Top | Salads

Fattoush

(recipe, Carrie Floyd)


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Introduction

My favorite summer salad on the menu when I worked at Zefiro was fattoush, a Lebanese salad of toasted pita bread and vegetables with a lemony dressing. Here's my version. Sumac is a spice used in Middle Eastern cooking that adds a lemony, tart finish.

Ingredients

  1. 2 whole-wheat pita breads
  2. 2 cups romaine lettuce, washed, dried, and chopped
  3. 1 cup chopped ripe tomatoes
  4. 1 cup peeled and chopped cucumbers
  5. 1 green pepper, seeded and chopped
  6. ½ cup radishes, sliced in half (optional)
  7. 4 Tbsp. finely chopped red onion
  8. 4 Tbsp. finely chopped Italian parsley
  9. 4 Tbsp. finely chopped mint
  10. ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  11. 4 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
  12. Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  13. Sumac (optional)

Steps

  1. Toast the pita, either flipping them in a cast-iron skillet or under the broiler, until they are browned and crisp. Set aside.
  2. In a large salad bowl, place the lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, green pepper, radishes, onion, parsley, and mint. Break up the toasted pita into bite-size pieces and add to the salad.
  3. Make a simple dressing by whisking together the olive oil with the lemon juice, a big pinch of salt, and a grind or two of black pepper. Toss everything together, with either your hands or tongs, until everything is coated with dressing. Sprinkle salad with sumac and serve.