KISIR

This is a lovely summer salad called KISIR,  a Turkish cold salad for those hot summer days. Kisir is made with fine bulgur (cracked wheat) mainly for ease, as no actual cooking is involved. In Turkey, the majority of housewives prefer to visit eachother at home for afternoon tea, rather than meeting out. All the ladies get together to exchange ideas about all sorts of things including household tips, patterns for crochet, knitting and all sorts of hand crafts. This dish is the perfect accompaniment for those get togethers!

Kisir 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of fine bulgur
• 2 cups of boiling water
• 1 tbls olive oil
• 1 tbls tomato paste
• 1 red onion or spring onion
• Rocket
• Parsley
• Crest
• 2 tomatoes
• Lettuce leaves
• Juice of 1 whole lemon
• 1tbls Pomegranate concentrate (if available)
• Dash of salt and pepper
• 1 chili pepper (optional).

Put bulgur in a bowl, add hot water, cover and let stand for 15-20 minutes. Once the bulgur is cool, add all the ingredients and mix thoroughly (add more green ingredients to taste). It is traditional to eat the Kisir rolled in lettuce leaves to enjoy.