive oil to the salad and mix to combine everything.
HERITAGE TOMATOES WITH FETA AND BASIL
Ingredients
600g Heritage tomatoes
1 small-diced red onion
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
3 tablespoons good olive oil
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
100g feta cheese
Method
Cut the tomatoes in half and place them in a large bowl. Add the onion, vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, basil, and parsley and toss well.
Dice the feta into a ½ inch dice.
Gently fold it into the salad and serve at room temperature.
