Buckwheat Tabbouleh

I love tabbouleh. It is always made with cracked wheat, but I wanted to rescue it for our special diet. This is our own gluten-free version of the popular Middle Eastern dish, made with buckwheat, which isn’t wheat at all. When it is a hundred degrees outdoors, this is a delicious first course or even a main with sliced tomatoes and lettuce. When winter comes, I welcome the dish as a side with light foods such as Quinoa-Crusted Chicken, Basic Roast Chicken, or Basic Fish Fillet.
Serves6 as a first course, 8 as a side dish
CostInexpensive
Total Timeunder 30 minutes
OccasionBuffet, Casual Dinner Party, Family Get-together
Recipe Courseappetizer, side dish
Dietary Considerationegg-free, gluten-free, halal, kosher, lactose-free, peanut free, soy free, tree nut free, vegan, vegetarian
Mealdinner, lunch
Taste and Texturecrisp, herby, light, savory
Type of Dishfirst course salad, salad
Ingredients
- 1½ cups buckwheat
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 bunch fresh mint, stemmed and chopped (about ½ cup)
- 3 cloves garlic, smashed, peeled and minced (about 1 tablespoon)
- 2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded, deribbed, and cut into ¼-inch dice (about 2 cups)
- 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and cut into 1/3-inch dice (about 2 cup)
- 1 bunch scallions, trimmed and cut across into 1/8-inch rings (about 1½ cups)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from about two lemons)
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
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Bring 3 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add the buckwheat, reduce the heat to simmer, and cover. Let cook for 8 to 9 minutes, until tender.
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Drain and toss the buckwheat with the olive oil to coat. Stir in the remaining ingredients, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
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2011 Barbara Kafka