Fattoush

A highly requested salad dish is coming your way today.

But this isn't just any salad. Fattoush is a Middle Eastern bread salad that uses fried or baked pita bread pieces as "croutons" and is known for having several specific herbs and spices added into it, mainly dried mint and sumac. Every Arab and their mother has their own version of fattoush- which bread they like to use, what veggies go into the salad, and how they like their dressing. This is the way I make my fattoush and it has been a hit with so many!

Fattoush

The way I make my fattoush is the way I have come to love this salad. I think the flavors I use really bring out the authenticity of this dish and is the closest to the best fattoush I've ever had overseas in the Middle East. 

As always, feel free to add in whatever vegetables you like! I use staple salad ingredients, as the real magic is in the dressing and the herbs and spices I use. Fattoush is so forgiving and versatile that you really can never go wrong! I typically add in thinly sliced radishes and green onions to my fattoush as well, but didn't have any on hand.

FATTOUSH
Yields: 4-6 servings

INGREDIENTS:
- 2 heads of romaine lettuce, finely choppped
- 2 small-medium sized tomatoes, finely diced
- half of an English cucumber, finely diced
- half of a large red onion, finely diced
- half a tablespoon of dried mint
- half a tablespoon of sumac
- 1 whole loaf of pita or Syrian bread, broken up into pieces
- 1/3 cup of olive oil
- 1 teaspoon of white vinegar
- the juice of 1 medium lemon
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon of black pepper
- 1 teaspoon of onion powder
- 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon of dried mint
- water

TO MAKE:
1. Add all of the chopped vegetables into your serving bowl and toss to combine. 
2. Sprinkle in the dried mint and sumac over the salad, and toss to combine. Set aside.
3. In a large saucepan over medium heat, add some olive oil. Add in the broken bread pieces and toss the pieces around continuously until they are browned and crispy. Be sure to always be around the bread as it will brown and crisp up quickly- make sure not to burn!
4. Once the bread is done, set it aside in a different bowl.
5. In a liquid measuring cup, measure out 1/3 cup of olive oil.
6. Add in the vinegar, lemon juice, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and dried mint. Whisk everything together.
7. Add in water into the liquid measuring cup until it reaches up to the 1 cup measure. Give the dressing a whisk and taste it. Does it need more salt, lemon juice, vinegar, or any other seasoning? Add whatever you think it needs into the dressing. Is the dressing too thick and oily? Add in some water. Customize the dressing however YOU like, just be sure to whisk the dressing before you pour it over the fattoush. 
8. Right before serving, drizzle in just enough of the dressing to coat the fattoush. You don't want to pour all of the dressing into the salad simply because it'll drench and wilt the salad completely. Also, be sure to only add in the dressing just before it's time to serve the fattoush.
9. Add in the fried bread pieces on top of your fattoush. Don't mix in the bread with the salad or dressing- keep it on top, and mix the bread into the fattoush just as you're about to eat it.
10. This is optional, but I always like to add a squeeze of lemon all over my fattoush right before serving. Enjoy!