My Heritage

Though born and raised in Honduras, my heritage comes from afar.. That just sounded like a line from Aladdin, ha! But perfect! My mom was born in Bethlehem, but her parents, along with her two sisters, moved to Central America in 1946, just after WWII. My grandparents settled the family first in Nicaragua, where two sons were born, and a few years later they all moved to Honduras. There they stayed, established their business and a few more years later... Me. 

We were not raised so much with the Arab culture, but Palestinian food was a staple at our table. And it is Yummy food! I will surely be posting some of these delicious dishes, all of them the Palestinian way. Today I am taking advantage of a friend's birthday party. She asked me to make two dishes to complement her appetizer table: Tabbouleh and Hummus. 

Tabbouleh as an appetizer? Yep! Though it is a perfect side to many entrees, served with whole lettuce leaves on the side works perfectly! You hold a lettuce leaf in your hand and scoop some tabbouleh on top.. Roll like a taco and presto! The perfect fresh appetizer! 

Ok, these quantities are for a party, divide as needed to make just the right amount you need. And it's all about your own taste buds... My mom has always said it has to be very green (meaning you have to see the parsley) and juicy..lots of lemon!

Tabbouleh

1 cup fine dry cous cous

4 cups finely diced tomato

4 cups finely diced cucumber (remove seeds)

1 medium onion finely chopped

1 cup finely chopped flat leaf parsely (very fine, I use the food processor for this step)

3/4 cup lemon juice

1/2 cup olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

 In a large bowl add the cous cous first, then add the diced tomatoes to cover the cous cous.  The juice from the tomato will start to moisten the cous cous so it can start growing.

Add the diced cucumber and chopped onion.

 

   

Make sure to use the freshest parsley so the salad ends up with a crisp texture all around.  Chop or process only the leaves, no stems, until it is completely fine. Add to bowl.

Incorporate the lemon, olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. By the time you finish chopping and adding all the ingredients, the cous cous has fluffed up considerably. Keep chilled until serving time. Use as a side salad or appetizer... Enjoy!