Middle eastern flavors

I cannot truly label these dishes middle eastern as I have kind of complied them myself but they are built off the those exotic dishes and flavors.

I have made tzaziki(top right) as well as the black babaganoush (right). You can find the recipes for these in my previous posts. Along side these two dips I served feta which I always make sure is made with sheep's cheese and not cow as thats the traditional ingredient and it makes a big difference in taste. The middle dish, is a tabouleh served with lamb merguez. Traditionally tabouleh is not served with sausage, so you could skip that and still have a very colorful and satisfying meal. I would recommend serving pita or turkish bread along side this meal so that people can dip and mop the food up.

To make tabouleh you need:

1 small handful of fresh mint leaves
2 medium sized tomatoes
1/2 a cucumber
2 dl uncooked couscous or bulgur (here above I used couscous)
I added some flat parsley leaves, not part of the traditional recipe but I like it.
4 mergeuz sausages

optional - drizzle of olive oil & lemon juice

1. Rinse all the veg. 
2. Bring 3 dl of water to boil, once boiled turn off the heat and add the couscous, stir and then allow it to sit & swell on its own. Once its done allow it to cool then using a fork carefully drag it through the couscous to break it up, using a spoon can turn it into a thick porridge instead of light & fluffy individual grains. 
3.  Fry the merguez sausages. Allow to cool before slicing, as seen above. 
4. Halve the cucumber and with a spoon scoop out the seeds (center part of cucumber). The chop into small cubes. 
5. Halve the tomatoes and using a spoon scoop out the seeds. Chop into small cubes.
6. Transfer the couscous to a bowl and add the cucumber & tomato cubes, mix. 
7. Chop the mint leaves and sprinkle over the couscous, again mix. 
8. Add the parsley & merguez and then give it a final mix. 
9. Add a small sprinkle of olive oil and lemon juice.