Joyce Goldstein

Fattoush

Lebanese Toasted Pita Bread Salad

Preparation info

  • Difficulty

    Easy

Appears in

top 1000The Mediterranean Kitchen

The Mediterranean Kitchen

By Joyce Goldstein

Published 1998

  • About

During the long winter months when there are no tomatoes, we dream about fattoush, a variation of tabouleh made with toasted pita bread instead of cracked wheat. It is our favorite summer salad. Some versions of this recipe call for the addition of powdered sumac or chopped purslane. These are somewhat esoteric, but, if you have them, add a pinch of one or the other to the salad.

Ingredients

For Each Serving

  • 1 pita bread
  • 1 cup (loosely packed) romaine lettuce strips, 1½ inches wide
  • 6 tablespoons Citrus Vinaigrette
  • ½ cup diced (½ inch) tomato
  • ½ cup diced (½ inch) cucumber (peeled and seeded if necessary)
  • 2 tablespoons very finely diced red onion
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped green onions
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper

Method

Toast the pita bread until semicrisp, then break it into pieces about 2 inches long and wide. Do not crumble them or make them too small; bigger is better in this instance.

Toss the romaine with a little vinaigrette and place it on a salad plate. Toss the vegetables, herbs, and pita with the remaining vinaigrette and season to taste with salt and pepper. Mound this mixture on top of the romaine.

© 1998 Joyce Goldstein. All rights reserved.