Gonzo Cuisine Recipe: California Tabouli

I posted a while ago about Chris Eames teaching me the correct phrase for what the both of us do in the kitchen, Gonzo Cuisine, and today I have a recipe.

There is a trend in fine dining that says by adding the adjective "California" to any title, you signify that you're adding large amounts of fresh vegetables...like the Japanese ever had avocados before 1900, but the California Roll in a sushi joint is pretty good.

I made some tabouli a while ago, but I made it an old fashioned way a Lebanese lady told me about: taking dry Bulgar wheat, chopping lots of fresh parsley really fine, putting a fine dice on a red onion, same with a tomato, mixing it all with fresh squeezed lemons and olive oil, and letting it sit covered. Osmosis and time will make it perfect.

A good kosher salt for cooking is so mandatory that I don't generally mention it. Season everything.

Only I didn't have enough parsley, and for the real Lebanese recipe I'd say you'd want almost equal parts parsley and Bulgar wheat. I got my tabouli okay (more lemons finally got the crunch of the grain to go down), not great, and it had been in my fridge for a while, along with other vegetables that needed to be eaten.

Which leads us to "California Tabouli."

Good but not great tabouli

half head redleaf lettuce, nearly chiffonade cut (sliced fine)

half red bell-pepper, fine dice

carrot, fine dice

spanish olive, minced

garlic, minced

thumb sized pinch of cilantro, minced

corn, kernels sliced off of one ear

tomato, fine dice

broccoli florets, shave off the floret bulbs with a sharp knife (the tabouli scale is what we're looking for)

Mix it all up and whammo, you've got a super fresh, healthy, delicious meal that cleans out your fridge. 

The whole idea behind Gonzo Cuisine, though, is not necessarily to follow recipes, but to use what is there to make something grand. Fresh vegetables, for Corrie and me, can generally be added with impunity.

Also, a shout out for Mr. Eames, and any other foodie readers I may have, take a look at the area I have to make magic: