Flatbread Salad with Warm Walnut Dressing
After years of living in the Middle East, I am totally hooked on the flat Arabic bread (or pitta bread) one can buy over here in this part of the world for just a few pennies. Absolutely delicious when fresh from the bakery and great if a day or two old when toasted or reheated in the oven.
For this recipe I give a guide line on quantities as I believe it is not always necessary to follow exact quantities when making this type of salad. If you love parmesan cheese slivers then put as much as you like – remember to use a potato peeler for this as it will cut the ‘sliver’ pieces perfectly! Follow the same thinking for all the other ingredients, and add as much or as little as you like.
This salad is truly one of my favourites, as I love the combinations; toasted garlicky bread, salad, and a warm walnut dressing on top… what could more delicious.
Ingredients
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Salad Ingredients
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1 large bunch of fresh rocket- washed and trimmed
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2 ruby red grapefruit- peeled and segmented
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100g Parmesan cheese- slivers
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Tomatoes- cherry tomatoes or the larger variety
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6 Lebanese cucumbers- peeled
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Black olives- handful
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Flatbreads
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3 large Arabic (pitta) flatbread
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60g fresh parmesan
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60ml extra virgin olive oil
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Warm Walnut Dressing
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2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
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200g walnuts
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Few sprigs of fresh rosemary- or 2 tsp Arabic herb Zaatar, or dried rosemary
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1 garlic- skin removed & thinly sliced
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Juice 1 fresh lemon
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Plenty of coarsely ground black pepper
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Splash of balsamic vinegar- or cider vinegar
Instructions
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Prepare parmesan flatbreads:
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01 Cut each flatbread into long strips. Brush each strip liberally with olive oil and sprinkle on the finely grated parmesan cheese. Place in a hot oven and bake until golden and crisp. Remove and store until required.
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Prepare salad ingredients:
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02 Wash and clean. Either thinly slice or chop cucumbers (a potato peeler is good if wishing to slice). Chunk or slice tomatoes. Segment the grapefruit and reserve the grapefruit juice for later as this can also be sprinkled over the salad.
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Assemble salad:
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03 Build the salad in layers using the flatbread crossing each other to build height. Finish off with shavings of fresh parmesan and the black olives.
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Make walnut dressing:
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04 Place 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil in a small saucepan and add walnuts, garlic and rosemary (or Zaatar) and heat oil over a low heat to infuse the flavours. When warm pour over salad and finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and cracked black pepper.
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Serve:
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05 As soon as the salad is covered with the warm dressing take to the table.
Notes
This is a great salad to show off your artistic flair – create a visual masterpiece using all the ingredients and remember to build height. Hold back the walnut dressing until the last moment. This is a hot liquid which will cook the salad leaves if left standing for too long.
