Recipe from Samar by Stephan Pyles, Dallas
Tahini Sauce
1/4 cup tahini
1 cup Greek—style plain whole-milk yogurt
1/2 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
salt and pepper
Combine tahini, yogurt, and lemon juice in a small mixing bowl and whisk until smooth and creamy. Season it with salt and pepper and set aside.
Vinaigrette
2 tablespoons Spanish sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1/2 lemon)
zest of 1/2 lemon
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Combine vinegar, lemon juice, lemon zest, sugar, and Dijon mustard in a small mixing bowl. Whisk in olive oil, little by little, in a slow, steady stream, until vinaigrette thickens or emulsifies. Season vinaigrette with salt and pepper and set aside.
Salad
24 cherry tomatoes
1 English cucumber
1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
4 radishes
1/4 cup finely minced red onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1 small bunch arugula or 1/2 head romaine
2 cups toasted pita chips
Split cherry tomatoes in half and place them in a large mixing bowl. Peel cucumber and split it in half lengthwise. Remove seeds by scraping them out of the middle with a small teaspoon. Cut cucumber into 1/2-inch slices, and then chop them into a 1/2-inch dice. Add cucumber to tomatoes. Cut the bell peppers into eighths. Remove seed and ribs and add to cucumber.
Cut the tops and bottoms off radishes so they rest on the cutting surface without rocking. Slice them in half and then into quarters. Slice each quarter in half so that you have a 1/2-inch dice and add them to bowl of vegetables.
Stir in onion and herbs and season with salt and pepper. Chop the greens into 1/2-inch shreds and add them to salad. Crush pita bread with your hands so that you have bits of pita about the same size as the chopped vegetables. Set aside.
Garnish
2 teaspoons sumac
salt and pepper to taste
About 10 minutes before serving, toss vegetable salad with vinaigrette and crushed pita and season with salt and pepper. Place 2 tablespoons of tahini sauce on the bottom of each salad plate or bowl and top with fatoush. Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon of sumac over each salad and serve.
Serves 6 to 8.
