Raw tabuleh… why is it raw? And how? Raw because I replaced the cooked bulgur with cauliflower. The tiny little white specks look pretty much like bulgur when mixed with all the other ingredients.
The idea comes from a friend of mine, Giulia, who made cauliflower-walnut pesto for me, Karin and Regula last October when we visited her in Tuscany. Then and there I fell in love with Tuscany: the landscape, the weather, the crisp fresh air, the cypress trees and the food we ate and made at Giulia’s gorgeous place. Tuscany has a very special kind of magic that you feel immediately when you arrive.
I made this tabuleh salad for a picnic spent with great friends in a park in Budapest. You can eat it as a salad with other yummie bits and pieces or as a side dish with grilled vegetables or meat.
Raw Tabuleh
Ingredients (serves 4)
– 1 medium sized cauliflower (about 400 g), cut into small florets
– 3 bunches of parsley, chopped
– 1/2 bunch of mint, chopped
– 4 tomatoes (about 350 g), chopped
– 2-3 spring onions, chopped
– 150 ml extra virgin olive oil
– 100-150 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
– salt, pepper
Method
Place cauliflower florets (use the stems to eat it raw or make soup) in a food processor then blend into grain-size pieces. Place it in a large bowl and toss with the chopped parsley, mint, tomatoes and spring onions. Add olive oil, lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.
Place the bowl in the fridge and leave it there for at least 2 hours.
Picnic with friends in Istvan Szent Park, Budapest…
