FATTOUSH

This has been my year to focus on Middle Eastern Food. I love the combinations of fresh ingredients and herbs. My new cook book Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi has been amazing, not only to cook from but it is a great read too.

My favorite salad from the cook book is a spinach and date salad that I made here. My second favorite salad came from a recipe in Eating Well, and it is for fattoush. Pita halves are sprinkled with sumac and toasted until golden and crisp. Broken pieces and added to romaine and diced vegetables. Thinly sliced mint rounds it out and it is tossed with a very light dressing of lemon juice, olive oil and sumac. This is the perfect summer salad and in a few months almost all of the ingredients will be growing in my garden!

FATTOUSH

      2 6-inch whole-wheat pitas, split

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1 1/4 teaspoons ground sumac, (see note), divided

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 large head romaine lettuce, coarsely chopped

2 large tomatoes, diced

2 small salad cucumbers, or 1 large cucumber, seeded and diced (peeled if desired)

1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion

1/3 cup thinly sliced fresh mint

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Place pita halves rough-side up on a large baking sheet. Brush with 1 tablespoon oil and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sumac. Bake until the pita halves are golden and crisp, about 15 minutes. When cool, break into bite-size pieces.

     Whisk lemon juice, salt, pepper and the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and 1/4 teaspoon sumac in a      large  bowl. Add lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, onion, mint and the pita pieces; toss to coat. Let 

     stand for 15 minutes before serving.      

    Recipe from Eating Well