{recipe} fattoush salad

I am just back from a weekend away in the English countryside, Shropshire.  I must admit I have not been much out of London since I have been living in the UK (to my defense I was travelling far too much outside the country for my previous job that I was spending weekends in my home in London or going back home in France to visit my family). So I was quite in awe when I discovered the venue when I got there, Redford Farm Barns in Chee Hill, a 15-min drive from Ludlow. I will be posting more photos later as it is such a magical place.It was nice break after the recent events in my family which were quite emothionally intense over the last few months.

There, I attended Danielle Acken‘s food photography workshop. It was nice to spend some fun time with a lovely group of fellow photographers and foodies. Our first assignment was to prepare, style and shoot a recipe in teams of two, all of us different ones, which altogether ended up being our lunch. Roasted lamb with potatoes and Tzatziki, fattoush salad and spring crumble with strawberries and rhubarb. Tami, our talented food stylist who was teaming up with Danielle, was also of great advice for food to look great and photogenic. Last but not least, we had access to beautiful props: Jude’s farm in itself is a place full of kitchen treasures and Kim had brought a massive lot of beautiful ceramics from Sytch Farm Studios.

I particularly liked the idea of roasting the pita bread which gives a nice crunch to the salad. I had never done before…I guess I love too much my French baguette! So here I am sharing the recipe for you to enjoy too!

Bon appétit!

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Prep time: 15 min Cooking time: 10-15 min – For 10 people

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Ingredients

Salad
• 1 pint assorted cherry tomatoes
• 1 english cucumber
• 1/2 red onion
• 1 red pepper
• 1 avocado
• 6-8 Greek style pitas
• 1 bunch fresh oregano, chopped roughly
• handful of mint, chopped roughly
• 1/2 cup vinaigrette
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 200 g. crumbled Greek style sheep’s feta
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Vinaigrette
• 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 2 tsp. honey
• 1 pinch sea salt

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Method

To make the vinaigrette, place all ingredients except the extra virgin olive oil into a bowl – whisk to combine thoroughly. Slowly pour in the olive oil whisking constantly to emulsify.
The vinaigrette can be stored in the fridge for up to a week.

Cut the pita breads into thin triangle slivers and toss with olive oil, sea salt and pepper and spice if you like. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake at 375°F/190°C until golden and crispy but not burnt – about 10-15 minutes.

Cut all vegetables into chunky bite sized pieces – cherry tomatoes can be cut in half or quarters depending on size.

In a large salad bowl, mix the vegetables, oregano, olives, and lettuce together with the vinaigrette and 2/3 of the feta. Softly toss in the pita crisps and then garnish with remaining feta.

Serve immediately.

 

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Props: choping board, plate, mini bowl and saucer by Sytch Farm Studios.

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Thanks for reading!