Rice Tabbouleh

Tabbouleh has as many spellings as pilau. Alice Marks, one of Charleston’s great cooks, used to live in Beirut. Her version of tabbouleh, the classic Middle Eastern cracked wheat salad made with tomatoes, mint, parsley, and cucumbers picked fresh from her garden, has a gradually cooling effect during the dog days of summer when the temperature approaches 100 degrees and the humidity 100 percent in the city. In this version the wheat is replaced by rice for a Lowcountry flavor.