The Dented Can Can Sale

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I shopped the first day of the 40th anniversary Can Can Sale at ShopRite in Hackensack this morning, but I don't think I came away with such great bargains. And I was disappointed -- again -- to see no big discount on canned, wild-caught red salmon from Alaska.

My biggest purchase was three dozen cans of Adirondack seltzer at $1.99 a dozen. I also bought three cans of Progresso soup at $1.19 each or 10 for $10. Air Wick air freshener was only 65 cents each, and I picked up nine cans.

Bumble Bee-brand Alaskan red salmon was $4.99 for a can of about 14 ounces, compared to the usual price of $5.49. At long-past Can Can Sales, it was $2.99.

A lot of the stuff I buy at ShopRite wasn't being sold at a discount. Bottles of sparkling, 100% juice from Spain weren't on sale, and, in fact, there were none on the shelf. The oversize, bronze-cut pasta and the extra-virgin olive oil, both from Italy, also were regular price.

Barilla pasta was three for $4 or nine for $10. DeCecco pasta was knocked down to $1.50, from $2.49, not to 99 cents, as I wrote previously.

Storm-tossed tabbouleh salad

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Paterson has a few Lebanese restaurants that serve tabbouleh salad.

The other day, I saw a big shock of flat-leaf parsley growing out of one of the boxes on my deck, and immediately thought tabbouleh salad.


I'll always remember the small mountain of tabbouleh served at Vine Valley, the Lebanese restaurant in Paterson that closed several years ago. It was mostly parsley, with just a little bulgur wheat, chopped onion and tomato, and other ingredients. 

Today -- as wind and rain lashed my house and trees swayed like so many drunken sailors -- I raced outside with scissors and cut as much parsley as I could find.


I checked online for recipes, but didn't have all the ingredients on hand, so I winged it.


I washed and chopped the parsley and a few leaves of peppermint that was growing next to it. I'd say I had about two or three cups of loose parsley. I also chopped half of a small onion and a large beefsteak tomato, removing the seeds and putting everything in a bowl.


I boiled a cup of water with a dash of salt and added a half-cup of bulgur, simmering it until most of the liquid was absorbed. I put the small pot in the refrigerator until the bulgur cooled a little.


After I added the bulgur to the parsely, onion and tomato, I poured on Lebanese extra-virgin olive oil until everything was moist, then squeezed about two lemons over the salad. I was looking for a tart salad, and combined everything well.


I liked the way it came out. Of course, it wasn't Vine Valley's salad, but it was lemony and crunchy, and tasted good.