So let’s call this dinner “what do I make that uses up a handful of tomatoes and cucumbers?”

I’ve already made pickles, the cucumber vines are going nuts, and I have more than a few tomatoes ready to go but not enough to make sauce with. I didn’t have enough parsley since for some reason that’s one of the few plants that are struggling right now, so I grabbed a handful of carrot tops to add. Carrot tops, surprisingly, are not only light tasting but extremely healthy. I also grow mint so a handful of that went into the mix. Just because I love kale and have an abundance of that I threw in a couple of leaves, although not traditional, and not enough to change the taste. My garlic this year is for fall harvest so I had to use store bought, but I also had some young onions growing to add.

The handful of peas is what is left from the second growth on the vines. Fresh out of the pods, sweet and raw, is best.

The tabbouleh seemed like a natural accompaniment to the salmon I had purchased earlier and of course salmon goes with peas, right?

So, trying to go back and re-create the recipe for the tabbouleh (because really, most of my best meals are the ones where I just wing it), I’ll try to do the best I can. And this recipe lends itself to adaptations, if needed. I hope this inspires someone else to create from the garden! — SARA CROMWELL

FREEFORM TABBOULEH 

1 cup parsley

1 cup carrot top greens

2 leaves kale, small, with stems stripped

1 cup mint

4 small tomatoes in small dice

2 small cucumbers in small dice

Salt

1 clove garlic, minced

Juice of 1 lemon

1/4 cup olive oil, or so

2 young onions with greens or 4 scallions, chopped

1 cup bulgur, cooked according to the package

In a food processor add the parsley, carrot tops, kale and mint and pulse until minced. Set aside.

Place the tomatoes and cucumbers in a strainer in the sink or over a bowl and sprinkle with salt. Let sit for 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix the minced garlic, lemon juice and olive oil in a small bowl. Add the reserved parsley mixture.

After the 15 or so minutes rinse the tomatoes and cucumbers, drain well, and add to the bowl along with the cooked bulgur and onions. Mix well and add salt to taste.

As for the salmon, I drizzled that with some olive oil and a pepper seasoning and placed it in a 400 degree F oven for 15-20 minutes until thoroughly cooked. What you don’t see in the picture was that I drenched that salmon with leftover Hollandaise sauce that needed to be used up. I think it may be a crime to have leftover hollandaise, I’m not sure, so it had to go.

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