Fattoush Salad
If you are looking for a fresh garden salad using your herbs along with some tangy lemon dressing. Try this recipe for your next dinner party or family picnic. I served this Lebanese-inspired salad for our Paumanok Vineyards Wine dinner on Thursday, June 10th at Cuvee Bistro at The Greenporter called “One Thousand and One Lebanese Nights.” It’s a perfect blend of fresh mint, parsely, cilantro and cruchy vegetables and crispy pital. It’s great with grilled fish or marinated chicken. For those of you who missed it, try this recipe and stop by Paumanok Vineyards and pick up a bottle of Paumanok’s Festival Chardonnay with which we paired this dish. And say hello to the Massoud Family!
Ingredients and recipe
3 pita rounds, cut into wedges
EVOO oil for sautéing
2 cups Mesclun greens
2 tomatoes, chopped
2 small cucumbers, peeled and diced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 green onions, minced
15 fresh mint leaves, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon cilantro
Dressing:
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
1 pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried onion flakes
1 pinch celery salt
1 pinch garlic powder
1/4 cup olive oil
Directions
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place pita pieces into the skillet without crowding. Sauté in batches until coated and lay out on lined cookie sheet. Set aside.
Place Mesclun greens, chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, bell pepper, green onions, mint leaves, parsley, and cilantro into a large bowl.
In a separate bowl, pour lemon juice and white wine vinegar into a small bowl. Season with salt, lemon pepper, onion flakes, celery salt, and garlic powder. Drizzle in olive oil while whisking. Once it’s blended, set aside until ready to served. You may need to whisk this dressing again before serving since it may separate. Caution to never dress the salad in advance. The vinegar and lemon will cook it and you’ll end up with a wilted pile of greens.
So just before serving, gently toss salad with dressing. Place into individual plates on a large platter. Then garnish with sautéed pita bread.
