Turkish Bulgur Salad With Parsley and Mint
By: Helen Pitlick
Published: Thursday, December 10, 2009 - 4:18pm

Ingredients




1 cup fine bulgur (No. 1)
1 tablespoon heaping  Turkish hot pepper paste
1 tablespoon heaping  tomato paste
1 cup thinly sliced green onions (white and green parts)
1 cup coarsely chopped Italian parsley
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint
1 fresh Anaheim chili, halved lengthwise, seeds and ribs r
 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 large lemon (about 1/4 cup)
1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
1 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste
Butter lettuce leaves
Coarsely ground medium-hot red pepper, preferably Turkish Maras or Syrian

Preparation

1 Place the bulgur in a large bowl and dampen it with 3/4 cup hot water. Cover with a kitchen towel and let it rest for about 10 minutes. Fluff it with a fork to separate the grains, then add the pepper paste and tomato paste and mix them in well with your hands so that all the grains are coated. 2 Add the onions, parsley, mint, Anaheim chili, olive oil, lemon juice, pomegranate molasses and salt. Mix well with your hands. Taste and adjust the seasoning. 3 Put the butter lettuce leaves around the edges of a large platter. Put the bulgur salad in the center. Top with a generous sprinkling of red pepper. 4 To serve, spoon some of the salad into the center of a lettuce leaf and fold like a taco.

About


This recipe is from Janet Fletcher of the San Francisco Chronicle via "The Splendid Table." You can substitute fresh, chopped tomatoes for the tomato paste when tomatoes are in season. Do an internet search to find stores in your area that might sell pomegranate molasses or the ground red pepper; Janet also recommends www.kalustyans.com.