Spiced Buttermilk Salad

The first time I saw a Caesar salad served with quartered heads of lettuce, I was horrified! Since then, I have come to embrace the “lazy lettuce method,” as I now call it. While this isn’t a classic Caesar (it pains me to eat a salad with more calories and fat than a burger), it is a lovely variation, and the eggs make it a complete and rather filling meal.

Ingredients

• 4 eggs

• 2 pitta breads

• 2 large Romaine lettuce, quartered lengthwise

• 1 long shallot, thinly sliced

• 4 radishes, thinly sliced

• 1 heaped teaspoon sumac

For the spiced buttermilk dressing

• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk

• 1 teaspoon ground coriander

• 1 teaspoon garlic granules

• 1/2 teaspoon celery salt

• 1 generous tablespoon olive oil

• freshly ground black pepper

Bazaar: Vibrant Vegetarian Recipes by Sabrina Ghayour

Directions

First make the buttermilk dressing. Mix the buttermilk, coriander, garlic granules, celery salt, and olive oil in a small bowl and season with some black pepper. Set aside.

Half-fill a saucepan with water, cover, and set over medium-high heat. Once the water reaches a rolling boil, carefully lower in the eggs and boil for 6 minutes. Drain the eggs, then place them under cold running water to arrest the cooking process. When they are cool enough to handle, peel and then halve each egg.

Toast the pitta breads in a toaster until they have dried out, then cut into small cubes. (Alternatively, cut the pitta into cubes, place on a baking pan, and bake in a preheated oven at 350°F for 12 minutes.)

Arrange the lettuce quarters in a large serving dish. Arrange the egg halves in the bowl, followed by the sliced shallots and radishes. Drizzle with the dressing, sprinkle with the sumac for a final flourish, and serve.

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