Fattoush with Sumac and Crisped Pitta

Thu, 05 Oct 2023 09:34:00 +0000

Fattoush already runs on stale flatbread, but baking the torn pieces in browned butter rather than frying them plain gives the crisps a nutty depth that plain oil never quite reaches, and it plays beautifully against the sour tang of sumac and pomegranate molasses that carries the rest of the salad. The vegetables stay classic; only the bread gets the upgrade.

Ingredients

Serves 4.

2 stale pitta breads, split into thin layers
40g unsalted butter
2 tsp sumac, divided
3 Lebanese (mini) cucumbers, cut into chunks
4 ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges
6 radishes, thinly sliced
4 spring onions, sliced
1 small green pepper, diced
A large handful of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
A small handful of mint leaves, torn
4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
1 small garlic clove, crushed
Salt and black pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 190C (170C fan).
Melt the butter in a small pan over a medium heat, swirling constantly, until it foams, then turns a nutty golden-brown and smells toasted, 3 to 4 minutes; remove from the heat immediately.
Tear the split pitta layers into rough shards, toss with the brown butter and 1 teaspoon of the sumac, and spread on a baking tray.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, turning once, until deeply golden and crisp all over, then set aside to cool; they will crisp further as they cool.
In a large bowl, combine the cucumbers, tomatoes, radishes, spring onions, green pepper, parsley and mint.
Whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, crushed garlic and remaining teaspoon of sumac with a good pinch of salt and pepper.
Pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss well, then scatter over the crisped pitta and toss once more just before serving.

The Story

Fattoush belongs to a family of Levantine dishes built around fatteh, meaning “crumbs” or “crumbled”, which describes a whole genre of Lebanese and Syrian cooking that repurposes stale flatbread rather than discarding it: fatteh with chickpeas and yoghurt for breakfast, fatteh with aubergine, and this salad, which turns the bread into something eaten cold and crisp rather than soaked and warm. Home cooks across the Levant developed the dish out of the same practical instinct that produced panzanella in Tuscany, though the seasoning is entirely its own: sumac in place of vinegar, and a scatter of fresh herbs heavy enough to make the salad feel closer to a herb dish with vegetables added than a lettuce bowl.

Lebanese - vo.rs

Fattoush with Sumac and Crisped Pitta

Ingredients

Method

The Story