triadfoodies

Say “hello!” to summer and I’m ringing in the solstice this week by bringing you my favorite salad that brings all the goodness of the season. Fattoush is so crunchy and fresh and light. It’s pure crisp veggies that make the local seasonal produce sing. There are absolutely 2 ingredients to this salad that are a must and that’s the bright and tangy sumac vinaigrette and the crispy pita chips. Do not skip these. Of course you can add a protein to this if you want but I’m not sure you’ll want to. I am going to offer you full disclosure here and give credit to Gaby Dalkin of whatsgabycooking, as I first heard of this salad from her cookbook, Eat What You Want. I’ve since put a bit of my own spin to it, but it’s pretty much true to her version. Go grab those ingredients so we can welcome summer, properly.

A fattoush salad is a traditional Lebanese salad full of summery tomatoes, cucumbers, greens, radishes, onion, herbs like parsley and mint, and as I said, screams summer. I add red pepper and red onion to mine as well. Of course if you have some other veg on hand you think would be ideal, of course, give it a go. Let’s make it!

Here’s what you’ll need:

Salad Ingredients:
1 large head of romaine or any mixed greens you like (the crunchier the better)
1 cup cherry or pear tomatoes, halved
1-2 cucumbers (I prefer Persian cukes) sliced or chopped
1-2 green onions (green and white) sliced thinly
1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
!/4 cup sweet red pepper, chopped
1-2 radishes sliced or quartered (optional)
handfuls of mint and parsley roughly chopped
1 pita cut or torn or 1 cup of pita chips.

Sumac Vinaigrette Ingredients:
1 tablespoon ground sumac (I get mine on Amazon)
3 tablespoons pomegranate molasses (also Amazon)
Juice of 1/2 lemon plus its zest
2 garlic cloves finely chopped into a paste
1 tablespoon of red wine or white balsamic vinegar (I am loyal to Batistini Farms)
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
honey to taste if needed
salt/pepper to taste

Gaby says to soak the sumac in an equal amount of hot water to help it “bloom.” I’ve done this and not done it and I can’t really tell in flavor, but it does seem to incorporate into the other ingredients better if you let it sit in that small amount of hot water. Once bloomed, add it to the lemon zest and juice, molasses, garlic and vinegar in a small bowl or jar. Slowly pour in the olive oil and whisk to create a nice emulsion. Add a dash of honey if you think it’s too tangy (just a bit!), salt and pepper to taste. Sometimes I add a bit more pomegranate molasses. Once it’s right, set it aside.

While your sumac blooms or while your vinaigrette rests, toast up your pita. I usually just use leftover pita chips since I always seem to have them, but if you have fresh pita, so much the better. And yes, I do still crisp up my pita chips and if they’ve gone stale, this is a great way to resurrect them. In a pan, add a bit of olive oil, then toast the pita until crispy. Sprinkle with a bit of the sumac, garlic powder, salt, pepper, za’atar if you have it. Anything you want. Saute in the frying pan until golden. You can bake fresh pita in the oven at 375 for about 10 minutes if you want it to be hands off. Once crispy, set the pita aside to cool. Do not eat them all. This will be hard.

Once your veggies are chopped, toss together in a large bowl. Sprinkle with some salt (this is a very important tip with homemade salads. Salt your greens) and pour most of the dressing on it. Give the salad another toss. Add the herbs and toss again. Sprinkle with the pita and serve immediately.

If you make this salad, I’d love to hear from you and show it off on social media, tag @triadfoodies. Enjoy!