Fattoush

Fattoush is a toasted bread salad combined with different kind of vegetables and fresh herbs which origin from Levant. It is very popular in the Middle East especially in our Lebanese cuisine. Fattoush is one of the most famous and traditional salads that’s why It is served frequently on our Lebanese table. I guess everyone takes in consideration the health benefits of the important variety this dish contains. There are also three important ingredients that give fattoush salad its unique sweet and sour taste which is the combination of lemon juice, summac and pomegranate molasses.

Prep. time: 40 mins

Serves: 6

INGREDIENTS:

2 large pita breads or 4 small ones, halved, toasted until golden, broken into pieces (you can slightly brush the bread with a mixture of olive oil and summac or olive oil and zaatar then roll them trying to stick the edges with a bit of water.

Cut them into 2 cm pieces before you toast them for an additional taste and presentation)

one romaine lettuce

4 medium tomatoes

5 Lebanese cucumbers

1 cup radishes

1 medium onion or 5 scallions

One bunch fresh thyme

One cup of arugula

One bunch of fresh purslane if available (farfheen/ Ba'le)

One cup of mint leaves

Fattoush sauce:

3 tbs summac

3/4 cup olive oil

1/3 cup lemon juice

5 tbsp pomegranate molasses

1 to 2 medium garlic gloves crushed

1 tsp salt

PREPARATION: heat the oven, drizzle olive oil on the bread and sprinkle summac all over then toast the bread in the oven or you can toast it without anything. After washing all the vegetables, cut the lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and radishes into pieces and toss them in a large bowl. Cut the onion into slices and if scallions chop coarsely.

Add the leaves of all the fresh herbs. Mix all the ingredients of the sauce very well In another small bowl then toss it on all the vegetables and mix all the ingredients together adding the toasted bread at the last minute before serving to keep them crispy.

the ingredient list for fattoush may differ from place to place in the Middle East. This recipe is nutritious with all the combination of the vegetables, fresh herbs and finally the sweet and sour mixture that adds to it this distinguished and amazing taste. You can skip one kind of a herb it is not available. Give it a try once and you will serve it all the time.

Bon Apetit !!!