Fattoush – Summer’s bread salad from Lebanon

Fattoush is the ultimate garden salad because it contains most of the herbs and vegetables that grow during summer: Lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, radishes, spring onions, parsley, mint,  thyme, wild rocket, purslane… It is always topped with fried or grilled pieces of bread which eventually soften and absorb the flavors. It is a fresh salad with hints of sweetness which come both from the sun blushed tomatoes and the pomegranate molasses. It is also fragrant and aromatic, with a mixture of fresh leaves;  wild purslane being its signature herb. Though many people around the world think of it a weed, purslane plays a major role in the Eastern Mediterranean where it is nowadays  cultivated and available most of the year.

Fattoush can also be dressed with vinegar and garlic, I have written both down, try them separately and decide which will be your favorite.

Ingredients

Fattoush

• 6 to 7 cos lettuce leaves, sliced into ribbons
• 2 green or red peppers, chopped
• 4 large tomatoes, cut into medium cubes
• 4 spring  onions, coarsely chopped
• 6 to 8 radishes, sliced
• 4 baby cucumbers, cut into thin rounds
• 1 handful of flat leaf parsley, stalks discarded
• 1 handful of fresh mint leaves, stalks discarded
• 1 handful of purslane leaves, stalks discarded
• 1 large Arabic bread

Lemon and pomegranate molasses dressing

• 1 tablespoon sumac and a little more to sprinkle on the bread
• 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
• The juice of 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• A generous glug of olive oil

Vinegar and garlic dressing

• 1 tablespoon sumac and a little more to sprinkle on the bread
• 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• A generous  glug of olive oil

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/350°F.
2. Split open the Arabic bread, and brush it liberally with olive oil.
3. Sprinkle some sea salt flakes and sumac over the bread, lay it flat in a tray, and place it in the hot oven for 5 minutes, until the bread turns brown and crispy.
4. Place all the cut vegetables, and herb leaves in a large mixing bowl.
5. In a jar, pour the ingredients of the dressing of  your choice,  close the lid, and shake to mix.
6. Incorporate the dressing into the salad, toss, taste, and adjust the seasoning if need be. The flavours should be fresh, tangy and sweet.
7. Break the bread in small pieces and scatter over the fattoush and serve.