Loquat Fattoush

Fattoush, originally a salad to make use of stale bread in the same vein as panzanella, meant an extra search for me, for pittas. Luckily, I managed to track down some fried pitta squares; meaning I didn’t have to do any frying or, alternatively, baking to create the desired crisp bread shards required for this Levantine salad. I made mine a loquat fattoush.

The loquat, or nispero in Spanish, is a sure sign that spring is here and I find myself adding it to many a salad; until the the flat peach (paraguayo) come into season. As with all the ingredients for this – or any other – salad, quality is important: the tomatoes should be flavourful and ripe; the cucumber should be small and firm; the radishes should be peppery – ideally with red flecks running through their crisp white interior. Buy fruit and vegetables loose – not in sealed plastic bags or, even worse, on polystyrene trays in sealed plastic bags.

If you can’t find fried flatbread/ pitta you can make some yourself – well bake some! Simply brush your flatbread/s on both sides with olive oil and bake in a hot oven for 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before smashing into bitesize pieces.