Place the shredded cabbage, carrot, red pepper and celery in a bowl with the sugar, salt and wine vinegar and toss. Allow to to cure for 15 minutes (or a bit longer).
Now take handfuls of the salad and place in a strainer and squeeze-dry of excess liquid and place in the bowl. Continue to squeeze the remaining salad then drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and toss.
Adjust seasoning with salt, wine vinegar and toss once again and serve immediately (add some chilli flakes if you like some heat).
NOTE:If you want to prepare ahead, cut/shred the vegetables and place covered in your fridge and add the sugar, salt, vinegar about 20 minutes before serving.
Fattoush Salad makes a frequent appearance on the Middle Eastern dinner table. A simple chopped salad dressed in a zesty lime vinaigrette. Homemade pita chips serve as croutons! See the video and step-by-step for how to make fattoush below.
Toast the pita bread in your toaster oven until it is crisp but not browned. Heat 3 tbsp of olive oil in a large pan. Break the pita bread into pieces, and place in the heated oil. Fry briefly until browned, tossing frequently. Add salt, pepper and ½ tsp of sumac. Remove the pita chips from the heat and place on paper towels to drain.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the chopped lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, green onions with the sliced radish and parsley.
To make the dressing, whisk together the lemon or lime juice, olive oil and spices in a small bowl.
Dress the salad with the dressing and toss lightly. Finally, add the pita chips, and more sumac if you like, and toss one more time. Transfer to small serving bowls or plates. Enjoy!
NOTES
Variations: fattoush salad dressing often include pomogrante molasses. If that's available to you, add 1 to 2 teaspoons to the dressing. For the salad, you can also add more herbs or other greens such as arugula (not traditional to fattoush but wonderful!)