*A version of this can be seen in our Botanica at Home: Za’atar video!*

This has all the bright, crunchy freshness of a traditional Levantine fattoush, plus a little somethin’ more (thanks to the kiss of smoke/sear on half the vegetables, a smear of tangy labne, and an addictively spiced vinaigrette). It’s an elegant centerpiece for a summer night, ideally served with a chilled Gamay by its side. The za’atar vinaigrette is a staple of ours; it really is delicious on everything.

At the restaurant, we change the components of the fattoush with the seasons; summer’s peaches and zucchini are swapped for persimmons and delicata squash in the fall. Some years we have peaches at the market at the same time as asparagus and snap peas, others we don’t. Add whatever is seasonal and delicious, and it will turn out great! We offer it topped with kofte-style spiced lamb, too, which makes for a beautiful, fresh-but-satisfying lunch or dinner.

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• 1¾ cups plain yogurt
• Sea salt
• 2 medium cloves garlic, grated or minced
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• Drizzle of olive oil
• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon runny honey
• 2 tablespoons za'atar
• 2 teaspoons sumac
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ cup olive oil
• 2 Persian cucumbers, 1 whole and 1 cut into uneven jewels
• 12 asparagus spears, woody ends trimmed off
• 1 red onion, quartered length-wise with some of the root left on each piece
• 1-2 summer squash, quartered lengthwise
• 24 snap peas, 16 whole and 8 sliced on the bias
• Olive oil
• Sea salt
• 2 thick slices of delicious bread, enough for 2 cups of croutons
• 2 tablespoons sumac
• ½ head fennel, shaved thinly on mandolin
• 2 scallions, sliced thinly on the bias
• 1 firm-but-flavorful peach or nectarine, cut in eighths
• 4 breakfast or easter egg radishes, thinly sliced
• 1 cup dill leaves (torn or chopped so ½-inch sprigs remain)
• 1 cup mint leaves
• 1 cup parsley leaves
• A big handful of pea tendrils*
• A big handful of purslane*
• Borage flowers

To make the labne: Line a strainer with cheesecloth and place it over a bowl. Stir a good pinch of salt into the yogurt, stir well, transfer it to the strainer, cover with a lid or plastic wrap, and strain for at least 6 hours (or overnight). Once strained, the labne should measure about 1¼-1½ cups and be be thick and creamy. (Reserve the leftover whey (strained liquid) for smoothies, soups, and vinaigrettes!) Combine the labne with the garlic, lemon juice, a nice drizzle of olive oil and another pinch of sea salt and stir well. Adjust seasoning as needed. (Every yogurt is different, so tweak the lemon and salt until the labne tastes delicious!)

To make the vinaigrette: Add everything except the olive oil to a bowl and stir well, then whisk in the olive oil. The dressing should taste bright and zippy with a gentle sweetness, without being too tangy from vinegar. Add more olive oil to balance if need be, and more za’atar if the flavor isn’t jumping out.

To make the salad: Halve the whole Persian cucumber. Toss it and the asparagus, red onion quarters, summer squash and whole snap peas in olive oil and lots of salt. Grill (cut-side-down for the cucumber and the summer squash) until there’s some char on the vegetables, but they still have a nice bite to them. Trim the root end of the onion and separate the petals; halve the asparagus on the bias, cut the cucumber and summer squash into 1½” pieces, and leave the snap peas whole.

Toast or grill the bread and cut it into medium (1-2”), crouton-ish hunks. Warm a hearty splash of olive oil in a pan, add the bread pieces, and toast for another minute or two, until nice and olive oil-y golden. Shower the bread with sumac and sea salt and toss well to thoroughly coat. Transfer to a bowl and reserve.

To compose the salad, combine the grilled vegetables, raw cucumber and snap peas, shaved fennel, scallions, peaches, radishes, herbs, tendrils and purslane in a bowl and gently toss with the dressing (start with ½ cup of dressing and add more from there, if needed). Taste and season with another squeeze of lemon, a sprinkle of salt or a sprinkle of za’atar, as desired. Add the sumac croutons and toss again.

Spread the labne across one side of a serving plate and, using your hands, gently pile the salad over it (a partial yogurt moat, sticking out on one side, is what you’re going for here). Give everything a final sprinkle of za’atar and sea salt and garnish with borage (tastes like cucumber!).

*Arugula and/or frilly mustard greens are great substitutes

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