Fattoush v.1

Fattoush, often considered Lebanese in origin, is one of those ubiquitous salads found pretty much anywhere flatbread is eaten and tomatoes grow. Like the Italian salad called Panzanella it was probably a way to not waste bread after it had gone stale. Of many iterations, the two constants it seem to be flat bread and tomatoes. The greens vary from romaine to butter lettuce to arugula to none at all. Cucumber? Peppers? Radishes? Some use pomegranate seeds, some have pomegranate syrup in the dressing, while some have none. Like so many dressings of the Middle-East, this one is “slack”, meaning it is not a fully emulsified vinaigrette, so be sure to mix it up one more time just before pouring it on.

INGREDIENTS:

1 medium head romaine lettuce, tough out leaves removed, pale inner leaves sliced across into ½-inch strips, or cut into 1-inch squares, washed and dried (you should have around 8 cups cut)

2-3 medium tomatoes, cut into 3/4-inch pieces, or 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

½ bunch radishes, trimmed and well washed, sliced into very thin slices with a Ben-Riner or mandolin, and kept in cold water until ready to use

4-5 scallions, trimmed and cleaned, sliced 1/8-inch thin

1-2 Corno di Toro peppers, cut into ½-inch squares

½ cup verdolagas/purslane/portulaca*-look for this at farmers markets, small grocery stores, Latino and Mid-East markets, or in your yard, leaves stripped from thicker stems or chopped if smaller

1 cup mint, coarsely chopped

-OR-

½ cup mint or cilantro, coarsely chopped

½ cup flat leaf parsley, coarsely chopped

2 pita rounds, preferably starting to dry out

1-2 tablespoons sumac**

1 recipe Fattoush v.1 or v.2 Dressing, or as needed

Olive oil as needed

Salt and pepper

METHOD:

Heat an oven to 350°F. Brush the pita lightly with just enough oil to coat. Cut or tear the pita into ¾-inch pieces and bake for 5-8 minutes just until the bread is turning golden and fragrant. Remove from oven and allow to cool.***

To a large non-reactive bowl, add the tomatoes, peppers, radishes, purslane, and scallions, and gently toss to mix a little. Drizzle with just enough dressing to lightly coat the contents of the bowl. Gently mix. Let sit 5 minutes.

Evenly sprinkle the chopped herbs over the whole salad and mix in.

Add the lettuce and half the pita and toss gently. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with a little dressing and toss to coat the whole salad. Taste to see if you need more dressing. Plate the salad on four chilled plates or a platter and scatter with the rest of the pita, then dust the salad with the sumac to taste.

Serve right away.

Chef’s Notes: *Purslane (Portulaca oleracea) is well worth seeking out and becoming familiar with. It is used worldwide, in anything from salads to soups. It is used as spinach would be often. It has a slightly mucilaginous quality, and has a lemony tart-sour and salty taste. In the US it is considered a weed by most gardeners, and can be found between the rows on many farms and in gardens. It has lots to offer nutritionally speaking, also, so seek it out for a more authentic fattoush, as it shows up in very many fattoush recipes. **Sumac is a purplish-reddish spice made from the fruit of a plant that is now easier to find than it was a few years ago, and it brings a pleasantly sprightly tartness wherever it is used. It is also part of the spice mix known as za’atar, which could be used hear in lieu of the sumac. Seek it out spice shops, better groceries, and stores that stock Middle-Eastern ingredients. ***This treatment of the pita gives a nice flavor and color to the bread, but you could fry it if you wish, or simply rip it to bits and use as is with a little more dressing. You can also use fresh flatbread (rather than pita) and just add it to the salad with a little extra dressing as the fresh bread might suck up all the dressing.

Serves: 4

Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen