This salad is a one-dish meal with nutty bulgur and vegetables that serves as a base for nuggets of sausage.
1 cup bulgur
2 cups boiling water
1 (15-ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
2 large tomatoes, cored, seeded, and diced
1 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 bunch scallions, white parts and 2 inches of green tops, sliced
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
11/4 pounds Loukanika links, Fresh Mexican Chorizo links, or purchased Italian sausage links
1/2 head romaine lettuce, rinsed and dried
1. Place bulgur in a large mixing bowl. Stir in boiling water, cover the bowl, and allow bulgur to stand for 1 hour. Drain any remaining liquid from bulgur. Add beans, tomatoes, parsley, scallions, lemon juice, mint, olive oil, salt, and pepper to bulgur, and mix well. Refrigerate salad, tightly covered.
2. Prepare a medium-hot charcoal or gas grill.
3. Prick sausages with a fork, and grill, turning them gently with tongs, for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on diameter, or until cooked to an internal temperature of 160°F. Cut sausage into 1/2-inch slices.
4. To serve, line a platter or individual plates with lettuce leaves, and mound bulgur salad on top of lettuce. Top salad with sausage slices, and serve immediately.
Note: The bulgur salad can be made up to a day in advance and refrigerated, tightly covered.