Hello there! ‘Tis really and truly the season, isn’t it?
I feel as though it’s been days since I’ve gotten to bed at a reasonable hour, drunk anything that didn’t come from a just uncorked bottle, or eaten a meal that didn’t end with cookies.
And it isn’t even New Year’s yet!
Which is terrifically fun. Obviously. Though is it horribly dull of me to say I’m ready to get back to our quieter everyday routine? What can I say, I’m a cancer. Home and hearth is where my heart is.
Plus, I’m looking forward to putting my shiny new Christmas gifts to use!
My family tried (and semi-succeeded) in going mildly minimal on gifting this year. That is to say, we gave presents that were things people needed (socks! Oh my gosh, I love socks! And I’m not even saying that in a sarcastic voice. I reeeeaally love getting socks as a present. Somehow I always need them.) or that were really high quality and would earn their keep with use.
Joel and I, under our chosen guise of Vikre Distillery and its special holiday subsidiery companies Vikre Confections and Vikre Saltworks, made tasty edibles and drinkables to give as gifts. On the receiving end I acquired some exciting new food-relatedgifts as well(surprise), like fancy oils and vinegars, some gorgeous cookbooks, a new blender (a serious necessity), plus a foraging knife and German glass egg coddlers (also necessities, clearly).
As I am nothing if not eager and suggestible, there is a high probability that our meals for the next couple of months will be heavily peppered with coddled eggs, foraged ingredients (in winter in Minnesota? Hmm. Well, it’s worth a try.), blended soups, and the cuisine of a particularly vibrant city in the Middle East.
Why not start today?
I am so drawn to so many of the dishes in Jerusalem, it leaves my head spinning. The flavors of garlic, lemon, parsley, mint, and spice rubs simply seep out through the pages. Think caramel sweetroasted butternut squash and red onion with za’atar, silky eggplant rubbed with charmoula and piled with herby bulgur, lemony leek meatballs.
Yet in spite of all this, there was not a shadow of a doubt in my mind when I opened the cookbook to try a first recipe, the one I would use would be Na’ama’s fattoush.
The fattoush in the book is not really fattoush in the strictest sense of the word at all, but rather Sami Tamimi’s mother’s (named Na’ama) brilliant take on the chopped bread and vegetable salad. This atypical version uses a mildly tangy, comfortingly creamy buttermilk like dressing, lashed with just a bit of garlic and lemon juice. It’s a bit like panzanella was introduced to a chopped cobb salad. (And they quickly decided to move in together and then basically live happily ever after.)
My version is even farther from your standard fattoush, but more fit eating during the far end of December when eating tomatoes and cucumber sounds about as appealing as putting ice down your back (to me at least).
I had a large tupperware of winter vegetables that I had tossed together and roasted to save them from a sad, wilted end amidst all of our holiday eating elsewhere. I tossed them with toasted shards of naan bread and filled in the gaps in crunch and freshness with bundles of chopped fresh herbs.
Then I swathed it all generously in milky white yogurt dressing and said a happy thank you to Na’ama, wherever she may be.
Winter Vegetable Fattoush adapted a good bit from Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi (serves 4-6)
Don’t be afraid of all the ingredients! For the most part, once you have them lined up, you’re just stirring them together.
- 1 cup thick Greek-style yogurt
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 large, stale Turkish flatbread or naan
- about 6-8 cups mixed winter vegetables, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (I used a quarter of a very large cauliflower, two carrots, one sweet potato, a parsnip, a small golden beet, plus some chunks of red cabbage)
- 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- 2 Tbs. lemon juice
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 1 Tbs. sumac (if you can’t find sumac, use lemon zest from the lemon you squeeze for the juice)
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the yogurt and the milk. Set them aside in a warm place while you prepare the rest of the salad.
- Heat your oven to 425F. Spread the vegetables out on two rimmed baking sheets. Drizzle them generously with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and then use your hands to toss them until they’re coated with the oil. Pop them into the oven and roast them, stirring once or twice during the process, until they’re tender, about 20-25 minutes. Then, remove the vegetables from the oven and set them aside.
- While the vegetables are roasting, put the red onion in a small bowl and stir in the apple cider vinegar and a generous pinch of salt. You can add a pinch of sugar too, if you’d like. (You’re basically quick pickling the onion.)
- Toast the breads until they’re brown and crispy, then tear them apart into bite-sized pieces. When you’re ready to assemble the salad (you can serve it slightly warm or wait for the vegetables to fully cool, your choice), drain the vinegar off of the onion. Now, toss everything together (including the garlic and lemon juice) in a very large salad bowl. Taste and add more salt if you wish. Drizzle the salad with olive oil and serve.
- This salad will keep for a couple days in the fridge, though the bread pieces will get pretty soggy. But, they’re supposed to be a bit soggy. However, if you prefer you can always toss the vegetables with the dressing and no bread, and just add bread pieces to each serving each time you serve the dish.
Tagged: Jerusalem, lemon, light, Middle Eastern, mint, naan, Ottolenghi, parsley, yogurt
§ 30 Responses to Winter vegetable fattoush
chef mimi says:December 29, 2012 at 8:04 pm
Looks fabulous!
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- Emily (Kuross) Vikre says:
January 1, 2013 at 12:23 pm
Thank you!!
