Restaurant-style fattoush with za'atar pita crisps and pomegranate
A sharper fattoush: ice-crisped leaves, salted and drained tomato and cucumber, sumac onions, za'atar-baked pita and jewel-like pomegranate seeds.
Method
Tear the lettuce into 4 cm pieces, strip the parsley from its thick stalks and pick the mint leaves. Soak them together in iced water for ; the leaves firm up and stay crunchy to the last bite. Spin or pat them completely dry and keep them in the fridge.
Add in this stepRomaine or little gem lettuce 140 gFlat-leaf parsley 20 gFresh mint 10 g
Quarter the cherry tomatoes and cut the cucumber into 1.5 cm cubes. Put both in a sieve, toss with half the salt and leave to drain for ; this keeps the salad from turning watery and concentrates the flavour. Meanwhile slice the red onion paper-thin and rub it with a little of the sumac (it softens its bite and turns pink), and slice the radishes as thinly as you can and keep them in cold water.
Add in this stepCherry tomatoes 200 gMini cucumbers 200 gRadishes 4Red onion ½Salt 0.4 tspSumac ½ tsp
Heat the oven to 190 °C (oven). Split the pita into two thin rounds, brush the rough sides with olive oil, sprinkle evenly with za'atar and cut into 3 cm pieces. Spread on a tray in one layer and bake for , until golden and shattering when pressed, then cool on a rack. The edges colour fast, so watch the last 2 minutes.
Add in this stepPita bread (about 20 cm) 1Extra-virgin olive oil (for the pita) 2 tbspZa'atar 1 tsp
ovenCrush the garlic to a fine paste with the remaining salt, put it in a bowl and mix in the lemon juice, pomegranate molasses and half the sumac. Whisk in the olive oil in a thin stream until the dressing is thick and glossy. Discard the liquid drained from the tomatoes and cucumber.
Add in this stepGarlic cloves 1Salt 0.4 tspLemon juice 2 tbspPomegranate molasses 2 tspSumac 1 tspExtra-virgin olive oil (for the dressing) 3 tbsp
In a large 28 cm bowl combine the leaves, drained tomatoes and cucumber, sumac onions and well-drained radishes, add two thirds of the dressing and toss lightly. Fold in two thirds of the pita crisps and pile high on a plate. Spoon over the rest of the dressing and finish with the remaining crisps, the pomegranate seeds and the last of the sumac. Serve at once.
Add in this stepPomegranate seeds 60 gSumac ½ tsp
Cook's tip
If you can find purslane, a handful brings it closer to the Lebanese original. The pita crisps keep for 3 days in an airtight tin, so it is worth baking extra. To free pomegranate seeds easily, hold a halved fruit cut-side down over a bowl and tap the skin firmly with the back of a spoon.
Cooking it at camp
Make the crisps, dressing and sumac onions at home and pack them separately; wash and dry the leaves and keep them in a paper-towel-lined box in the cooler. At camp, just cut and briefly salt the tomatoes and cucumber, then toss everything.