Fattoush

Fattoush is a salad.   And this salad tastes like home.  As a child I would finish the dinner on my plate and then finish the rest of this salad straight out of the serving bowl.   I still serve it in the same old cracked bowl my Mama used to, which she handed down to me when my husband and I bought our first home.

I always use pomegranate, as it adds lovely sweetness and makes the salad look jewelled and sumptuous. And goes so well with the irresistible crunch of the bread. I would advise that you buy a fresh whole pomegranate and take the lovely little bulbs of crimson out yourself. Not only is it more fun to dismantle this brain-looking fruit yourself, but it’ll be much tastier.

You get sumac in most supermarkets now, which is absolutely essential to the tastiness of this salad. Always use extra virgin olive oil of the best quality. This will make all the difference to your salad; its taste and its health benefits. I use organic fair trade olive oil from Palestine, and it is the very best in the world.

ingredients
2 little gem lettuces, thinly chopped
4 little radishes, think sliced
2 tomatoes, small chop
2 inches cucumber, small chop
¼ green pepper , small chop
small bunch of mint, thinly chopped
¼ fresh pomegranate, skin and pith removed
2 white pitas chopped into squares and toasted with olive oil in a hot oven for 10 minutes.
1 tbsp sumac
1 pinch salt
1 pinch of freshly ground pepper
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
juice of half a lemon

method
1. put all the ingredients in a bowl
2. mix well and eat with anything you like.