Cranberry Walnut Tabbouleh - May 04

[MaryH]

I searched but didn't find any reviews on this yet. It's one of the recipes using the gourmet oils (in this case - walnut.) I really liked this. My main modifictaion was that I had a small amount of paarsley in the garden but tons of mint. So I just switched the amounts of each. I also used sliced almonds as I did not have any walnuts. This is not nearly as dry as traditional tabbouleh and the cranberry mint combination was IMO very tasty. I did not necessarily taste the walnut oil, so you may want to try this with a more standard oil like olive or sunflower.

[Peggy]

We also liked this salad. A different twist on traditional tabbouleh that earns high marks from us. Just finished the leftovers today at lunch and it kept really well for several days.

Peggy

[Vicanddi]

Thanks for the review, Mary; sounds really good. How do you think it would be with pecans? I like the combo of cranberries and pecans.

[Kismet]

I made this for our supper club over the weekend. Everyone thought it was a winner! I think that the walnut oil added a nice depth to the salad and tamed the brightness of the lemon juice. Pecans would be a good sub for walnuts in this dish, as well!

[Peggy]

I think that pecans would be wonderful in this salad!!

Peggy

[MaryH]

I agree that pecans would work well. I also wanted to explain that although I really liked the walnut oil, this would probably be good with (maybe not AS good) another less exotic oil - for anyone who either can't find it or doesn't want to spend on something they might not otherwise use.

Out of curiosity, does anyone know the burn point of walnut oil as compared to other oils. Higher, lower than say olive oil? Do you run the risk of "burning" it if you cook with it? (Having olfactory "visions" of a not-to-appealing rancid walnut smell.)

[bobmark226]

Mary, if it's refined walnut oil (which I'd guess it is), the smoke point is around four hundred degrees, which makes it slightly higher than olive, and about the same as canola. Same uses: stirfrying, etc. It's still way below refined avocado oil, which has the highest smokepoint of all at five hundred degrees.

BOB

[Luv to Cook]

YUM...this was so good. Had it last nite with the citrus chicken and mashed cauliflower. I used olive oil instead of walnut and golden raisins instead of cranberries. I also threw in some fresh squeezed orange juice, since I had some left from the citrus chicken. What a refreshing salad. I cannot wait to have this again.

Anita

[redcrane]

My attempt flopped. Instead of the 4 cups it was supposed to make, mine is only a little over 2. Isn't cracked wheat the same thing as bulgur wheat? Is that what's wrong? Help please!

[Kingwell]

I loved this. Oddly enough, DH said it was 'one of the worst things he'd ever eaten,' but it is a little on the earthy/natural side of my usual cooking, for lack of a better term. However, I didn't let his opinion bother me. More for me, right? ;)

Redcrane, here's what I found in my 'Wide World of Bulk" booklet from Wild Oats:

Bulgar is made by cracking parboiled whole wheat berries and drying them. To cook, use a 1:2 ratio of bulgar to water.

Cracked wheat is whole wheat berries cracked into small pieces between steel rollers, which reduces cooking time. Add 1 cup grain to 2 1/2 cups boiling water for cooking. It requires simmering for 20 minutes, while bulgar only requires 10 minutes.

[redcrane]

Kingwell,
Thanks so much for the info on the difference in bulgar & cracked wheat. I loved the salad, even when it turned out to be much less quantity than it should have been, because I used cracked wheat. Next time I will cook the cracked wheat with much more water and expect different results. I REALLY appreciate your enlightening me!
redcrane:)