Tabbouleh with whole Wheat Berries

 

The use of whole wheat berries is not exactly traditional, but they added a nice texture to the salad. I have to confess that I now infinitely prefer this version to the more typical bulgur wheat type.  If you haven’t had whole wheat berries, they are somewhat like barley in texture – a little dense, but with a pleasant pop. Of course, if you can’t find them, then bulgur will be just fine.

Tabbouleh

1 cup wheat berries
2 cups parsley
1/2 cup mint
1/2 cup chopped fresh tomato
1/4 cup chopped scallions
juice of 1 large lemon
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
Salt to taste

Boil roughly 4-5 cups of water in a large saucepan. Add the wheat berries and cook until tender, about 50 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool.

Chop the parsley and mint – or whiz them together in a food processor. Don’t chop so finely that you just have a paste – you definitely want to retain some leafy texture.

Mix the herbs, scallions, wheat berries and tomatoes and toss until well mixed. Add the lemon juice, then the oil and salt. Adjust the balance of lemon, salt and oil to your taste.