Tabbouleh -Gordon Ramsey

Tabbouleh

A gorgeous bulgur-wheat salad with fresh herbs, tomatoes and spring onions. This is best mixed when you are about to serve it, as the lemon juice will discolour the herbs with time.

Serves 4-6
Ingredients
75g bulgur wheat
250g ripe plum tomatoes
juice of 1 small lemon, or to taste
3 tbs extra-virgin olive oil
sea salt and black pepper
3 spring onions, trimmed
a bunch of flat-leaf parsley, about 75g
a bunch of mint, about 75g
seeds from ½ small pomegranate, to garnish (optional)
Method of Preparation
Put the bulgur wheat into a bowl, pour on a generous amount of boiling water, then cover the bowl with clingfilm and leave to swell for 10 minutes. Tip the bulgur wheat into a fine sieve and drain very thoroughly, then return to the bowl. Finely dice the tomatoes and add to the bulgur wheat, along with the lemon juice, extra-virgin olive oil and some salt and pepper. Mix well, using a fork, and then leave the bulgur to soak up the juices and soften a little more. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Meanwhile, finely chop the spring onions and roughly shred the parsley and mint leaves with a sharp knife. When you are ready to serve, fold the herbs through the bulgur wheat and garnish with a scattering of pomegranate seeds if you wish.

Baba ganoush

Serves 4-6
Ingredients
2 large aubergines, about 600-650g
a little oil
juice of ½ lemon, or to taste
1½ tbs tahini (sesame seed paste)
2 tbs natural yoghurt
2 fat garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 thyme sprig, leaves picked
sea salt and black pepper

To serve:

extra-virgin olive oil, to drizzle
a few pinches of sumac, or a little chopped flat-leaf parsley, to sprinkle
Method of Preparation
Preheat the oven to 220°C/Gas 7. Prick each aubergine several times with the tip of a sharp knife, then place both on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Roast in the hot oven for 45-60 minutes, turning them over halfway, until the skins are wrinkly and the aubergines feel soft when lightly pressed – they should almost collapse upon themselves.

Leave the aubergines until they are cool enough to handle, then peel away the blackened skins and put the flesh into a colander. Press with the back of a ladle to squeeze out as much liquid as possible, then tip the aubergine flesh onto a board and chop roughly (or blitz in a blender for a smooth texture, if preferred).

Put the chopped aubergine into a bowl and add the lemon juice, tahini, yoghurt, garlic, thyme leaves and seasoning. Mix well, then taste and adjust the seasoning. (Cover and chill if not serving immediately.)

Spoon the baba ganoush into a serving bowl and drizzle a little extra-virgin olive oil over the surface. Sprinkle with a little sumac or chopped parsley to garnish, and serve with warm flatbreads.