○I traveled to Palestine 5 years ago. fair trade foundation and ZaitounI visited a women's cooperative in Jenin in the north and learned how to make them. Mahtoor, a traditional hand-rolled couscous made from local organic wheat (it takes an hour to roll just 1 kg, then steamed and sun-dried). I love using dry goods sourced from the world's food pantry through Fair Trade. Especially because it's a great way to support farmers and producers. But I also like to cook with mostly local, seasonal, fresh ingredients whenever possible, for all sorts of reasons including nutrition (to support my own local economy). I feel that this improves the quality of the food and allows me to be more creative. For example, tabbouleh is usually made with parsley, tomatoes, and green onions, but here I used celery leaves, roasted peppers, and green onions. to create seasonal variations.
Winter tabbouleh with celery leaves, preserved peppers and sumac
In this tabbouleh, we replaced the usual ingredients with seasonal variations. Using celery leaves instead of regular parsley will add flavor to your dishes. British leeks aren't available until March, but leeks are a mainstay during the cold winter months and make a great alternative. I used young, delicious green onions that I found at my local market. Tomatoes, on the other hand, are a bit difficult to replace, but I wanted to add some sweetness to the dish to balance out the bitterness of the celery leaves and the tart lemon juice and sumac, so I ended up using a jar of preserved roasted red peppers. I decided to use it. , a distinctive red gemstone was also added, a color that makes the tabbouleh so attractive. Some greenhouses now grow fresh mint, but I used dried mint instead just to be safe. It is especially used to add sweetness to dishes.
Mahtoul, or giant couscous, is available at large supermarkets, delis, natural food stores, grocery stores, and online nationwide. It is made using a variety of traditional Palestinian grains and is also whole grain. It's also the most flavorful couscous I've ever tried.
service 4 as sides
Maftol 100gor giant couscous
50g of picked celery leaves (and/or parsley)
Dark green onion tops 50g
100g bottled roasted pepper (e.g. Piquillo), drained
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons lemon juiceor apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons dried mint
1 tablespoon sumac (option)
sea salttaste
Wash the maftur, transfer it to a small saucepan and pour in 200ml of water. Cover and bring to a boil over medium heat, reduce heat and cook for 15 minutes until al dente (if you are using another type of couscous, it may cook much faster than maftul) Please follow the steps below (found in the packet instructions). Turn off the heat and let it cool.
Coarsely chop the celery leaves (supplement the weight with flat-leaf parsley leaves if desired), finely chop the tops of the green onions, and coarsely chop the roasted peppers. Mix all this into couscous and toss with olive oil and lemon juice. If using, add dried mint and sumac, season with sea salt, mix again and serve.
