Fattoush
I love summer. For all the usual reasons that people love summer, but also because everything just tastes better. Of course, fruit and vegetables are just all around more delicious when they’re grown in your backyard or picked out from a local market. But I can’t help but think that everything just tastes better when eaten outside, on a patio, deck, or picnic blanket. I’m sure it’s a little bit of both. And this is the perfect example of this summer-food-deliciousness on both fronts.
The first time I made this, it was March, and things were getting pretty sad around here in the produce department. Imported bananas were pretty much the best thing I could find at the grocery store. But as I thumbed through Jerusalem, I was so bewitched by the gorgeous picture of this salad, full of juicy tomatoes, crispy cucumbers, vibrant green herbs that I just had to have it. So I bought the grocery store produce that I knew was not at its prime. Nowhere close. I brought home my puny little veggies, made this salad, and somehow, miraculously, it was still amazing. SO GOOD. I had finished a whole bowlful before I realized, “Dear God! If this fattoush is this good now… how good will it be in July?!”
Now I have my answer: really freaking good. So, so good. All of the things I love about summer produce in a bowl, but more interesting and satisfying than if I just heaped it all up on a pile of lettuce. I could describe it for you, but it tastes like exactly what it is in that picture that bewitched me: beautiful, perfect vegetables, chewy bits of pita, and a perfectly tangy, bright dressing that gets soaked up into all the goodness. It puts the March version to shame. Which is why I can see us eating this weekly until there are no more tomatoes and cucumbers to be had. 
Ingredients
- For Salad:
- 2 rounds pita bread
- 2 large tomatoes,
- about 5-6 smallish radishes, thinly sliced
- 3 mini cucumbers
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped
- small handful of parsley, coarsely chopped
- 1 tablespoon sumac (to garnish at the end)
- Dressing:
- 1 2/3 cup buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon dried mint
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine all the dressing ingredients and stir to combine.
- Tear the pita bread into bite size pieces and place in a large bowl. Toss with tomatoes, radishes, cucumbers, green onions, and herbs. Pour the dressing over the bread and vegetables, and stir to coat everything. Let sit for at least 10 minutes before serving. Stir again before transferring to a serving bowl. Garnish with the sumac and serve.