Fattoush
Fattoush is bread salad made with pita bread, and there are countless versions throughout the Middle East. I typically use fresh favas or English peas instead of cherry tomatoes until tomatoes come into season.
Fattoush, with Za’atar & Yogurt
Makes 4 to 6 servings
3 whole pita breads
1 small Romaine lettuce, trimmed and cut into ½-inch wide crosswise strips
1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
3-4 small Persian cucumbers, diced
5-6 radishes, cut into small dice
1 bunch green onions, trimmed and cut into ¼-inch rounds
¾ cup, loosely packed, chopped Italian parsley leaves
¼ cup, loosely packed, chopped cilantro leaves
— Kosher salt
½ cup best-quality olive oil, plus more to taste
— Juice of 1 lemon
— Black pepper in a mill
2 tablespoons za’atar
1 cup plain whole milk yogurt, such as Straus brand
Use a sharp knife to cut into the pita breads and separate the two halves. Toast the breads either in a hot oven or a toasted until crisp but not blackened.
Let the pita cool and then break it into pieces. Set aside briefly.
Put the lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, onions, parsley and cilantro into a wide shallow bowl and toss together. Season with salt and toss again.
Drizzle the olive oil over everything, toss, add the lemon juice, and toss again. Taste and correct for acid balance and salt, adding a bit more olive oil if it is too tart. Season with several turns of black pepper, add the broken up pita, and toss one more time.
Sprinkle the za’atar over everything and serve right away, with the yogurt on the side to spoon on top of each portion.