tabbouleh-esque

If you don't subscribe to the NPR Splendid Table web newsletter, it's worthwhile - they don't send messages too often, and they provide seasonally-appropriate recipes. With the goods from the farm this week, I couldn't not make the tabouleh recipe that came in this week's newsletter:

Cooking from the Garden: Best Recipes from "Kitchen Gardener" edited by Ruth Lively (The Taunton Press, Inc., 2010). Recipe by Susan Belsinger. Copyright © 2010 by The Taunton Press.

6 to 8 servings

This is a traditional-style tabbouleh with the added flavors of garbanzos, pine nuts, and currants. It can stand on its own as a vegetarian main course served on fresh greens with good, crusty bread or warm pita, and perhaps olives and cheese. If you have them on hand, scallions are a nice substitute for the onion.

* 1-1/2 cups bulgur wheat
* 1 medium-large tomato, diced
* 1 medium cucumber or 2 pickling cucumbers, peeled and diced
* Generous 1/2 cup diced onion [I omitted the onion - I don't like raw onion]
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice [I added about 1 tsp balsamic vinegar]
* 1 teaspoon salt
* Freshly ground black pepper
* 1 large clove garlic, minced [i added more of this]
* One 15-ounce can garbanzo beans, drained or 1 cup cooked
* 1/3 cup lightly toasted pine nuts
* 1/3 cup currants, soaked in water for 10 minutes and drained
* 1/2 cup chopped fresh spearmint
* 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
* A few pinches each of cinnamon, allspice, and cayenne

Put the bulgur in a large bowl and add 1-1/2 cups boiling water. Stir and let stand for 30 minutes to 1 hour. If necessary, drain excess water from the bulgur. Add the tomato, cucumber, and onion, and season lightly with salt and pepper.

In a small bowl, combine the oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and garlic and stir well with a fork.

Add the garbanzos, pine nuts, and currants to the bulgur. Sprinkle with the mint and parsley and add the spices. Drizzle the dressing over the tabbouleh and toss well. Let the salad stand for about 30 minutes before serving and taste again for seasoning; you may need a little more oil, lemon juice, salt, or pepper.

The salad can be prepared in advance and kept at cool room temperature, or if refrigerated, allowed to come to room temperature before serving.