Satisfied Cravings: Favorite recipes from cookbooks I've reviewed.
Fattoush
Serves 6
| 1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced |
| coarse salt |
| 2 large loaves pita breads, 3-4 days old |
| 3 medium ripe red tomatoes, seeded and diced |
| 6 green onions (white and green parts), cut into 1/4-inch slices |
| 1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced |
| 1 bunch puslane, tough stems removed (about 1 cup) (optional) |
| 1/4 cup coarsely choped fresh flat-leaf parsley |
| 1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint |
| 1/4 cupcoarsely choped fresh cilantro |
| freshly ground black pepper |
| 2 large garlic cloves, minced |
| 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice |
| 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil |
| 2 tsp. ground sumac berries (optional) |
| Preheat oven to 375 F. Spread the cucumbers in a single layer on paper towels. Sprinkle with salt and let drain for 20 minutes. |
| Trim the edges off the outside of the pita bread and tear each loaf into two circles. Then tear into 1-inch pieces and spread them out on a baking sheet. Bake until light golden and dry, 10 to 15 minutes. |
| Place the cucumbers in a colander, run cold water over them for a moment, drain them well, and dry on clean paper towels. |
| In a large bowl, combine the cucumbers, tomatoes, greeen onions, bell pepper, puslane, if using, the parsley, mint, and cilantro. Season with salt and papper and toss gently. |
| In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Toss the vegetables and bread with the vinaigrette. Place on a platter, sprinkle with sumac, if using, and serve immediately. |
