A few years ago, when I was in southeastern Turkey working on my book Mediterranean Grains and Greens, I noticed that the women didn't soak their bulgur in water for some summer preparations. When I asked a Turkish friend about this, she let out a laugh. "In Turkey, no man would marry a woman who just used water! For cold bulgur dishes we always soak in tomato juice, onion juice, or fresh pressed and strained sour grape juice to flavor the bulgur first."

　　

Ingredients

Serves 6: Makes 4 cups

　　1/2 cup fine grain #1 bulgur

　　1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

　　2 cups finely diced tomatoes

　　1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions

　　2 pinches of ground cinnamon

　　Salt and freshly ground pepper

　　1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

　　2 cups finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

　　2 tablespoons slivered fresh mint leaves

　　Tender romaine leaves

　　

Step 1

1. Place the bulgur in a fine sieve, rinse under cold running water, squeeze dry, and soak in the lemon juice for 45 minutes. Use a fork to fluff the bulgur.

　　

Step 2

2. In a bowl, combine the tomatoes, scallions, cinnamon, and a few pinches of salt and pepper. Drizzle on the olive oil and toss. Fold in the bulgur,parsley, and mint and mix well. Refrigerate, stirring occasionally.

　　

Step 3

3. Taste and correct the flavors with lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Serve with crisp inner leaves of romaine lettuce for scooping up the salad.

　　Reprinted with permission from The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen by Paula Wolfert, © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.