Recipes and and News from The Golden Harvest
Today’s Recipe:
Tabouleh
“Bread and cheese are fine, but olive oil and bread are divine. ”
Today we think of one of the original olive countries, Lebanon, as it recovers from last week’s horrific blast. Some of Lebanon’s olive trees are even more ancient than its famed 2,000-year old cedar trees. Beside trees, a big part of Lebanon’s heritage is its cuisine. One of our favorite spots in Beirut is Souq Al Tayeb, founded by Kamal Mouzawak in 2004, which began as a weekly market to support small and organic farmers and evolved into an organization that has helped artisans make a living preserving local food traditions, worked for sustainability for Lebanon’s fragile agricultural environment; and offered women from diverse impoverished communities the chance for financial independence through the use of their cooking skills. You can support Souq El Tayeb’s farmers and cooks at this terrible time here,
Today’s recipe is tabouleh, made of the colors of the Lebanese flag. There is nothing like sitting on a veranda in Lebanon looking out at the mountains or the sea with a table of meze. And no meze table is complete without tabouli. Kamal Mouzawak considers himself a tabouleh expert—he even created National Tabouleh Day (July 3). This recipe is adapted from his book, Lebanese Home Cooking. Please don’t make him sad by committing the ultimate tabouleh sin: chopping the parsley in the food processor.
A Beirut Morning
INGREDIENTS
2 medium ripe tomatoes
2 T. (20g) fine grind bulgur
1/2 bunch mint
4 bunches of flat leaf parsley
1/2 bunch of scallions (spring onions)
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
Salt
Juice of 2 lemons
6 T. olive oil
Romaine lettuce leaves, white cabbage leaves, or fresh grape leaves for serving.
PREPARATION
Finely dice the tomatoes. Place them into a large bowl and add the bulgur. Stir so that the bulgur is well mixed with the tomatoes and is able to soak up their juices.
Very finely chop the mint and add this to the bowl. Very finely slice the parsley and add to the bowl, covering up the mint to help prevent it from turning black. Finely chop the spring onions, sprinkle with a bit of pepper and a bit of salt. Rub them a bit with the fingertips so that they soften. Add to the bowl. (DO NOT STIR)
Do not mix the tabouleh until ready to serve. Start mixing with a spoon and a hand, to be sure the tabouleh is well mixed. Add the lemon juice and olive oil. Season to taste with salt.
Note: Tabouleh should not be dry, but it should not be soupy either. Serve straight away with romaine, white cabbage, or fresh grape leaves.
UPDATES ON THE GOLDEN HARVEST
We are delighted that The Golden Harvest will screen on Friday, August 21 at 5 pm in Bergamo, Italy as part of the Food Film Festival. It will be an outdoor screening at Piazza Mascheroni. We are happy for Bergamo, which suffered so many losses this year, that it can still celebrate its bountiful cuisine and film. More details here:
In the News. Vamona Navelcar's house, Goa. By R. Benedito Ferrão
In the News
The Evolution of a Cuisine:
Lebanon’s neighbors are also dear to our heart. Here is a look at how the once varied Palestinian cuisine has come to be seen as chicken, rice and tomatoes ,, according to recent article in Israel’s Haartez newspaper,
Poetry in Anxious Times:
Listening to poetry can relax the mind while giving us pause to reflect on bigger questions. Thus, we celebrate today the podcast Golden Walkman Magazine. This issue features The Golden Harvest supporter R. Benedito Ferrão reading his poem, “Gecko,” the poignant search for home, and Dane Fogdall reading the wry “God Smoked a Cigarette” Listen here.