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The Best Easy Tabbouleh!

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Summer is upon us, and one of my favorite things about the season are fresh, chilled salads. They make a great snack, side dish, or even a light lunch. This time of year, there are always at least one, and up to three or four, different kinds of chilled salads in our fridge. One of my favorites is Tabbouleh, a Middle Eastern dish made with coarse bulgur wheat, tomatoes, cucumbers, and parsley. It’s fresh and light, with the brightness of lemon juice, and I learned a tip from the amazing folks at America’s Test Kitchen that makes every bite a burst of amazing summer flavors.

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Cucumber-Tomato Salad

on July 26, 2014 by Michelle in From the Farm, Recipes, Salad, Side dishes, Snacks, Veggies

Cold, crisp, bright fruit and vegetable salads are one of my favorite things during the summer, but some of them enjoy a place in our kitchen year-round. Here’s one that is part of the menu at Casa Sass most of the time, and I hope you’d enjoy it as much as we do.

I come from a long line of German cooks, and one of the favorites around my house growing up was a type of marinated sliced cucumbers and onions, and they’re bathed in a very vinegary brine with salt and pepper. It’s still on my “great stuff to eat” list, and I tend to make it around holiday meals since we always had it at larger family meals at my mom’s house. I don’t remember exactly when I started making this variation, but I have learned that other people also have their own versions of it, so it’s not the most unique side dish in the world. However…

This is cucumber-tomato salad. There are many like it, but this one is mine.

(Apologies to the USMC). 🙂
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Half-Sour Pickles (Salt-Brined)

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I love pickles. I LOVE THEM. I am especially a fan of cold-packed kosher dill pickles (think Claussen) with a ton of garlic. I am the one who will ask you if you’re going to eat the pickle that comes as a side with your sandwich. Good deli pickles are fantastic. However, years ago when I had a real, salt-brined, “half-sour” pickle on a relish plate at a fantastic pile-sandwiches-super-high delicatessen, everything else became relegated to second place, at best. Half-sour is the way to go.

I am sort of half sour pickle cursed — I live in Oklahoma, where I have not been able to find an actual, real, true, half-sour pickle. I even bought a jar of “half-sour pickles” recently and cracked them open the MINUTE we got home … Only to notice that the label said half-sour, but the lid said “Kosher dill.” They were kosher. Foiled again.

Looks like I’m just gonna have to do it myself! Let’s do some picklin’!

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