Name: Pita Bread Salad with Cucumbers, Cherry Tomatoes, and Fresh Herbs
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 1 medium cucumber, peeled and seeded, cut into small dice; Salt and ground black pepper; 4 pita breads, 6-inch size, several days old, torn into 1/2-inch pieces; 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved; 6 scallions, trimmed and sliced thin, including 2-inches of green; 1/4 cup minced fresh mint leaves; 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro leaves or minced parsley leaves; 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil; 6 tablespoons lemon juice from 2 large lemons

Why This Recipe Works

For our bread salad recipes, we recycled good-quality day-old bread to create Mediterranean-style dishes. We found that sourdough or a sturdy peasant bread, including pita bread, was needed for a good bread salad recipe. Airy, unsubstantial bread became soggy very quickly.

Before You Begin

This simple version of fattoush is dressed with the juice of fresh lemons instead of vinegar, which gives the salad a lovely, refreshing tartness. While draining the cucumbers is an extra step, it keeps the salad from becoming soggy.

Instructions

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Put cucumber in colander; sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Place weight (such as zipper-lock bag filled with water) over cucumbers; drain to release most of liquid, about 30 minutes. Rinse and pat dry.

Put bread pieces on baking sheet; bake until crisp but not browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to large bowl; add cucumber, tomatoes, scallions, and herbs, and toss well. In small bowl, combine oil and juice and salt and pepper to taste. Add to large bowl, toss again, and serve immediately.