I love the versatility of Tabbouleh (Tabouli) ….it’s such a great accompaniment to sooooo many dishes.

I was taught how to make tabbouleh by Claude. Originally from Lebanon, she was a mother of six kids, all of whom would bring their friends around at all hours for a home cooked meal. How she found the time to feed six kids, and all their friends is beyond me. Nonetheless, her smile was always welcoming, and her tabbouleh was amazing. This is her traditional recipe for Lebanese Tabbouleh.

The first necessity in the making of a great tabbouleh is a sharp knife, (no food processors here) home grown parsley and tomatoes are preferred, but we don’t all enjoy the luxury of having a veggie patch. So, when shopping for parsley, look for grassy green tender leaves. In the absence of home grown tomatoes, I use cherry or black Russian tomatoes because they add sweetness to the salad.

Ingredients:

1 generous bunch parsley

2 spring onions

a few sprigs mint (optional)

1 large tomato or 5 cherry tomatoes

3 tablespoons Bulgar

Juice of 1 lemon

Olive oil

Salt

Preparation:

Wash and spin your parsley and mint.Bundle it together tightly and trim off the stems.

 

Add the spring onions to the bundle and begin SLICING through the bundle of parsley, as thinly as possible.

 

Place in a bowl, along with the tomatoes and bulgur. Dress with salt, olive oil and lemon juice.

For the Fish:

500g fresh sardines, cleaned scaled and deboned

1 1/2 tbs olive oil

50 ml white wine

2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tablespoon breadcrumbs

1 tbs chopped fresh parsley

10g butter

salt

Sprinkle salt on both sides of fish. Drizzle the olive oil into an oven tray lined with baking paper. Lay the fish, in a single layer, onto the tray. Pour wine and lemon juice onto the fish, then sprinkle with parsley and breadcrumbs. Dot the butter over the fish, and place it under the grill for about 4 minutes.

Serve immediately.