Fattoush salad, a versatile base to build maximum crunch and flavor

I enjoy a salad nearly every day of the week. I love to crunch with the self-satisfaction of following journalist Michael Pollan’s sage advice for healthy eating: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”

It’s easy to eat plants when they’re covered in bacon and blue cheese, which defeats the point. Same goes for salads swimming in dressing and packed with deep-fried croutons. That’s why I like to make fattoush. This Middle Eastern toasted bread and vegetable salad satisfies my inner rabbit perfectly.

I’ve enjoyed fattoush since reading about it in “Flatbreads & Flavors, A Baker’s Atlas” by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid. The intrepid authors explain that “the root word for all the dishes in the Arab world using toasted flatbread is fatta – hence fatteh, fattoush, etc. As with most home-cooked dishes, there are a great many versions of fattoush, especially in Syria and Lebanon.

The salad recipe in their cookbook simply mixes cucumbers, tomatoes, green onions and parsley with a lemon vinaigrette and toasted pita. These days, I mix up a version inspired by a local restaurant that adds plenty of lettuce, fresh purslane and green bell pepper to the mix.

Toasted bits of flatbread or pita, sprinkled throughout the salad like exotic croutons, prove the common bond in everyone’s fattoush. Usually, I employ an open flame to toast the ginormous flatbreads called tannour sold at Middle Eastern markets. Made in superhot tandoor ovens, these chewy golden thin breads crisp quickly over the gas burner or hot charcoal fire.

Alternatively, thicker pita breads or pita pocket breads can be split horizontally in half before toasting over the flame. Popping the breads in a moderate oven lets me make quite a pile of toasted flatbreads in just 20 minutes. An oil spritzer helps prevent greasiness. Once crisp, the breads can be stored in a container for several days. Whether you flame toast or oven-crisp, the crusty breads will contain less fat and calories than most store-bought croutons.

As for the vegetables in my fattoush salad, I like to start with a mix of lettuces for maximum crunch and flavor. I love to combine thinly sliced radicchio with torn romaine leaves and tiny leaves of lemony-bright fresh purslane when I can find it at my Asian or Mexican markets. Baby kales, slivered Brussels sprouts, tender Napa cabbage, sliced Belgian endive make it in the bowl occasionally as does watercress, arugula and red-tipped Little Gem Lettuce. If adding spinach to the mix, I prefer bunches of tender leaf spinach; it boasts better flavor and texture than baby spinach. For week day lunches, I buy bags of chopped lettuce mixes to save time.

I think the versatility of salad is what keeps me engaged. I almost always find something in the refrigerator capable of enhancing even bagged salad. A jar of tiny pickled onions inspires a salad topped with smoky ham and shredded cheddar. Olives and sun-dried tomatoes lend a Mediterranean feel to chopped greens. Cheeses, cooked grains and beans add texture and protein.

Of course, if I have fresh herbs, sliced radishes or shredded carrots, I add them for flavor, color crunch. When I am eating my fattoush salad, or any combination salad for that matter, as a main course, I add strips of roasted or grilled chicken, turkey, pork tenderloin, lean beef or lamb. Boiled shrimp or scallops, flakes of grilled fish, thin slivers of ham or prosciutto likewise add goodness.

If you only have time for one improvement to your salads, make homemade dressing. Most take just a few minutes and always taste fresher than bottled. Homemade salad dressings will keep a week or more in the fridge; I pack them into glass bottles with narrow necks for easy shaking and pouring.

For fattoush, I make a lemon vinaigrette seasoned with sumac. This deep purple-red dried berry, from the sumac bushes throughout the Middle East, has a tart and fruity flavor. It can be found in ground form in Middle Eastern markets or from The Spice House at thespicehouse.com. It’s equally delicious sprinkled over salads, brown rice and roasted vegetables.

So start with crisp bread, homemade dressing and a variety of lettuces and vegetables. You’ll be well on your way to a great fattoush and a lifelong salad infatuation.

FATTOUSH VEGETABLE AND TOASTED FLATBREAD SALAD

Prep: 25 minutes; Makes: 2 entree or 4 side salads

I also like to serve this salad topped with a dollop of the Feta-dill yogurt dressing. The creamy dressing complements the tangy vinaigrette and sumac nicely.

