Tabbouleh
This salad has the unfortunate trait of looking healthy.
3⁄4 oz (20 g) + 1 tablespoon (14 g) olive oil
1 cup (200 g) uncooked quinoa
2 cups (475 g) chicken stock or water
2 teaspoons (8 g) kosher salt
2 cups packed (50 g) parsley leaves
1⁄2 cup packed (5 g) mint
1⁄4 cup packed (15 g) green onion
1 cup (150 g) cherry tomatoes
11⁄2 tablespoons (20 g) fresh squeezed lemon juice
1⁄4 cup (30 g) pistachios
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat and add quinoa. It will start to smell toasty and you’ll hear little pops. That’s the quinoa celebrating getting toasted. Mazel tov! Cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Add the chicken stock or water and the kosher salt to the quinoa and bring to a boil. Once boiling, remove from the heat, cover, and let sit until all the liquid has been absorbed, about 15 minutes. If there’s still liquid remaining after 15 minutes, return to low heat until it’s evaporated. Let cool completely.
Rough chop the parsley. Your parsley should only be leaves, no stem. The stems are just tasteless filler, like most of my jokes. Ditch them.
Chiffonade the mint. To chiffonade, stack the mint leaves, roll them like a cigar, and then slice them in the same direction you were just rolling. You’ll end up with thin ribbons. So fancy!
Slice the dark green part of the green onion on a severe bias. The bias just makes for a more interesting shape—long spades instead of rings—so if you’re not feeling up to it, just cut rings. Slice the cherry tomatoes in half. Toss together in a large bowl. Set aside.
Juice the lemon. Measure 11⁄2 tablespoons of lemon juice and add it to a small bowl. Save the rest for another use.
Add the rest of the olive oil and whisk to incorporate. Don’t worry about adding an emulsifier (mustard, soap, etc.) here. It’s a rustic salad.
Mix the quinoa into the greens. If you’re making this in advance, pause here until you’re ready to serve. When you’re ready to serve, add the dressing to the salad and toss to coat. Taste the salad; it probably needs more salt. Add pistachios, and toss again, you tosser, you!