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- The Petite Chef says:
December 29, 2012 at 8:36 pm
I, too, am a cancer and even though I love Christmas, I’m a little relieved it’s over. Lovely dish, I will have to look for that cookbook.
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- Emily (Kuross) Vikre says:
January 1, 2013 at 12:23 pm
Yay! Always nice one someone understands. 🙂
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- Dorcas says:
December 30, 2012 at 2:29 am
I just got this book too and love your interpretation of this recipe! Perfect for our cold, damp days here in Western Washington. Thanks so much.
- Emily (Kuross) Vikre says:
January 1, 2013 at 12:24 pm
Thanks! I’m glad you think so. And I can’t wait to try my hand with other recipes in the book as well.
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- Seven Second Rhapsody says:
December 30, 2012 at 4:03 am
I recently came back from a trip to Istanbul and this recipe really brought back a pang of longing for some of my favourites dishes! Looking forward to trying out this recipe.
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- Emily (Kuross) Vikre says:
January 1, 2013 at 12:24 pm
I hope it brings back good memories when you try it.
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- www.flowersonmyplate.de says:
December 30, 2012 at 5:56 am
That sounds great and will be saved. I received “Plenty” for Christmas and I´m also blown away by all the colorful, vibrant and flavor-bursting recipes in there!
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- Emily (Kuross) Vikre says:
January 1, 2013 at 12:25 pm
Yeah, I just love Ottolenghi’s work. It’s very inspiring.
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- Grace M. Ho says:
December 30, 2012 at 3:21 pm
This is the perfect complementary dish to serve at my book club’s next read, “My Michael” by Amos Oz, which takes place in Jerusalem. And yes, will opt to add the Turkish bread on the side. I’ll use a wonderful Brooklyn-baked Turkish shepherd’s bread sold in a local grocery store.
Thank you for the New Year inspiration!Reply
- Emily (Kuross) Vikre says:
January 1, 2013 at 12:26 pm
So cool! I hope you enjoy it! (And boy do I wish I had access to fresh baked Turkish bread without having to bake it myself. Yum!)
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- Cat in my Bag says:
December 30, 2012 at 7:37 pm
What beautiful pictures! I’d love to try this recipe, it looks delicious! Y xo 🙂
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- Emily (Kuross) Vikre says:
January 1, 2013 at 12:26 pm
Thanks so much!
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See AlsoTomatoes and Feta With Chickpeas
- Margo says:
December 31, 2012 at 12:31 pm
Em – We just made a fresh batch of yogurt last night and now I’ll try to whip up a dish along these lines! Thanks for another great idea!!
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- Emily (Kuross) Vikre says:
January 1, 2013 at 12:26 pm
Yay! (p.s. Today is going to be a yogurt soup day. I can’t wait!)
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- Emily (Kuross) Vikre says:
January 7, 2013 at 11:06 am
Thanks!
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- rayandskye says:
January 2, 2013 at 6:16 pm
WOW! This looks and sounds delicious! Definitely adding to my list of things to make. Thanks!
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- Emily (Kuross) Vikre says:
January 7, 2013 at 11:06 am
Enjoy!
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January 3, 2013 at 2:04 pm
I love fattoush! This version is genius…ps Happy New Year 😉
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- Emily (Kuross) Vikre says:
January 7, 2013 at 11:06 am
Thanks so much Winnie! And happy New Year to you too (slightly belatedly!)
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- Caitlyn Granath says:
January 4, 2013 at 6:59 pm
Now this sounds like a salad-like dish I could handle on these cold, dreary days. So many bloggers have spent the last week posting cold, summery salads and every one of them makes me shiver just from the photos!
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- Emily (Kuross) Vikre says:
January 7, 2013 at 11:07 am
I feel the same way!
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- laurent says:
January 9, 2013 at 2:40 pm
Another great and tasty recipe! Thank you. I’m starting to be seriously hooked to your blog 🙂
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- Emily (Kuross) Vikre says:
January 11, 2013 at 11:22 am
Well, that’s fine by me! 😉
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- Iris says:
February 3, 2013 at 10:53 am
Do the lemon juice and garlic go into the dressing? Or did I miss something in the instructions?
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- Emily (Kuross) Vikre says:
February 3, 2013 at 11:44 am
Yes they do. Sorry! I may forgotten to write that step – poor editing on my part! 🙂 I’ll fix it, if it’s not there. Thanks for the catch.
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- Iris says:
February 3, 2013 at 12:05 pm
That’s what I guessed and I made it this morning omitting the bread (as I’m taking it to a friend who’s recovering from surgery and not sure she’ll eat it today). Very tasty but I can see that it will need the toasty breads because there’s a LOT of dressing in there. Also thinking about not cutting the veggies that small next time I try it. What do YOU think?
- Emily (Kuross) Vikre says:
February 3, 2013 at 12:20 pm
I cut the vegetables that small to mimic a traditional fattoush, which has finely chopped summer vegetables. But it would definitely work with the veggies in larger pieces as well. I’d say go with your personal preference. And yes, the toasty bread definitely helps make it feel less heavily dressed, though the amounts there are also something you can adjust to personal preference.
Emily (Kuross) Vikre 
Dorcas 
Seven Second Rhapsody 
Grace M. Ho 
Cat in my Bag 
Margo 
Caitlyn Granath 
Iris 