About a week ago I took this to a Shabbat potluck where it was a big hit. People went for seconds and I didn’t bring a scrap home. The original recipe seemed a little too salty & oily so I adjusted those ingredients down. Also, instead of frying the pita in oil, I toasted it in the oven to cut down on fat. The result was good. You will probably end up with a good amount of dressing left. I bet it would be good tossed with steamed green beans.
I enjoy the cookbook it came from, Food For the Vegetarian Traditional Lebanese Recipes by Aida Karaoglan, but the directions are not always 100% clear. It really isn’t a cookbook for a beginner. You need to be a comfortable enough cook to question ingredient amounts. This recipe originally called for 2 1/2 teaspoons of salt and that would have completely overwhelmed it.
Bread Salad (fattush)
1 pita bread, stale is okay
2 cups romaine or spring mix lettuce, in bite sized pieces
½ cup onions, coarsely chopped
½ cup scallions, coarsely chopped
1 cup tomatoes, diced
1 cup cucumber, seeded and coarsely chopped
½ cup fresh mint leaves, packed, chopped
½ cup fresh parsley, packed, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
⅓ cup fresh lemon juice
½ cup olive oil
1 ½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon sumac
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Break the bread into bite sized pieces. Arrange in a single layer on a cookie sheet and toast in oven until just starting to brown but not to the point of being crunchy, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, mix the chopped vegetables and herbs. Add the bread.
Put garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, and sumac in a jar and shake until mixed. Pour a third of it over the salad and toss. Add more to taste.
Adapted from Food For the Vegetarian Traditional Lebanese Recipes by Aida Karaoglan.