Salad days




 I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not a huge salad fan. Don’t get me wrong – I don’t dislike them, but there is just something about digging into a pile of leafy greens that doesn’t really turn my crank.  Of course, I appreciate a good salad, maybe one with strawberries and almonds, or feta and quinoa, but overall, given the choice of a vegetable alternative, I would veer away.

Fattoush, however, is an exception.

I’ve always liked fattoush. The crisp bright colors – magenta radish, cherry red tomato and cool green cucumber – are so attractive, bathed in a lemony, creamy, garlicky dressing, and I love the crispy pieces fried pita bread that finish the dish off. I came across this recipe while leafing through a new cookbook that I acquired over Christmas called “Jerusalem”, a wonderful cross-cultural compendium of favorite recipes from two Jerusalemites and celebrated UK chefs, Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi. The modifications that I made cut the preparation time by omitting the fermentation stage of the dressing, allowing the salad to be made all at once. The result is a fresh, filling and wonderfully light – and no need for leafy greens!

Na’ama’s fattoush
Adapted from “Jerusalem: A cookbook” by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi

Ingredients

-       Scant 1 cup fat free Greek yogurt
-       1 tbsp milk
-       1 large piece of pita, chopped in 1 inch pieces
-       2 large tomatoes, chopped
-       ¼  cup radishes, sliced thinly
-       2 green onions, sliced thinly
-       1 large cucumber, diced
-       1 tbsp flat leafed parsley, chopped, plus more for garnish
-       2 cloves of garlic, crushed
-       2 tbsp lemon juice, plus more to taste
-       Scant ¼ cup olive oil
-       1 tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
-       1 ½ tsp salt, plus more to taste

1.     Arrange pita on a large baking tray and bake for about 10 minutes, or until crisp. Set aside.

2.     Whisk together Greek yogurt, milk, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil until smooth. Add salt and pepper and adjust to taste.

3.     Combine all other ingredients, except of pita, in a large bowl. Add dressing and mix until combined.

4.     Chill. Top with pita and garnish with parsley just before serving. 

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