~ Fattoush Salad ~
I’ve been on a barbecue bender. It’s not even June, and I need a time-out. This salad presents the perfect interlude. Fattoush is a Middle Eastern garden salad with pita bread. Toasted day-old pita shards serve as croutons while adding flavor and substance to the greens. They also provide a vessel for absorbing the tangy vinaigrette infused with sumac, a ground tart Mediterranean berry found throughout southern Italy and the Middle East. Light, fresh and vegetarian, Fattoush salad is a wonderful antidote to meaty excess and a light and healthy option for easy weeknight dining.
Fattoush Salad
Serves 6
Vinaigrette:
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 small garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon dried sumac
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Pita:
2 large pita breads
Extra-virgin olive oil
Salt
Salad:
2 cups arugula leaves
1 head romaine lettuce, washed, leaves torn in pieces
1 small bunch Italian parlsey leaves
1 small bunch fresh mint leaves
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 English cucumber, quartered lengthwise, thinly sliced
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup kalamata olives
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese, plus extra for garnish
Whisk all of the vinaigrette ingredients, except the olive oil, together in a small bowl. Whisk in the oil in a steady stream until emulsified.
Preheat oven broiler or grill. Brush pita bread with olive oil. Sprinkle with a little salt. Cut each pita circle in 6 triangles. Broil or grill, turning once, until crisp and light golden. Remove from heat and cool. Break into pieces.
Combine the pita and the remaining salad ingredients in a large bowl. Drizzle half of the vinaigrette over and toss to combine. Add additional vinaigrette to taste and toss again. Serve garnished with extra feta.
Lynda just adore your terrific dinner recipes! Bursting with flavor and easy to prepare a tempting salad to greet the first days of summer!
Simple, yet elegant – I have to get past my East Coast childhood memories of poison sumac in the summer – terrible association with dried sumac 😉
Oh man – I adore this salad! I worked at a catering hall for a little bit of last year and we served this. We also put sumac on pretty much everything 🙂
Have made fattoush as a main summer meal for decades: lovely variation tho’ I am quite apt to add more ingredients – almost what is available in the Med style in the fridge 😀 !
A beautiful salad! So fresh and scrumptious looking.
Cheers,
Rosa
I love fattush! Wonderful photos!
This looks so light and refreshing! I love fattoush too, and you’ve really nailed it here!
Gorgeous salad. I have never had it before but it sounds like perfection. Great photo too!
Oh Lynda, I could eat this salad everyday! It’s the perfect light supper with all the fresh greens and herbs – simple and satisfying, just like summer.
I’ll be making this tomorrow evening to go with beer can chicken! I’ve always been a big fan of fattoush but have seldom made it at home.
This dressing is phenomenal and so versatile. I’m now making batches of it almost daily and using it as my every day salad dressing. Thanks!