Armenian Bulgur Salad (Eetch)

Steps

1. Prep the vegetables. Finely dice the onion, cut the red bell pepper into 1/4 inch (5 mm) dice, and mince the garlic. Take 400 g of the tomatoes, halve them, and grate them cut side down on the large holes of a box grater over a bowl, until only the skin is left in your hand; discard the skins. Cut the remaining 150 g of tomato into 1/2 inch (1 cm) dice and let them drain in a sieve with a pinch of salt.
2. In a large 11 inch (28 cm) skillet, heat 4 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion with a pinch of salt and cook for 6 to 7 minutes, stirring now and then, until soft, translucent, and golden at the edges. Add the bell pepper and keep cooking for 6 minutes: it should slump and turn tender.
3. Add the garlic, tomato paste, Aleppo pepper, and cumin. Stir constantly for 2 minutes: the paste darkens to brick red and starts to stick slightly to the bottom, the oil turns red, and the spices smell fragrant.
4. Pour in the grated tomato pulp and the 250 ml of water, add 1 teaspoon of the salt and the pepper, and scrape up the browned bits. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes at a gentle bubble: the sauce should stay quite loose, since it will all go into the bulgur.
5. Sprinkle the bulgur into the sauce, stir, and leave it over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring, until it starts to soak up the liquid. Turn off the heat, cover, and let it swell for 20 minutes without lifting the lid. Taste: the grain should be tender with no crunch in the center. If it's still crunchy, add 3 tablespoons of hot water, cover, and wait 5 more minutes.
6. Fluff the bulgur with a fork and spread it out on a large platter or sheet pan. Let it cool for 20 to 30 minutes, until barely warm: the steam escapes and the grains stay separate.
7. Meanwhile, pick the parsley and mint leaves and chop them fairly fine; set aside a small handful of each for the end. Slice the green onions, white and green parts. Squeeze the lemons: you need about 80 ml (1/3 cup) of juice.
8. Return the bulgur to the bowl. Add the lemon juice, the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, most of the herbs and green onions, and the rest of the salt. Toss with a fork without mashing. Taste and adjust: eetch should be clearly lemony, with a gentle chile warmth at the finish.
9. Mound the salad on a large platter and scatter the drained diced tomato and the reserved herbs over the top. Serve with the separated romaine leaves and the lavash, for scooping up the eetch by hand or rolling it in the bread.