Serves 4
Prep time: 25 minutes
The perfect fattoush has the right balance of parsley, tomatoes, radish, greens and, of course, crispy pita. I’ve doubled down on the parsley here by saucing the bottom of the plate with a vibrant parsley sauce that’s so easy and versatile. Also, if you can’t find watermelon or breakfast radish don’t worry—normal radish will look and taste great. And lastly, the sumac pita chips in the recipe are dangerously addictive. Make some extra just for snacking.
Ingredients:
Parsley sauce:
2 cups parsley, loosely packed (about 1 bunch)
1 cup buttermilk
½ tsp salt
Sumac Pita crisps:
2 pitas
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sumac
½ tsp salt
Salad:
3 baby cucumbers
2 watermelon radishes
2 breakfast radishes
2 heads romaine
1 pint heirloom baby tomatoes
½ red onion
Salt and pepper to taste
½ cup lemon vinaigrette
Method:
Start with the parsley sauce. Place the parsley, buttermilk and salt in a blender. Blend until incorporated and bright green. This is best made the day of serving to preserve its amazing color.
Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the pita into 1-inch squares, then coat with olive oil, salt and sumac. Roast for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown and crunchy. You’ve been warned though, so maybe double down on this recipe and have some ready for snacking.
To compose the salad, halve the beautiful heirloom tomatoes to reveal their color. Finely slice the onion, cucumbers, and radish. A mandolin is a great tool for this task but watch your fingers! Otherwise a sharp knife does the job. Finely slice the romaine as well, place everything in a bowl, then dress the salad.
Pour the lemon vinaigrette around the bowl until the ingredients are just coated. A perfectly dressed salad isn’t soggy! Season to taste with salt and pepper. Place dollops of the parsley sauce on each plate, then place a serving of salad overtop. Top with the pita chips and enjoy.
Basic Lemon Vinaigrette
Makes 1 ¼ cup
Prep time: 10 minutes
A simple lemon vinaigrette dressing is exceptionally versatile, and all about the right ratios of ingredients. I prefer my dressing on the tart side, but feel free to add another drop of olive oil to neutralize the flavour if you desire. Make a batch of this vinaigrette each week, store in a squeeze bottle or mason jar, then use to dress salads or even drizzle on roasted chicken breasts and fish.
Ingredients:
2/3 cup + 3 Tbsp olive oil
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 ½ Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
¾ tsp salt
Method:
Combine all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl. It’s helpful to measure the olive oil in your tablespoon before the honey. Whisk well to emulsify, then transfer to a squeeze bottle. Can be kept in the fridge for up to 1 week.