For a fresh lunch or dinner, whip up this halloumi fattoush recipe by noted cookbook author and Catskills resident Alexis de Boschnek.
Cookbook author and Catskills resident Alexis de Boschnek has plenty to show for her career as a recipe developer: two books, features in foodie pubs Bon Appétit and Epicurious, videos from her position as a senior test kitchen manager at Tasty, and more. With her latest release, Nights and Weekends, de Boschnek provides readers with dozens of dinner ideas that come together quickly without sacrificing taste—a skill she’s mastered as the caretaker of Uplands, a 100-acre regenerative farm in Delhi. Read on for an easy weeknight meal.
Halloumi Fattoush
Course: SaladsCuisine: LebaneseDifficulty: Easy4
servings5
minutes15
minutesFound all over the Middle East (and beyond!), there are so many iterations of this popular Lebanese salad. While tomatoes, cucumbers, and fried bread are the constants, I like gussying up my version with a showering of herbs, radishes, and a garlicky sumac-spiked dressing. To make this salad more substantial, there’s enough seared halloumi for every bite.
Ingredients
2 pitas, roughly torn into 1-inch pieces
6 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt
Zest and juice of 1 lemon (about 2 Tbsp juice)
2 garlic cloves, grated
1 tsp pomegranate molasses (optional)
1 tsp ground sumac
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 (8-ounce) packages halloumi cheese, cut into ¼-inch-thick slices and blotted dry with a paper towel
2 heads baby romaine, sliced into ½-inch pieces
3 Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced
2 medium watermelon radishes, or 4 red radishes, thinly sliced
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
½ cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
½ cup coarsely chopped fresh mint leaves
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Place the pitas on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and season with 1½ teaspoons of the salt. Bake until the pita is golden brown and crispy, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.
- Whisk together the lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, pomegranate molasses (if using), sumac, pepper, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt in a glass measuring cup or small bowl to combine. While whisking, slowly drizzle in the remaining ¼ cup olive oil and whisk until smooth.
- Heat a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the halloumi and cook, undisturbed, until golden brown on the bottom, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip and cook until the other side is golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Let cool slightly, then tear the halloumi into bite-size pieces.
- Combine the crispy pita, fried halloumi, romaine, cucumbers, radishes, tomatoes, parsley, mint, and scallions in a large bowl and drizzle with the dressing. Use your hands to toss the salad and serve immediately.
Notes
- Notes: If you can’t find halloumi, crumbled feta can be swapped in; just leave out the frying part. The dressing can be made up to 3 days in advance and stored in an airtight container at room temperature. Make sure to give it a good whisk before serving. Leftover salad can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