1 head romaine lettuce, trimmed

1 small head Boston lettuce, halved, thinly sliced

1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh herbs, such as a combination of cilantro, parsley and mint

4 to 6 medium tomatoes, such as Campari, cut into eighths

3 small green onions, ends trimmed, thinly sliced

1/2 seedless cucumber, quartered lengthwise, thinly sliced

1/2 green bell pepper, seeded, chopped

4 large radishes, cut into matchsticks, about 1/3 cup

1/2 cup drained canned garbanzo beans

About 2 cups roughly broken crispy pita wedges or flame-toasted flatbread, see recipes

2 cups shredded cooked chicken, optional

Fresh lemon vinaigrette with sumac, see recipe

Ground sumac, optional

Fresh lemon wedges

Cut the romaine head lengthwise into quarters. Then sliced each quarter into 1/2 inch wide pieces. You should have about 6 cups. Put into a large mixing bowl along with the Boston lettuce. Add herbs and toss to mix. (Mixture can be refrigerated up to 2 days in a covered container lined with a piece of paper toweling.)

Just before serving, add tomatoes, onions, cucumber, bell pepper, radishes and garbanzo beans to the lettuce mixture. Toss well. Add pita wedges and chicken if using, then add a couple of spoonfuls of vinaigrette (do not drench salad). Toss again to lightly coat everything with the vinaigrette.

Pile salad onto serving plates. Sprinkle with sumac and garnish with lemon wedges.

Nutrition information per serving (for 4 servings): 220 calories, 7 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 35 g carbohydrates, 9 g protein, 277 mg sodium, 8 g fiber

CRISPY PITA WEDGES

Prep: 10 minutes; Bake: 20 minutes; Makes: 6 to 8 servings

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dried basil, finely crumbled

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

1/8 teaspoon ground cumin

4 pita breads with pockets

Olive oil in a spray bottle

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Have 2 large baking sheets ready. Mix salt, basil, chili powder and cumin in a small dish.

Cut each pita round into 8 wedges. Split each wedge open. Lay the pita pieces on the baking sheets in a single, uncrowded layer. Spray wedges lightly with oil; toss with spice-herb mixture and spray again.

Bake, stirring once or twice, until crisp and golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool completely on wire rack. Store in a covered container for up to a few days.

Flame-toasted flatbread: Set a thin flatbread over a gas flame or hot grill. Let sit until it starts to toast and crisp, use tongs to flip the flatbread and move it over the flame to toast evenly. Cool, then break into large bite-size pieces for the salad.

Nutrition information per serving (for 8 servings): 80 calories, 1 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 16 g carbohydrates, 3 g protein, 346 mg sodium, 1 g fiber

FRESH LEMON VINAIGRETTE WITH SUMAC

Prep: 5 minutes; Makes: a scant 1/2 cup

1 large lemon

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 small clove garlic, finely chopped or crushed

1/2 to 1 teaspoon sumac to taste (or use more lemon rind)

1/4 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground pepper to taste

Grate the zest from the lemon into a small bowl. Squeeze the juice and add to the zest; you should have about 1/4 cup. Stir in remaining ingredients; taste for seasonings. Refrigerate covered up to 1 week.

Nutrition information per tablespoon: 63 calories, 7 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 1 g carbohydrates, 0 g protein, 73 mg sodium, 0 g fiber

FETA DILL YOGURT DRESSING

Prep: 10 minutes; Makes: about 1 cup

1 medium lemon

1 carton (7ounces) plain Greek yogurt

1/4 cup finely crumbled feta cheese

3 tablespoons minced fresh dill

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 teaspoon each: salt, sugar

Grate the zest from the lemon into a small bowl. Squeeze the juice; you should have about 3 tablespoons. Add it to the bowl. Stir in the yogurt until smooth. Stir in remaining ingredients. Taste for seasonings and adjust lemon juice, salt and sugar as desired. Refrigerate covered for up to 1 week.

Nutrition information per tablespoon: 31 calories, 2 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 3 mg cholesterol, 1 g carbohydrates, 1 g protein, 62 mg sodium, 0 g fiber=