Fattoush Salad

Fatoush is a wonderful Lebanese salad made with many of summer's best vegetables: tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers. And we got all of them in today's box!


The thing I love most about fattoush is that it has toasted pita chips in it to give it a fabulous crunch. You can buy pita chips at most markets; or you can make them yourself by separating the two halves of the pita bread, brushing them with a little olive oil, and toasting them in a 375 degree oven until brown and crisp. I like using the whole wheat sesame pita, but you can use any flavor you like.


Another wonderful things about this salad is that you can use a variety of greens. I like using romaine lettuce and mixing in some arugula or dandelion greens. Sorrel, with its bright, lemon-y flavor, also goes nicely in the mix.


Fattoush Salad

4-6 C washed and dried salad greens, torn into bite-sized pieces
1 large tomato chopped
1 cucumber, quartered, seeded and chopped
1/4 C chopped sweet onion
1-2 green onions, chopped
1/2 C chopped bell pepper (green, red or yellow - your choice)
3/4 C cubed feta cheese
2-4 T chopped Italian parsley
1-2 C pita chips
salt and pepper to taste
dried Moroccan olives or Kalamata olives, optional


Toss all ingredients together in a large bowl, except the pita chips, salt and pepper.

Mix up the dressing:

2-3 T extra virgin olive oil
2 T fresh lemon juice
1 T finely minced shallot or 1 T mashed roasted garlic
1/4 t salt
pepper to taste


Mix all ingredients together until well combined. Pour over salad and toss. Add pita chips and toss again. Serve immediately.


By the way, sumac is a wonderful herb to add to a fattoush salad. Get some at the Spice Station on Sunset.


Today's bounty included:

From Underwood Family Farms: romaine lettuce, bi-color corn, orange carrots, Hungarian bell pepper (pic above), yellow zucchini, cucumbers, bok choy, and avocados.


From Sage Mountain: Broccoli florets, collard greens, dandelion greens, arugula, and chard.


Cottage Grove provided the tomatoes - Early Girls pictured above. And Sweet Tree Farms provided peaches, plums, and nectarines.


And Silver Lake Farms provided arugula and mustard micro-greens, as well as new basil and cilantro micro-greens (cilantro pictured above). Sprinkle some of those basil micro-greens over your next Caprese Salad.

Enjoy!

Shelley

Avocado and Grapefruit Salad

collard greens

Here's what Farmer John had for us in Silver Lake this week:

Avocados
Golden Beets
Radishes
Negi green onions
Green chard
Russian kale
Collard greens
Tat soi
Red romaine
Arugula
Squash blossoms with baby zucchini
Lemons
Limes
Grapefruit
Sage, thyme, and oregano

Avocados love citrus. How lucky for us to get both this week!

Chatting with shareholder, Pam, she reminded me of a wonderful salad that makes a great side or main dish and uses several items from our haul today.

Avocado and Grapefruit Salad

1 grapefruit
1 ripe avocado
1 medium bunch red romaine leaves
1 C (or more) arugula leaves, loosely packed
1/2 C sliced sweet onion, such as Vidalia, or fennel
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1-2 T rice vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
toasted hazelnuts (optional)

1. Peel the grapefruit, leaving it whole, and cut out sections of grapefruit flesh in between the membranes (supremes) or pull the grapefruit sections apart and peel away the membranes, if desired. Set aside. Compost the peels and membranes.

2. Using an avocado that's ripe but not mushy, halve the avocado lengthwise. Remove the pit. Gently slice the avocado flesh lengthwise, being careful not to cut through the avocado peel. Scoop out the slices with a spoon. Compost the peel.

3. Wash the romaine and arugula leaves well in a basin of cold water. Spin or towel dry. Tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces. Place in a large salad bowl.

4. Add the onions or fennel, your best olive oil, the rice vinegar, salt and pepper to taste and toss until all the leaves are coated with the dressing. You can add the toasted hazelnuts here, if you're using them.

5. Add the grapefruit sections and avocado slices and toss gently. Serve.

This recipe makes 4 side salad servings. If you prefer oranges to grapefruit, this salad is just as delicious with fresh, ripe orange. Substitute 2 oranges for 1 grapefruit.

Omnivores can turn this salad into a delicious main course by adding shrimp. I like to marinate and grill my shrimp, so I start with raw shrimp. Peel the shrimp. Make a marinade of fresh-squeezed orange juice, rice vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, and chopped fresh tarragon. Pour over the shrimp and marinate for 1-2 hours (or overnight), then cook the shrimp on a grill (on skewers or in a grill pan), or sear them in a hot cast iron skillet on the stove top. Let them cool a moment then toss them into the salad with the grapefruit and avocado, or arrange them attractively on top of the salad.

Enjoy!

Shelley