Day 18: Parsley and Quinoa Salad With Tomato and Scallions - Σαλάτα με Πλιγούρι (ή Quinoa), Ντομάτα και Πράσινα Κρεμμυδάκια - March 20, 2014

Bulgur wheat is an interesting ingredient with many uses.  It is made from different wheat sources, but most often durum wheat and is a whole grain that gives us fiber and protein.  Perhaps you know it from one of its most common uses, which is the Middle Eastern food Tabbouleh Salad.  In fact, that is sort of what this recipe is -- tabbouleh!  We were surprised to find a more Greek version in the Veffa Alexiou book Veffa's Kitchen.  We should not be too surprised, since many Middle Eastern foods and Greek foods are the same or similar by different names.  They may have one or two ingredietns that differ, but overall, they are very similar foods.

So, when we wanted to make this salad, we realized that we did not have bulgur in the pantry, and we had little time to go shopping.  So, we decided to seek an alternative grain.  Knowing that the bulgur gives fiber and protein, we thought aobut what other grains have similar properties.  We considered buckwheat, but realized that they actually are very different since buckwheat is not a grain (even if its name implies that it is a grain), it is, in fact, a seed of grass. Buckwheat is actually related to the sorrel and rhubarb!

Then, we thought about quinoa.  Bulgur and quinoa have similar nutritional profiles for the most part and offers both protein and fibre.  And, it has the benefit of being gluten-free if anyone has that concern.  Lastly, quinoa can be cooked quickly in the microwave or on the stovetop, so we can forego the soaking process!  Sounds like a winner to us!  Then, just to make sure that we were on the right track, we went looking through several places to find other sources that agree with our theory of using quinoa.

Uncooked Quinoa

Cooked Quinoa

Quinoa is a very popular grain and is easy to cook. Originally a South American grain, it has gained great respect because of its nutritional richness in proteins and other nutrients. We were able to cook this in the microwave on high for about 10 minutes to get a nice, fluffy dish.  Quinoa triples in volume when it is cooked.  You can cook this on the stove top the same way that you make rice, boil, cover, simmer -- and that may take 15 to 20 minutes.  You decide how you want to cook the quinoa.  Make sure to use the same amount as you would use with bulgur wheat, though.  They measure the same way!  We did make only half the recipe, but we are providing you with the full amounts for measuring, which will serve 4-6 people. You can adjust the quantities as you need.

For this recipe, you will need the following:

1 cup bulgur (or quinoa)
3 cups fresh parsley
1/2 cup mint
2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 cup scallions
1/2 cup lemon juice
6 TBSP oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper

As we stated above, cook the quinoa.  If you are using bulgur, soak it in boiling water for 15 minutes, then, drain any excess liquid.  Allow it to dry for a moment, so there is no residual water in the mixing bowl.  While the bulgur soaks or the quinoa cooks, prepare the other ingredients.

Chop the parsley, mint, and scallions.  Put them in the mixing bowl.  We used dried mint which we grow in our garden during summer months; consequently, we have some available all year round.  If this were spring or summer where the mint was fresh and abundant in the back yard, we would be using the fresh mint.  But, today, we have the dried… make sure to crumble the leaves only from the mint, and not to include stems.

Chopping parsley can be a challenge for some, and we wanted to show you an easy way to do it, without the use of a food processor.  Pick all the curly leaves off the stems of the parsley, and discard the stems.  Gather and pinch the leaves into a pile, starting to try to roll the pile into a cigar shape, where the leaves are very tightly packed together.  Then, slice very small slices to make what is known as a "chiffonade" of parsley.  Once that has been done in one direction, gather the parsley as well as you can and cut a chiffonade in the other direction.  If you are more comfortable cutting like you see on television, then rest your passive hand on the top of the knife blade, hold the knife parallell to your body, and use the rocking motion from the shape of the blade, rocking back and forth over the pile of parsley.

Afterwards, seed and chop the tomatoes.  To seed a tomato, one of the easiest ways is to cut the tomato in half (see the pictures below) and squeeze a bit.  You will see the pouches of seeds and pulp start to pop out, away from the flesh of the tomato.  You can either squeeze hard enough to break the inner connection, use a spoon and scoop the pulp out of the tomato, or use a knife and cut the connection at the stem end.  Now, you are ready to chop the tomato and add it to the mixing bowl.

Put all the ingredients into the mixing bowl and gently mix them together.  We say gently mix because you do not want to break apart or smash any of the individual components.  Now, combine the oil and lemon in a separate bowl to make a dressing.  This is a good place to taste the dressing to see if you have added enough lemon or enough oil.  It will not thicken, but the two ingredients will come together nicely.  Once you have the flavour combination where you like it, add the dressing to the mixing bowl and toss the salad.

Once everything is in the mixing bowl, combine it well so the dressing coats all the little pieces of quinoa, parsley, mint, and tomato.  Then, serve immediately.  If you are going to keep this overnight, make sure to drain off any excess dressing before putting the salad in a container.  The salad will get soggy and pastey if left sitting in excess dressing.  This will keep in the refrigerator for about three days.  In our house, it never makes it to the fridge!

Source of image: http://orthodoxchurchquotes.files.wordpress.com/2013/07/st-isaac-the-syrian-6.jpg

“If you cannot be merciful, at least speak as though you are a sinner. If you are not a peacemaker, at least do not be a troublemaker. If you cannot be assiduous, at least in your thought be like a sluggard. If you are not victorious, do not exalt yourself over the vanquished. If you cannot close the mouth of a man who disparages his companion, at least refrain from joining him in this.”

St. Isaac the Syrian

Source of quote: http://orthodoxchurchquotes.com/tag/humility/