Crisp Pita Fattoush with Sumac
Inspired by techniques from America's Test Kitchen, Serious Eats and NYT Cooking.
A Lebanese bread salad built around pita baked until properly crisp, tossed at the last minute with crunchy raw vegetables, herbs and a garlicky lemon dressing, then finished with sumac. Timing the toss is everything here.
Always check the labels of the products you use.
Method
- 1
Bake the pita. Heat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan). Lay the thin pita rounds rough side up on the rack set over the tray, brush with the 2 tbsp olive oil, and bake for 10-14 minutes until crisp right through and pale golden. Baking drives off the remaining moisture in the bread, which is what lets it stay crunchy once it meets the dressing later. Let the pita cool, then break it into 2 cm pieces.
- 2
Make the dressing. While the pita bakes, whisk the lemon juice, grated garlic and salt together in the small bowl and leave for 10 minutes. The acid in the lemon juice mellows the raw sharpness of the garlic, taking the edge off before it goes anywhere near the salad. Whisk in the dried mint, 4 tbsp olive oil and the pepper.
- 3
Prepare the vegetables. Put the romaine, tomatoes, cucumber, radishes, red onion, spring onions, parsley and mint into the very large bowl. Keeping everything in one big bowl now means it's ready to toss quickly once the pita and dressing join it.
- 4
Toss just before serving. Just before you're ready to eat, add the baked pita pieces and the dressing to the vegetables and toss lightly with your hands until everything is glossy. Tossing at the very last moment matters, as the bread starts wicking up the dressing and softening the moment it's dressed.
- 5
Finish with sumac. Taste the salad for salt, pile it into a serving bowl, and sprinkle over the sumac for its fruity, tangy finish. Serve immediately, while the pita still has its crunch.
Storage
This salad doesn't keep well once tossed, as the pita softens quickly; eat it the same day it's dressed. If you do have leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours and eat within 1 day, expecting the pita to have lost its crunch; it isn't suitable for freezing.
Equipment
- baking tray with a wire rack (or just the tray)
- pastry brush
- kitchen scissors
- small bowl
- whisk or fork
- very large bowl
- chopping board and knife
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 318 kcal |
| Protein | 5.5 g |
| Carbohydrate | 29.4 g |
| of which sugars | 5.6 g |
| of which free sugars | 0.7 g |
| Fat | 21.4 g |
| of which saturates | 3 g |
| Fibre | 5 g |
| Salt | 1.19 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
1.7 g High Protein needs ≥ 10 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
