Green Fatoush
I claim no authenticity for this particular fatoush: I’ve certainly never come across an avocado in a Middle-Eastern recipe, but I love the soft bland clay against the sharpness of the chillies and lime and the crunch of the lettuce and shards of toasted pita.
CostInexpensive
Total Timeunder 30 minutes
Recipe Coursecold appetizer, side dish
Dietary Considerationvegetarian
Mealdinner, lunch
Moodtired
Taste and Texturecreamy, crunchy, herby
Type of Dishsalad
Ingredients
- ¼ cup finely sliced scallions
- 2 long green chillies
- 1 head of Romaine lettuce
- Zest and juice of 1 lime
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Sea salt
- 2 pita breads
- 1 ripe avocado
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- ¼ cup chopped mint
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 450°F.
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Finely slice the scallions, deseed the chillies and cut into very fine rounds and put both into a bowl.
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Discard the outer leaves of the lettuce and then tear it into pieces adding to the bowl. Whisk the lime and oil in a small bowl and add a sprinkling of salt.
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Open the pita breads up lengthways so that you have four very thin halves, and lay them on a baking sheet. Toast them in the oven for about 5 minutes to give them a bit of crunch, they will also turn a golden brown color – but keep an eye on them, as they might burn. Take the pita breads out and leave them to cool.
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Halve the avocado, remove the pit and then using a spoon, scoop pieces of avocado on to the bowl of lettuce. Dress the salad with the lime and oil dressing and add most of the chopped herbs before tossing with your hands to combine. Snip with scissors or break the crispy pita bread with your hands into rough triangles, add most of the pieces to the salad and toss again before decanting to a serving bowl or platter. Scatter with the remaining herbs and toasted pita.
2004 Nigella Lawson
