Photo by Goran Kosanovic for The Washington Post
This is a mash-up of two traditional Mediterranean salads. It gets its primary flavors from a Greek salad, with feta, scallion, dried oregano and plenty of cucumber and tomato in a lemon-olive oil dressing. And it owes its hearty crunch to a Middle Eastern fattoush, a salad that originated as a way to use up day-old pita and involves tossing shards of the toasted flatbread with dressed crisp greens, vegetables and herbs.
In the interest of keeping the kitchen cool on a hot summer day, the recipe uses store-bought pita chips rather than pita bread toasted in the oven. The salad makes for a satisfying lunch or light dinner, but it’s also nice as part of a mezze spread — with hummus, roasted vegetables, olives and stuffed grape leaves, for example.
Greek Salad With Crispy Pita
Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon finely grated zest and 2 tablespoons juice from 1 lemon
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 large head romaine lettuce, leaves torn into bite-size pieces (about 5 cups lightly packed)
2 cups lightly packed baby spinach leaves
1/2 large English (seedless) cucumber, cut in half lengthwise, then thinly sliced into half-moons
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, each cut in half
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 scallion (white and green parts), thinly sliced
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (1 cup)
2 ounces whole-wheat pita chips (about 24), broken into pieces
Directions
Whisk together the oil, the lemon zest and juice, oregano, salt and pepper in a medium bowl to form a dressing.
Toss together the lettuce, spinach, cucumber, tomatoes, parsley and scallion in a large serving bowl. Add the feta, the toasted pita chips and the dressing. Toss well to coat and incorporate; serve right away.
Serves 4
Per serving: Calories 240; Total Fat 16g; (Sat Fat 5g); Protein 9g; Carb 19g; Fiber 5g; Cholesterol 25mg; Sodium 520mg; Total Sugar 5g (including 0 g added sugar)
