Corpet family, Pizza Recipe, Humus Recipe, Gaspacho recipe, Taboule in French
- 500 grams (approx 2 cups) of hard wheat semolina, "Couscous", medium size grain. Poor on it,
- 750 ml (3 cups or 3/4 litre) of lemon juice ("Pulco" type), half diluted with water, and add quickly
- 1 small spoon of salt, then mix with energy, then let stand in the fridge for few hours or one night (between 4 et
10°C)
- "kernel" will absorb water and blow up, and "cook" because lemon juice is acidic. But il will stick somewhat,
you thus need to separate the grains ("l'egrener"):
- Add olive oil, approx. one glass (half a cup, 125 ml), with some canola oil (I explain why in Humus recipe) while mixing vigorously with a fork so that all grains are well separated from
each other
- Before you start to add the vegetables, have a look: sure the salad-bowl will overflow! Put half of it in a second bowl,
and save it in the fridge.
Each one may choose to include what one prefers. Below see what I like to add, so that the taboule be red & green & soft
& piquant & and cool:
- tomatoes, a big one or two small per guest: cut in cubes (or dies) and add on top of the "kernel".
- green pepper (bells), half one per guest: wash and take of pips and queue, cut in cubes, add.
- most people like cucumber, in cubes too (but I do not)
- raisins, one glass (half a cup): add them directly or, better, let them blow up in hot water for 5 min.
- I like to add chick peas, half a box, well rinsed. It is not mandatory
- I like onions too, white (piquant) or red (soft), cut in small pieces with a knife.
- Mix then the whole thing, taste it, and may be you will add more olive oil or more raisins. Put it in the fridge.
- Last, just before you eat, add fresh green mint. Any mint will do: spearmint, garden mint, peppermint, most Mentha
sp., even Calamintha sp. give nice taboule. Cut it in a glass with scissors(size, like tea leaves). I think the
most mint you add, the more tasty is the taboule!
- Hard wheat (couscous) brings very "slow" carbohydrates (low glycemic index, because starch is included in a net of
proteins).
It slows down starch digestion. Thus, taboule intake does not produce a detrimental blood-glucose peak (sugar).
Thus taboule take away appetite for a long time, and does not induce the secondary hypoglycaemic crisis 1 or 2 hours after
meal (in contrast with white bread, rice or sugar).
In the long term, taboule does not favor insulin resistance, NIDDM diabetes (type II), nor obesity
- All the good vegetables in taboule (most of them are "fruits" indeed) are packed with welcomed nutriments (vitamins &
minerals), and protective phytochemicals (e.g. tomato and pepper "colors", onion and mint "taste")
It would be too long to explain but you may have a look at http://www.inra.fr/reseau-nacre/sci-memb/corpet/indexan.
html. This website display a database of all known chemopreventive agents, including "phytochemicals".
- For instance, because tomatoes are mixed with some oil, some "red" goes in the oil, and will be better absorbed. This red
color is lycopen, a strong antioxidant molecule, which might prevent prostate cancer. Mint and olive oil also contain
antioxidant molecules
- Hard wheat and chick peas bring vegetal proteins which complement each other: the wheat amino acids balance the peas
aminoacids. When associated, they are as nutritious as egg or meat.
No problem with bacteria in taboule: lemon juice is acid enough (low pH) to prevent bacterial growth.
In contrast, yeasts like acid food. Even when well washed, vegetables bear many spores and yeasts.
They are not potent "pathogens" nor pathogenic, and it is easy to tell when they have grown. But you should throw mouldy
taboule away, because musty smell is not nice (and mycotoxins might occur, e.g., aflatoxin B1). Too sad!
Thus, you should eat your taboule within two days after you make it. And if you do not keep it in the fridge, it may "turn"
within 12 hours.
Bon appétit !
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