Middle Eastern Pita Salad

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            FOOD FUNNY
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Thanks to "Doggypaddler" for this bit of silliness:

A guy and a girl are having a drink together in a bar. The man
raises his glass and says, "Here's hoping you're in Heaven ten
minutes before the devil knows you're dead!"

"What's that mean?" asks the girl.

"That," answers her date, "is an authentic Irish toast."

"Oh. Well, here's to bread, eggs and cinnamon."

"Bread, eggs and cinnamon? What's that?"

The girl says, "That's French toast."

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            TODAY'S RECIPE
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Think of this bread salad as a Middle Eastern version of the Italian
panzanella.

Middle Eastern Pita Salad (Fattoush)

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced
1 tsp (5 ml) salt
2 7-inch (17 cm) pita breads, halved horizontally
3 tomatoes, chopped
1 green bell pepper (capsicum) cored, seeded, and chopped
6 scallions (spring onions), green and white parts, chopped
1/2 cup (125 ml) chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbs (30 ml) finely chopped fresh mint
1/3 cup (80 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup (60 ml) fresh lemon juice
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Toss together the diced cucumber and salt. Place in a sieve and
let drain for 30 minutes. Press the excess water out of the cucumber,
rinse briefly, and pat dry with paper towels. Bake the pita breads
in a preheated 350F (180C) oven until crisp and lightly browned,
about 10 minutes. Break into small pieces and set aside. Combine
the cucumbers, pita toasts, tomatoes, bell pepper, scallions, parsley,
and mint in a bowl. Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic,
salt, and pepper and pour over the vegetable mixture, tossing to
combine. Serve immediately. Serves 4 to 6.
Received on Tue Jun 6 04:38:48 2006