BLACK RICE & FETA TABBOULEH

It’s usually in the dark of night with my head on a pillow and an eyemask on my mug that I remember…

‘… oh shit, there’s X in the fridge I need to use up’.

This can range from a small box of eggs yolks (unwanted from a pavlova recipe) or even a leggy broccoli head at the back of the fridge drawer that I forgot about. It’s always at night I have these realisations.

This particular realisation came on a Sunday night after I had made a Roast Baby Gem Salad and I had some black rice leftover in a Tupperware box in the fridge. That’s when I realised this would save the edges of my life that Monday, because I know I had a long day ahead and would not have the energy in the night.

Now, I’ve been cooking for a long time. While I am still very much an amateur homecook to the core, I do believe I have confidence in the Kitchen. Having said this, I still always think when I reheat rice that I have about 3 days left to live.

I’ve read way too many horror stories about poisoning from reheated rice. It gives me nerves.

So I either stir fry it to the heat of Hell, or I eat it cold from the fridge. I’m still alive.

This black rice, as a result of my fear of death, ended up in a cold Tabbouleh. I’m not stranger to Tabbouleh’s and even included a recipe for a Peal Tabbouleh in my free ebook ‘Life Through Food’.

I find that as long as I stick to the core blueprint of a Tabbouleh, I am allowed artistic freedom to build on top and add my own creative flair. That’s my justification for going so left field with this one.

The black rice is a real joy of a Tabbouleh base, not only giving a malevolent depth but giving it a nutty edge. This is balanced out perfectly with the round peppery depth of parsley (standard) which I enhanced with chopped rocket. And just when you think this may be a lip-cracking savage combination on the palette, I’ve added the silky, salty calm of feta into the mix to create a perfect triangle of balance.

Now. Back to sleep.

This recipe really is a bit of an ‘add this, add that, chop this, throw it in’ affair so do bear with me. It also makes used of cooked, cold black rice so do check my Roast Baby Gem recipe for the lowdown on that.

Do remember though, you could easily use leftover rice (or more traditionally bulgur wheat) if you have it. Throw a few cups of it in a big bowl.

Now add some chopped up fresh parsley and some rocket leaves.

Finely chop up some mint and toss it in the bowl with some finely chopped spring onions.

Throw in some cucumber chopped as small as you have the effort for.

Add some chopped up tomatoes, or some halved cherry tomatoes.

Using your hand, just crumble in a big handful of feta.

Squeeze in the juice of one lime, add some sea salt and pepper and then drizzle in some olive oil.

Toss everything together to combine.

Serve alongside some roast chicken or even better some lamb. Makes a really good packed lunch for work too.