Gardeners love growing tomatoes, sure, but what do you do with the ones you didn’t enter in the DC State Fair‘s Tastiest Tomato Contest? This past Saturday, Chef Kenneth used lots of seasonal goodies to whip up a giant batch of fattoush — a Middle Eastern salad with tomato, cucumber, and crisp pita with a kick of sumac.
Fattoush
(Adapted from a recipe on FoodNetwork.com)
Salad:
- 2 cups shredded, crunchy lettuce (preferably romaine)
- 1 large or 2 small cucumbers, small dice
- 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, stems removed
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves, stems removed
- 1/2 to 1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 1 bunch green onions, finely sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon sumac (or lemon zest)
- 2 pieces of pita bread toasted until golden brown, broken into pieces about the size of a quarter
Dressing:
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2 to 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- a pinch of pepper
Directions:
In a small bowl mix all dressing ingredients well. Put all salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss with 1/2-1 cup dressing. Serve immediately.
[Photo courtesy of David Manuel.]
