Fattoush – The Perfect Summer Salad

/ July 8, 2015

A few weeks ago we had a very special Fiesta Friday: following an invitation by the wonderful Selma, a few of us regulars met up in a beautiful setting just off Regent Street, for a bit of non-virtual fun. I was incredibly excited to meet so many of you in the flesh – reading your blogs, getting an insight into what you’re up to in and around your kitchens has become such an important part of my life.

FiestaFriday

Photograph by Justine, EclecticOddsNSods

Fiesta Friday is such a unique event in that it really feels like a party: you get to know the regulars, appreciate their contributions and their appreciation of your own efforts. As a community, Fiesta Fridays feel almost like family – at times you feel as if you were literally sitting around one huge table!

In a similar attempt to recreate that warm and fuzzy feeling of Fiesta Fridays, FoodEatLove‘s Petra and I decided to meet up, too – somewhere central, somewhere food-related were the ground rules. When Petra suggested Edgware Road with its Middle Eastern shops and restaurants, I was easily convinced.Edgware Road

A few months ago,  Elaine and Selma went to Sheperds Bush for a dose of Middle Eastern food, an experience they shared with the gang over at Angie’s. Those post about incredible spices, exotic fruit and vegetables and amazing sweets were the perfect preparation for our own trip. And guess what, it was just as great as I had imagined it to be – just head over to Petra‘s to check out her beautiful pictures!

Shopping around the food stalls in the open market and in the little supermarkets made us hungry – just look at those gorgeous peppers:Edgware Road chillies

In the end we had some wonderful Lebanese mezze, and especially the sweet and tangy flavours of the fattoush salad stayed with me. In fact it impressed me so much that I bought pomegranates, molasses and sumac on the spot to recreate this perfect summer lunch. All that’s missing is some homemade pitta bread, like Marita‘s. Fattoush 3

 

 

Fattoush, after Esperance Sammour (serves 4)

The following ingredients are approximate – please feel free to vary depending on what you’ve got, what’s in season and, obviously, on the colour scheme of your dining arrangements. OK, I was kidding about that last one.

  • 2 pitta bread, cut into 1 in squares
  • 3-4 tbs olive oil
  • 1 tbs sumac
  • 6-8 radishes, sliced
  • 1/2 bell pepper, diced
  • 10 cocktail tomatoes, halved or diced, depending on size
  • 1/2 cucumber, sliced and quartered
  • 1 smallish romaine lettuce, cut into 1 in strips
  • 1 bunch of flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
  • 2-3 sprigs of mint, chopped
  • 1 pomegranate, deseeded

For the dressing:

  • 2-3 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1/3 cup lemon juice (ca. 2 lemons)
  • 1/4 cup pomegranate molasses
  • 2 tsp sumac
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/8 cup olive oil

Heat the oven to 200C / 400F. Drizle a little oil on a large baking sheet and add the pitta bread squares. Sprinkle the sumac over the bread, add a little more oil, and bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.Fattoush bread

Cut and chop the vegetables and lettuce and mix them in a bowl. Fattoush cutting veg

Mix the dressing in a separate bowl. Just before you want to serve the salad, mix in the toasted bread and add the dressing.Fatoush 1

I’ll bring this dish to Fiesta Friday this week, as a special Thank You to all those bloggers whose warmth, generosity and enthusiasm make Fiesta Fridays so special.

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40 thoughts on “Fattoush – The Perfect Summer Salad”

  6. It’s so nice that you got to meet all those food-blogging ladies! How fun. And the fattoush looks fabulous, I adore this salad, it always reminds me of the times I spent in the Middle East; I ate it almost every day then

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  17. This is an absolutely lovely post! It was great to meet you and I can’t wait to make more plans to meet again!
    The salad looks even nicer than the one we had! It looks so vibrant and delicious and full of amazing flavours! xx

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  21. Okay, I’m feeling deprived; I’ve never had fattoush! It sounds so refreshing and looks absolutely beautiful. And I even have sumac growing in my backyard. I think I should make fattoush, don’t you think? Thanks for bringing this to our tribute to Selma. She would have loved it! XOXO

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    • I know it’s a repeat performance, but I had really made and written it with Selma in mind, when I heard the sad news. Thank you so much for this tribute to Selma – if we had to vote for a prom queen, I’m sure Selma would have been our first choice every time!

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  22. I’ve been calling you Ginger yet I just read that your name is Steffi? You are too polite! This post is very happy and I love the photo of the ladies especially. Many thanks for being a part of our tribute. !

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    • Selma was great at bringing people together, and that afternoon was really lovely. What a shame.
      Do give us a shout if you’re in London, though. Selma’s non-virtual FF was a wonderful idea that we should keep up!

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  25. So beautiful and vibrant Steffi – love the salad and love the fact that you actually got to meet our dear friend Selma. The picture says it all doesn’t it? And wasn’t it Selma who instigated the meet-up? She had such a wonderful way of reaching out to people. You’re one of the lucky ones who got to meet her. I’ve written a tribute about how upset and sad I’ve been since we’d made plans to meet up last year when I was in England, and I had to cancel. I can’t get over it. Such heartfelt, warm feelings throughout the blogging community, I know she’d have loved it all. Thanks for sharing 🙂

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  27. I love eating Fattoush! It would have been wonderful to meet Selma too and it’s such a wonderful way to remember her… The salad is so vibrant and full of delicious ingredients and flavours! A beautiful way to celebrate Selma 🙂

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