When I went to by the fresh thyme for this salad, I didn’t recognize it amidst all the rosemary, basil, mint, parsley, chives, and all the rest. And then I saw the pretty little flowers and asked for a bunch. The man said, “You’re making meat in this heat?” I said, “No, it’s for salad,” and he replied, “Thyme isn’t for salad.” I had never seem thyme in a salad before either, but since trying it at a cafe here once, I’ll hardly make one without it.
This salad is inspired by one of my favorite cafes in Jerusalem, Cafe Naadi on Shatz St. If you’re ever in Jerusalem, you should stop by and also try one of their sandwiches or go for the Israeli breakfast spread. They have a delicious, lemony bulgur, thyme-scented salad that I order every time because it’s cold, light and filling. This is a really healthy salad for the warm days to come (or the 90 degree weather here in Jerusalem) and you can make extra, like I usually do, and bring it with you for lunch the next day. I always have some extra cooked bulgur in my fridge because all you need to do is chop some veggies and you can a quick, 10-minute meal ready to go.
Serves 2-4
What you need:
4 cups cooked bulgur (about 2 cups uncooked)
1 yellow pepper; cut into chunks
1 bunch green onion; sliced into 1″ pieces
handful of kalamata olives
2 cucumbers; cut into chunks
a few sprigs of thyme
2 tomatoes; insides removed and diced
Spinach (optional. they don’t use it, but I did this time around.)
for the dressing:
juice of two lemons
2 tblsp olive oil
1 tsp sugar
1/2-1 tsp salt, or more to taste
How to do it:
Soak the bulgar in twice as much water until it’s soft. There should be no crunchy pieces. Combine all the ingredients, dress, and enjoy another small taste of Jerusalem!
my jerusalem kitchen 