How to make Kirstie Allsopp's tabbouleh

Here's a quick and easy taste of the Middle East.
Kirstie Allsopp's recipe for tabboulehKirstie Allsopp's recipe for tabbouleh
Kirstie Allsopp's recipe for tabbouleh

To keep that summer vibe lingering for longer, try Kirstie Allsopp's recipe for tabbouleh.

It features in her debut cookbook, Kirstie's Real Kitchen, and is one of her all-time favourite dishes.

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She says it's easy to mix your own spices for the recipe: "Simply use a pinch each of coriander, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg to make a teaspoonful of flavouring."

Ingredients:

(Serves 4)

25g bulgur wheat

50ml boiling water

300g ripe tomatoes

2 large bunches of flat-leaf parsley

Small bunch of mint

6 spring onions

3tbsp lemon juice

4tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1tsp mixed ground spices

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

To serve:

At least 8 small Romaine or Little Gem lettuce leaves

4 ready-made flatbreads

Method:

1. Put the bulgur wheat in a small bowl and add the boiling water. Stir, then set aside for 20 minutes, or until the water has been absorbed. Drain in a sieve to be sure.

2. Meanwhile, use a sharp knife to remove the stalk and hard core from the tomatoes. (You can also skin the tomatoes and remove the seeds if you like, but I don't usually bother.) Quarter what's left, then cut into dice and put into a large serving bowl.

3. Pick the parsley and mint leaves, discarding the stalks or saving them for a stock. Chop the leaves finely, and do the same to the spring onions. Add them all to the tomatoes and mix well. When the bulgur wheat has absorbed all the water, use a fork to fluff it up and separate the grains. Add it to the tomatoes.

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4. Drizzle the lemon juice and olive oil into the tomato mixture and season to taste with salt, pepper and your chosen spices. Mix well.

5. To serve, arrange the lettuce and flatbreads on four serving plates. Offer the tabbouleh in its bowl and ask people to help themselves, scooping tabbouleh into the leaves.

Kirstie's Real Kitchen by Kirstie Allsopp, photography by Rita Platts, is published by Hodder & Stoughton, priced £25. Available now.