Fattoush Salad

Here's another Lebanese salad recipe which is one of my favorites -- it goes perfectly with a simple meal like grilled chicken or salmon.  The sumac makes it tangy but not too overpowering and the toasted pita bread gives the salad a nice texture (sumac is a beautiful purple spice which comes from berries*).

Salad Ingredients:

4 radishes
4 lettuce heads
2 cucumbers
2 tomatoes 
2 cups parsley leaves
3 or 4 tablespoons of mint, chopped
2 spring onions
1 loaf of pita bread

Dressing Ingredients:
3 tablespoons sumac
Juice of 1 lemon

5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Pinch cumin
Pinch sugar

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.  In the meantime, cut the pita bread into small square pieces. Transfer them into a baking tray and bake for about 5 minutes until they are crisp (in the same way we baked the bread for the fetteh dish).  Keep an eye on them so they don't burn!!!

Chop the radishes, lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers into bite-sized pieces and transfer into a large bowl.  Mix in the parsley, and mint. Chop the onions and add them to the bowl as well. Once the bread pieces are baked and have cooled add them to the salad.

For the dressing, mix all the ingredients together. Taste and adjust to your liking. I am a HUGE fan of sumac so I almost always add more at this step (it depends on your personal preferences).

When you are ready to serve the salad, add the dressing and serve immediately so that the bread does not get soggy.

Enjoy!

* The last time I bought sumac from the US, I found it at Dean and DeLuca.  You will probably also find it at any Mediterranean or Middle Eastern specialty store (and they may even carry it at Whole Foods and other chains, I'm not sure).  
If you liked this recipe, you may want to try:

Lebanese Tebbouleh

Subscribe to Nirvana's Kitchen by Email