Syrian cuisine is in love with salads, especially the variety that are chopped. The numerous vegetables come together in a variety of textures and individual flavors. The dressing is very light, lime or lemon juice and olive oil, allowing the fresh vegetables to shine.
This is a super simple salad that has beautiful flavors and filled with textures. The salad is visually beautiful from all the mixed colors of the vegetables, reds, greens, and oranges giving this salad a vibrant and healthy feel and look on the table. The herbs add all the flavor, the cheese adds some creaminess and salt to the salad and lime a subtle tartness. Healthy, beautiful and flavorful is how I would describe this salad, one I loved.
Greg and Lucy Malouf have traveled across the Middle East extensively, publishing a number of specialized cookbooks along their journey. This cookbook specializes in Syrian cuisine with a modern flair, a thick volume filled with amazing recipes, like this one, and photographs. I have cooked a few, definitely not enough, recipes from this book and each is spectacular. I need to complete the collection of their cookbooks, oh I wish I had a larger cookbook budget. This book is for those who are looking for spectacular Syrian cuisine.
For more delicious recipes from this cookbook click here.
Ingredients:
1 head lettuce, Romaine or red-head, left whole or chopped
1 cup mint leaves, roughly chopped
1 cup parsley, roughly chopped
1 small onion, finely minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
2 carrots, in small cubes (optional)
3 baby cucumbers, Lebanese cucumbers if available, partially peeled and cubed into small bite-sized pieces
1 cup red radish or mooli, peeled and cubed into bite sized pieces
Juice of 1 lime or lemon + to taste
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt, to taste
Sliced or crumbled shanklish cheese or feta or aged goat's cheese
Toss all the vegetables in a bowl. If keeping the lettuce as whole leaves, set aside.
When ready to serve, add the lime juice, olive oil and salt to the chopped vegetables and toss together. If the lettuce leaves are separate, line a wide bowl with the whole leaves. Add the salad mix to the center and top with cheese. Serve.