Fattoush Salad - Tonua (Brown) Carano

Fattoush is a delicious Mediterranean salad. It's usually the house salad in most Mediterranean restaurants. It's really easy, and is a nice alternative to a standard salad. I've made this salad many times, and it makes a great dish for a potluck. I bring the bowl home empty every time I take it for potluck. This recipe is mostly derived from a Fattoush Salad recipe at Kalyn's Kitchen, but I have made some modifications for my own personal taste.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 5-7 minutes
Oven Temp: 400°F
Serves: 2-4 as a full meal, 6-10 as a side salad, or even more as a one scoop potluck dish

Dressing Ingredients:

• 3-4 garlic cloves, chopped (or pressed through garlic press)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sumac (available at Mediterranean grocers)
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Salad Ingredients:

• 3 heads Romaine lettuce (usually 1 package)
• 2-3 teaspoons fresh parsley
• 2-3 teaspoons fresh cilantro
• 2-3 teaspoons fresh mint
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced
• 2-3 tomatoes, diced
• 1 cucumber, peeled and diced (you may also substitute an 1/2 of an English cucumber, which doesn't require peeling)
• 2 whole wheat pitas (optional: brush both sides lightly with olive oil)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°F. While oven is preheating, prepare the salad dressing.

Mash together the garlic and salt using a mortar and pestle or the side of a spoon or knife. Put the garlic paste in a small bowl with the sumac and lemon juice. Whisk until fully blended. Then whisk in the olive oil. Set aside to let the flavors blend. (You can also increase the recipe and store the extra in the fridge for several days.)

Cut your pita strips into 3/4 inch strips. Place the pita strips on a cookie sheet. (Line the cookie sheet with foil for easier clean-up later.) Place them in the oven until they just turn brown (5-7 minutes). Watch them closely as they can quickly over-brown. The pita strips should be crisp when you pull them out of the oven. Break them into smaller pieces (approximately 3/4 - 1-1/2 inches long). Set them aside for use later.

Wash the lettuce and tear into small to medium pieces. It's better to tear lettuce than to cut, and should only take a few moments. If you have a salad spinner, spin the lettuce dry. Otherwise, dry it on a clean cloth or paper towels. Place the lettuce in a large bowl with plenty of room for tossing once all of the ingredients have been added.

Gently rinse the cilantro, parsley and mint in cool water and pat dry on a clean cloth or paper towels. Remove the leaves of each herb, and discard the stems. Chop the leaves until fine. A small coffee grinder (they are quite inexpensive) makes a great easy tool for chopping herbs. Toss the herbs with the lettuce until fully blended.

Slice the onions into thin slices, and dice the tomatoes and cucumbers. Toss the onions, tomatoes and cucumbers in the salad.

Up to 30 minutes before you plan to serve, toss the salad, pita chips and the dressing together. Be sure to whisk the salad dressing well one more time before pouring as the ingredients have a tendency to settle. This is a wet salad and everything will be coated in salad dressing. This is intentional.

Potluck Tip: If you are taking this salad to a potluck, store the salad dressing in a small tupperware container and store the pita chips in a ziploc bag. When you arrive at the potluck (or sometime within 30 minutes of serving), shake the salad dressing container to blend the ingredients well, and then toss with the salad and pita chips.