We had these amazing, dark red cherry tomatoes growing in the backyard over the summer time. The harvest is fast approaching it’s final days but I had decided from the outset that I wanted to use them to make something delicious and to capture their sweetness… I knew I would let myself down a little if I missed this opportunity.
Happily, last week I looked in the fridge and I was pleasantly greeted with half a lime sitting in its corner. Because limes are usually a more expensive citrus fruit in relation to its lemony counterpart, my dad & I often just opt for lemons when we want to add citrus flavours to our dishes. But the lime, in its rare moment, was in our kitchen, its skin hardening and it’s juices waiting for me to squeeze it right out. It. was. SUCH a subtle yet wonderful addition to my fresh tabbouleh salad.
So after looking around the kitchen again to see what else I could add, I also realised my dad had cooked a fresh pot of chickpeas. They really are the best eaten freshly cooked because they are distinctly soft from all the water they’ve absorbed from their overnight soaking. I added these to the salad to increase my protein intake and to make a more substantial salad to last me the afternoon. ANOTHER great idea. Though I would recommend adding only one serving of these pulses/legumes otherwise they take away from the fresh flavours of mint, parsley and juices.
This was by far one of the best tasting tabbouleh salads, without burghul wheat, that I have made! A great balance of salty and sweet and just bursting with fresh juices.
Makes one medium bowl.
INGREDIENTS
Handful of fresh baby tomatoes, halved
1/2 juice of 1 lime
1/4 juice of 1 lemon
2-3 shallots, finely chopped
Handful of parsley, finely chopped
Small handful of mint, finely chopped
Small handful of freshly cooked chickpeas
Splash of extra-virgin olive oil
Sprinkle of sea salt and black pepper
1 garlic, crushed and sliced
METHOD
Chop all the ingredients and place them in a large bowl. Dress the salad with the oil and the juices. Give it a good toss and it’s ready to enjoy!
Serve: by itself or with some warmed pita bread as a roll.
lessons in hospitality 