Middle Eastern Vegetable Salad
Ina Garten and Jeffrey were in London and from what I remember from this episode Ina was exploring the London food scene as she discovers delicious Middle Eastern food from Ottolenghi. It looked delicious when I first saw it and it’s time for me try making it.
Ingredients
- 10 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
- 1 pound ripe tomatoes, seeded, cored, and 1/2-inch-diced
- 1 hothouse cucumber, halved lengthwise, seeded, and 1/2-inch-diced
- 1 can or jar (12 to 16 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
- 1/3 cup julienned fresh basil leaves
- 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (4 lemons)
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup good olive oil
- 8 ounces good feta cheese, 1/2-inch-diced
- Toasted pita bread, for serving
Place the scallions, tomatoes, cucumber, chickpeas, parsley, mint, and basil in a large salad bowl and toss to combine.
In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the lemon juice, garlic, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Slowly whisk in the olive oil to make an emulsion. Pour the dressing over the salad, tossing gently to coat all the vegetables. Add the feta, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss gently. Serve the salad with the toasted pita bread.
Tip: If you don’t want a raw garlic taste sauté in olive oil without browning it.
A fantastic salad!! This dish is great: healthy, light, and super flavorful. I was really surprised at the amount of flavor this dish had and was pleasantly surprised. It seems like a lot of herbs and a lot of scallion (onion flavor, but it all works in the end. Very fresh, refreshing and a ton of flavor. The blend of herbs is a delight for the mouth. It’s easy, affordable and well balanced in nutrition. Makes a beautiful presentation. I don’t know why the feta cheese crumbled but here is what it should look like. Aside from it crumbling it still tasted good.
It has lots of fresh herbs, with a burst of flavor from the mint and would be great as a dinner salad, a side salad or easy for a potluck. I still have some salad left and I am going to broil a little chop to along with it or roast shrimp. This will be a staple item for me.
Ciao for now!