Perfect Fattoush Salad

In the Middle East, this chopped salad is eaten at almost every meal. Should yours include radishes, peppers or both? And is it a no-no to add feta?

Ingredients

• 2 stale pitta or other flatbreads
• 1 garlic clove
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1/2 tbsp cider vinegar
• 3 tbsp good olive oil, plus extra to grease
• 1 tsp sumac, plus extra to sprinkle
• 500g ripe mixed tomatoes
• 3 small cucumbers or 1 large one
• 2 spring onions
• 25g flat-leaf parsley
• 15g mint
• 100g purslane (optional)
• 100g radishes

Directions

Heat the oven to 200C. Toss the pitta with a little olive oil, then bake for about 15 minutes until crisp. Allow to cool slightly, then break into shards.

Meanwhile, crush the garlic clove and put in a jar with the lemon juice, vinegar, oil and sumac. Season and shake well then leave to infuse until the salad is finished.

Meanwhile, cut the tomatoes into irregular chunks and the cucumber (deseeded if the large variety) into rough 1.5cm dice. Finely slice the spring onions and pick the leaves of the herbs and roughly chop. Pick the leaves of the purslane but leave whole. Combine in a large bowl.

Toss the dressing with the salad, then, just before serving, cut the radishes into quarters and use to top the salad, along with the bread and a final flourish of sumac.