Fattoush

 




Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground sumac
  • 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
  • 2 cups shredded romaine lettuce
  • 1 large cucumber, diced
  • 2 med tomatoes, diced
  • 1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley
  • 1/4 cup mint leaves
  • 1 green bell pepper, diced
  • 1 bunch of green onions
  • 2 whole wheat pita bread rounds
Instructions:
  1. For dressing, whisk together 1/2 cup lemon juice, 1/2 cup olive oil, 1 clove minced garlic, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp sumac, 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
  2. Chop 2 cups lettuce, cut 1 large cucumber into medallions and quarter them, dice 2 medium tomatoes, chop 1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, dice 1 green bell pepper and 1 bunch green onions
  3. Toast 2 whole wheat bread pita rounds
  4. Chop toasted pita rounds into quarter-size pieces
  5. Add chopped vegetables, along with 1/4 cup mint leaves pita chips to a bowl and toss to combine
  6. Add dressing to bowl and toss once more to coat the salad
Yield: Enough to be a side for a family-sized dinner

Source: The Mediterranean Code

Description:

I think fattoush is a more general term in Lebanon, consisting of chips made from leftover pita and whatever vegetables are on-hand. However, the culinary trends and available vegetables in the area create themes in what you would likely see in a fattoush salad. This leads to the creation of a recipe like this, for people who want to try something similar to what they might experience in Lebanon. I first came across this type of salad in a Lebanese restaurant that my family used to go to in Guelph.

I tried a pita recipe to turn into chips for the salad. It came out closer to flatbread than pita, but it still made for decent chips after toasting. The salad is best eaten right away, as the pita can turn soggy if left overnight.

In the pic, I used a red bell pepper instead of green, because it was what I had on-hand. I also used curly parsley instead of flat-leaf because I picked up the wrong stuff by accident. I don't know what a "bunch" of green onions is, so I guessed.

The ingredient that was most difficult to find was sumac, which I wound up getting from Bulk Barn. To be honest, most of what I wanted from this recipe was a good salad dressing, so I could stop using pre-made store-bought stuff. I think I achieved that.

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