It’s been a strange summer so far, it’s felt hard to measure time – somehow it’s the middle of July but I feel like I’m still waiting for summer to start. Not sure if it’s the weather – the heat, the rainstorms, the flooding but my vegetable garden has been the one thing that has helped keep me grounded. This is my third season growing a kitchen garden in our yard and each year I learn a little bit more about what works and what doesn’t. I’d say I started out knowing little to nothing about gardening and am still in awe this time of year when my pea pods climb their trellises, my zucchini plants produce huge yellow flowers, and bright red strawberries keep appearing without having ever touched them. I have had some failures – for the first time our sunflowers never sprouted, only a few varieties of the tomato seedlings I started indoors survived and only half my radishes grew big enough to really harvest and eat. But there is something so satisfying about knowing that what we’ve grown started from little seeds, seeing the delight in my son’s eyes getting to dig in dirt every evening (me mostly pleading with him now to not dig it all up!) and finally creating a meal for my family from what we have grown.
Mid July also brings peak tomato season and while ours are not quite there yet, I have found some delicious ones at the market (even the baby cocktail tomatoes at Trader Joe’s tasted like candy!) I was craving a big salad for dinner this week and stumbled upon a NY Times Cooking Recipe for a Lebanese-Style Bread Salad with Tomatoes and Herbs by David Tanis. I was also trying to think of ways to use all the beautiful fresh herbs from a bouquet garni my friend recently brought over. What I love about this recipe and most everything I try and cook is its reliance on fresh, readily available ingredients and its adaptability. You could easily add or swap the veggies in this one – radishes, carrots, fresh pea pods or even corn would be delicious additions or substitutions to this salad. I added dill and basil to the listed parsley and cilantro. I almost always find myself with leftover stale pita but you could easily swap out a few slices of toasted leftover sourdough bread. I served it with a bowl of quinoa and grilled chicken sausages but it would also be great with a side of grilled feta or halloumi cheese.
The result was beautiful, fresh, light but satisfying and delicious – everything a summer salad should be!
Lebanese-Style Bread Salad with Tomatoes and Herbs
Ingredients
- 3 or 4 stale pita rounds or slices of sourdough bread
- 1 pound ripe tomatoes, chopped or halved cocktail or baby tomatoes
- 1 cup chopped cucumber
- 1 cup chopped sweet bell pepper
- 1/2 cup diced red onion
- 6 scallions, thinly sliced
- salt and pepper to taste
- Additions or substitutions could include chopped radishes, fresh corn kernels or sliced fresh pea pods
- 2 tbs lemon juice
- 1 tbs white wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 small garlic cloves, smashed to a paste
- 1/2 tsp cumin seed, toasted and ground
- 1 cup chopped herbs (combination of parsley, mint, cilantro, dill and or basil
- 2 tsp powdered sumac, optional
Directions
- Toast pita or bread slices till dry. Optional coat lightly with oil and grill. When cool, cut into 1 inch pieces.
- Put all the chopped vegetables in a mixing bowl and season with salt and pepper. In a smaller separate bowl, whisk together lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil, garlic and cumin. Pour dressing over vegetables and mix to coat. Let marinate for 10 minutes at room temperature or up to an hour before serving in the fridge.
- Just before serving, add herbs and toasted pita or bread. Sprinkle with sumac if using.
Bedford Balabusta 