Fattoush

Much like its Italian counterpart (panzanella), this salad is a great way to use up stale bread, though in this case the bread is flatbread or pita. Though I served this for Greek night, fattoush's roots lie a little farther to the east in Syria.

Much like panzanella, use what you've got handy. Below is the version that I made this particular night.

(As an aside: I discovered that I'm apparently allergic to sumac, so if someone wants a free bottle of it, let me know.)

Fattoush

Ingredients:

Pita bread (about 2 pieces)

1/2 medium red onion

1 English cucumber, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 pint of grape tomatoes, halved (if it's tomato season, use the real deal, diced)

1/2 c. basil, torn

2 T mint, torn

1/4 c. olives (optional)

1 T. capers (optional)

1 tsp sumac (OPTIONAL!!)

olive oil

1-2 tsp red wine vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Method:

• If your pita bread is not stale, tear the pita bread into bite-sized pieces. Place the bread on a baking sheet and let it hang out in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes or so until it's nice and crispy.
• In a large bowl, combine the pita bread, tomatoes, cucumbers, bell pepper, red onion, torn herbs to taste and olives, capers, and sumac (if using). Toss.
• Add in red wine vinegar and a decent glug (3 T.) of olive oil. You want to be able to coat the veggies and still have enough dressing for the pita bread to soak up.
• Add salt and pepper to taste.
• You'll want to let this sit for 15 minutes or so before serving. You want the crispy bread to partly soak up some of the vegetable juices, but still have a good bit of texture.