Keeping up with the times

Ok so the weekly blog is racing to keep up and not doing so very well.  Not surprisingly our household is always busy and the last 2 weeks more than usual.  I’m sure most people can relate to feeling like you are constantly chasing your tail and then before you know it another couple of weeks, months have passed you by.  You know you’ve been busy but you can’t recall every detail.  

So I took some time out to update myself with some of my favourite blogs, cooked a little (including a very delicious tart that I will post soon), and bought a few trashy magazines to make sure I knew what was going on in the world of celebrity (extremely important)!!  I thought perhaps I should see whats new and trendy in the food world.   Apparently last week it was the old fashioned American style chopped salad, the most traditional being a Cobb Salad which stands for EAT COBB: Egg, Avocado, Tomato, Chicken, Onion, Bacon, Blue cheese.  It’s origins stems from a concoction of leftovers, which is the result of many great dishes including bubble and squeak!

So, the chopped salad is hip, and all the cafes in the know are serving them but with a twist.  It can be as healthy as you wish (just depend on the cheese, bacon, dressing component) and if you break it down, it’s just an arrangement on a platter of all your salad bits separately, chopped up and then you can choose how you eat it; in sections, dressed, or all mixed up.  

I love Fattoush salad, the best bits being the crunchy pita bits and the very tangy lemony dressing.  It’s a broadly arabic salad almost as popular as Tabbouleh.  I thought the colours are pretty so it looks lovely and also tastes great.  Just makes sure each component is the best tasting vegetable of its kind you can find.

I also chopped off my hair for a fresh start so it all seems quite fitting!

Arabic Chopped Salad

serves 6 as a salad

Ingredients

• 1 romaine lettuce (or any other crunchy lettuce), chopped
• 3-4 vine ripened tomatoes, chopped
• 2-3 lebanese (here they are called UAE) cucumbers, chopped
• 1 large yellow / orange capsicum, chopped (are you starting to see a theme here?)
• 10 radishes sliced thinly (they taste best like this)
• 1 bunch mint, chopped
• 1 bunch parsley, chopped
• 1 bunch spring onions, sliced including green parts
• 1 packet of pita bread
• 1/2 cup of labneh (yoghurt style fresh cream cheese), optional to serve

Dressing

• 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
• 2 teaspoons sumac
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cups lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

To Make

1. Assemble salad on a platter to your liking, the pictures show rows and then the rest tucked into where possible.  It needs to look packed and generous.  You could mix the herbs and spring onions together and create a row with this.
2. Split the pita bread in half so you have 2 very thin rounds, lightly brush with olive oil and bake in a moderate oven until lightly golden.  Dont forget, my first batch were more of a dark chocolate colour!
3. Once crispy and cooled slightly, break the pita bits into small chunks.  Set aside in a separate bowl to avoid premature sogginess.
4. To make the dressing just mix all ingredients together until you have a rich red tangy sauce.  Set aside in a separate bowl.
5. Serve the salad as is for people to mix and dress themselves or toss salad with pita and dress to taste then serve.  It should have a good coating so the pita can remain crunchy is parts but be able to soak up the tangy yumminess.  Only dress at last minute.

PS – Labneh can be sprinkled with a pinch of tangy sumac and served on the side – I wouldn’t mix it into the salad personally.  But it is delicious smeared on some bigger chunks of crispy pita.

PPS – Great served with BBQ chicken skewers, marinated with garlic lemon and herbs.