Lebanese Fattoush

This weekend we spent time visiting friends in the north part of Sydney on a farm. The property was beautiful and it was incredibly peaceful. But the Gourmet Male's friend is from part Lebanese background and she asked me to make a Fattoush to go with her Tabouleh and Lamb Kofta.

While I love cooking dishes of all shapes and sizes, when it comes to cultural classics, I tread lightly. And that's particularly true when I'm asked to make a dish for someone who comes from that background. But when the Gourmet Male is called into action he aims to deliver! In the end it came out pretty well. Maybe I should venture out of my comfort zone more often!

I owe most of this recipe to Taste.com.au but modified it slightly. To start, you need to crisp up some Lebanese bread in hot oil. You'll need:

• 2 cups olive oil
• 1 large piece of Lebanese flat bread, cut into tortilla-sized triangles (you should get 8 pieces)

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan on medium heat for about 5 minutes. Fry each piece of bread for a minute on each side, flipping once. Set aside on paper towel and let cool.

Next, you need to make the dressing.  A key to the dressing and the salad itself is sumac - a spice you can get at most supermarkets or at Herbie's spices. You'll need:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 tsp sumac

Mix all the ingredients together and set aside. Now it's time to make the salad. You'll need:

• 500g cherry tomatoes
• 2 Lebanese cucumbers, halved and seeded, then sliced
• 1 red capsicum, chopped
• 4 radishes, thinly sliced
• 3 white onions, chopped
• 1 cup flat parsley, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup mint, coarsely chopped
• 1 tbsp sumac
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp pepper

Add all the ingredients to a bowl and mix. Add the dressing and toss completely. Then break up the fried Lebanese bread over the salad, toss lightly, and then serve.

Lebanese BBQ or not, this is a great salad for a number of occasions. Enjoy!