In early December of 1977, food editor Laurin Stamm began a weekly recipe column titled “From the Kitchen of The Cypress House.” The column ran continuously through November of 2000, featuring one or two recipes each week, and totaling more than 1,150 recipes over the 23 years.

Checkout, a current weekly column that features various food stories, events and recipes, looks back at some of the most popular recipes from The Kitchen of the Cypress House, and perhaps a newly discovered one every now and then.

A longtime lover of Lebanese food, I am looking forward to this year’s Lebanese dinner at St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church on Monday. The food page today will give you all the details. I hope to see you there.

Here’s what I wrote Feb. 17, 1992, along with the recipe for one of my favorite salads, Tabooli.

From the Kitchen  of The Cypress House, 1992:

A meal is just not a meal without a salad, according to those who dine in the kitchen of The Cypress House. And most of the time we resort to a tossed green.

One of our very favorite salads, however, is equally as simple as a tossed salad and a delicious change from the ordinary. It’s Tabooli salad, a middle-eastern speciality that you can duplicate easily.

There are several variations of tabooli: some use extras such as cucumber, and last time we added a little avocado. But basically it’s cracked wheat, green onions, parsley, mint and tomatoes. Add lettuce if you choose, or just serve the tabooli on a lettuce leaf. (One nice feature is that if you don’t have lettuce, just serve it up in a bowl; it’s scrumptious.)

 Tabooli Salad

1 cup cracked wheat

1 bunch green onions

1 bunch fresh parsley

2 or 3 stems mint leaves or 3 tablespoons dried mint

2 to 4 large tomatoes

Juice of four lemons

1/2 cup olive oil

Salt and black pepper to taste

Pinch of cinnamon

Soak the wheat in cold water for about 25 minutes or until soft. Drain in a fine strainer until dry.

Meanwhile chop finely the onions, parsley, mint and tomatoes. Add the wheat, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper and cinnamon. Mix well and allow to sit in the refrigerator for several hours.

Serve on lettuce leaf, or serve with bits of torn lettuce, or serve plain.

P.S., Dolores K.N.: I have you to thank for my tabooli recipe, and we surely have put it to good use. Many thanks!

Don’t forget

A reunion will be held Oct. 18 at 10 a.m. in the Clear Creek Pavilion in Bovina for people who attended Culkin, Jett and Redwood Schools before their consolidation into Warren Central High School.

The reunion event is open to all who attended one of the three schools prior to and including 1965. There will be a $5 fee, and each person is asked to bring a dish and his/her own drinks. A special part of the afternoon will be devoted to honoring teachers from the three schools in attendance and those who are deceased.

For additional information, call 601-831-1343.