Last spring, my friend Paulette made this salad for me and I absolutely loved it. I loved it so much that I asked her for the recipe and promised I would feature it on my blog, which I finally got around to today. Seriously, this recipe is great. Fresh salad with pita chips inside to soak up the delicious dressing. Whenever I make it, it all goes, no matter how big the portion is.
I never used sumac before I started making this salad, but I’m glad I bought a giant jar because now I make this all the time. And I got to share some with Stephanie, who also loves to make this dressing.
Now, Even if you’re not interested in mint and parsley mixed into your lettuce, or can’t find weird greens, just make the dressing and put some croutons and crispy romaine. It really is that good. I didn’t use those weird greens, either. But maybe Fairway has them, and maybe I can try the real recipe one of these days. Oh, and I also skipped on the tomatoes. Mostly because I don’t like them. They DO add a nice pop of color, though, so if you like tomatoes, use them.
Fattoush Recipe, adapted from Epicurious:
For the Dressing:
- 4 teaspoons ground sumac, soaked in 4 teaspoons warm water for 15 minutes
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons silan (date syrup)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon dried mint
- 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt
For the Salad:
- 1-2 pita breads, halved and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons zaatar
- Kosher salt
- 3 medium ripe tomatoes, chopped, or 4 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 English hothouse cucumber, quartered lengthwise, thinly sliced crosswise
- 6 scallions, thinly sliced
- 2 heads romaine lettuce, cut into skinny strips
- 2 cups (loosely packed) flat-leaf parsley leaves
- 1 cup fresh mint leaves
- Ground sumac, for sprinkling
Directions:
1. Make the pita chips: Sprinkle the pita pieces with olive oil and zaatar. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes, until hard and toasted. Set aside.
2. Make the dressing: Combine sumac and water with lemon juice, silan, garlic, vinegar, and dried mint in a small bowl.
3. Gradually add oil, whisking constantly, until well blended.
4. Season with salt and set aside.
5. Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl.
6. Top with pita chips.
7. Dress the salad with half the dressing, and tossing, then adding more as necessary.
8. Sprinkle with sumac, and serve.
