Gluten-free summer salad

Fattouche (or Fattoush) is a fresh Lebanese salad of ripe, flavorful vegetables, sliced and accompanied by pieces of bread. Traditional fattouche recipes often include purslane, an ancient vegetable with crunchy, slightly mucilaginous leaves sometimes mistakenly considered a weed in North America. Its flavor is tangy, lemony and peppery. It is high in omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. It is also endowed with antioxidant properties due to its impressive amount of vitamin C, which protects the body from premature aging and strengthens the immune system's defense system.

In this recipe, tortillas are used to make homemade chips. 

Pomegranate molasses is made by reducing fresh pomegranate juice until it becomes thick. This fruity, sweet-and-sour condiment can be used in vinaigrettes, marinades, sauces or simply as a finishing touch on a dish. It's a bit like vinegar balsamic vinegar of the Middle East. The best pomegranate molasses makers add no sugar or other ingredients to their product, just pomegranate.

As a side dish or served as a meal, this tasty salad is sure to make your mouth water! Of course, it's even better at the height of summer, when all the vegetables are at their peak!

Serves: 4 side dish portions or 2 meal portions
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time:  Approx. 12 minutes 
Meals : Side dish or main course
Cuisine : dLebanese-inspired, gluten-free, vegan 
Culinary tools : Griddle, mortar
Difficulty: Easy
Refrigeration: Possible, but separately (salad-vinaigrette-chips)        

Ingredients

Salad

• About 60 small purslane leaves (optional) 
• A few leaves of baby rocket and baby spinach (optional) 
• 1 head romaine lettuce, thinly sliced 
• 1 medium tomato, diced into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 field cucumber (or 2 Lebanese cucumbers) cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1/2 orange bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch cubes 
• 1/2 green bell pepper, diced 1/2 inch
• 3 radishes, very thinly sliced
• 3 green onion stalks, sliced (green parts only)
• 30 mint leaves (15 g), coarsely chopped 
• Approx. 1/2 cup (25 g) coarsely chopped fresh parsley 

Tortilla chips

• 4 gluten-free corn tortillas 
• 1.5 tsp. Za'atar 
• 1.5 tsp. sumac
• 2 tbsp.100% pure avocado oil   
• 2 pinches of fleur de sel   

Vinaigrette 

• 2 cloves garlic
• ½ tsp. Himalayan salt 
• 1 tbsp. sumac
• 1 tbsp. pomegranate molasses
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. organic apple cider vinegar  
• 1/3 cuporganic extra-virgin olive oil  

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Celsius. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 
2. On a cutting board, slice the tortillas into medium rectangles. 
3. In a medium bowl, combine tortillas andavocado oil. Sprinkle with spices Za'atarspices sumac and fleur de sel. Mix well. Place on baking sheet and bake for approx. 12 minutes, or until golden brown. Turn over halfway through baking. Allow to cool.
4. In a large bowl, combine romaine lettuce, purslane, baby arugula and baby spinach, green onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, fresh parsley, fresh mint and radishes. Set aside for later use. 
5. Crush the garlic in a mortar and pestle with the salt to obtain a fine purée. Place the purée in a small Masson jar. Add theorganic extra-virgin olive oilthe sumaclemon juice apple cider vinegar and pomegranate molasses. Shake well.
6. A few minutes before serving, pour the vinaigrette over the salad. 
7. Sprinkle salad with pita croutons just before serving. 

Tips and tricks

• You can mix the dressing into the salad up to 1 hour ahead of time to accentuate the flavours. 
• To soften the taste of the radish, place thin slices in a bowl of water while you finish preparing the salad. Drain before adding to the salad. 

Substitutions

• Avocado oil: Use olive oil instead of avocado oil.
• Purslane: You can omit it (and add more romaine salad) or replace it with more baby arugula or baby spinach. 
• Pomegranate molasses: Simply omit it and go a little harder with lemon juice.
• Sumac: This is one of the essential ingredients in fattouche. It adds acidity to the salad. We suggest not omitting it, but lemon zest can be a good substitute if needed.
• Za'atar: usually a mixture of thyme, cumin, oregano, sumac and toasted sesame seeds, this other Middle Eastern must-have can be purchased in some grocery stores. If za'atar isn't available, sprinkle dried herbs and spices from the list in your pantry over the tortillas.

Bon appétit!

Author 

Valérie Gendron-Legault