Fattoush

Fattoush is Lebanon's vibrant bread salad, a resourceful dish that transforms stale or day-old flatbread into something remarkable. Unlike the Italian panzanella, Lebanese fattoush toasts or fries the pita into crisp shards and tosses them with ripe seasonal vegetables, fresh herbs, and a sharp pomegranate molasses dressing that gives the salad its singular tang. Purslane (baqleh) — a succulent herb with a slight lemony crunch — is the traditional green, though rocket or watercress works well. Fattoush is eaten year-round but shines in summer when tomatoes and cucumbers are at their peak.

Serves: 4

Ingredients

Salad:

• 2 large pita breads, torn or cut into 3cm (1.2-inch) pieces
• 3 tbsp olive oil (for the bread)
• 4 ripe tomatoes, diced into 2cm pieces
• 1 cucumber (about 300g / 10.5 oz), quartered lengthwise and sliced
• 4 radishes, thinly sliced
• 4 spring onions, sliced
• 100g (3.5 oz) purslane, rocket, or watercress
• Large handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
• Large handful fresh mint leaves, roughly torn
• 1 tsp dried sumac, plus more to finish

Dressing:

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
• 1 small garlic clove, crushed to a paste with salt
• 0.5 tsp sumac
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Toss pita pieces with 3 tbsp olive oil and a pinch of salt. Toast in a 200°C (400°F) oven for 8–10 minutes until golden and crisp, or shallow-fry in olive oil for 2–3 minutes. Set aside to cool.
2. Whisk all dressing ingredients together and taste for balance — it should be assertively tangy.
3. Combine tomatoes, cucumber, radishes, spring onions, purslane, parsley, and mint in a large bowl. Toss with two-thirds of the dressing.
4. Add pita croutons and remaining dressing just before serving (do not add bread too early or it will go soggy). Toss once, dust with extra sumac, and serve immediately.

Cook's Notes: The window between 'pleasingly softened' and 'completely soggy' is narrow — dress and add bread at the very last moment. Pomegranate molasses varies in sweetness; add an extra squeeze of lemon if yours is sweet.