Fattoush
Purslane, a succulent, is the traditional salad leaf to include in fattoush; each leaf bursts with a pleasant citrus flavour. I’ve included borage leaves too as they have a similar effect, but this time with hints of sweetened cucumber. I think they complement one another well. I prefer to use the firmer, smaller cucumbers found in Middle Eastern shops – if you use a larger variety, it might be wise to scoop out the seeds. It is up to you whether you peel them. If you have them (I grow them on cotton wool on my windowsill), microleaves are really good in this salad – think basil, fenugreek and coriander.
SERVES 4
- 2 large pitta, or an equivalent amount of flatbread
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 3 small cucumbers, diced, cut into crescents
- 200g cherry tomatoes, halved
- 200g radishes, sliced
- 1 bunch of summer purslane, leaves only
- A few small borage leaves (optional)
- 100g lamb’s lettuce
- 1 small bunch of parsley, leaves only
- A few mint leaves
- A few sprigs of coriander
- A few sprigs of oregano
- Sea salt
For the dressing
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 tbsp adjika or Zhoug; (optional) or 1 garlic clove, crushed
- 1 tsp sumac
- Sea salt and freshly
- ground black Pepper
TO SERVE
- Sumac
- Za’atar
- A few microleaves (see introduction; optional)
- First, toast the pitta or flatbread. You can either do this in a dry frying pan or in your toaster. Leave to cool, then tear or cut into pieces. Meanwhile, put the red onion in a small bowl, toss in 1/2 teaspoon salt and cover with cold water.
- Leave to stand for 20 minutes, then drain thoroughly.
- Put all the salad ingredients, including the herbs and the bread, into a large bowl. Whisk the dressing ingredients together and taste – if using the adjika it will be quite salty, so you may not need to add more. Add pepper.
- Dress the salad and mix everything together. Serve on a large platter, sprinkled with sumac, za’atar and a few microleaves, if you have them.
READ
Leaf by Catherine Phipps (Quadrille, £25) Photography Mowie Kay
