Heritage Tomato, Peach and Za'atar-baked Pita Salad
the height of summer's spoils
August is always a little overwhelming on the food front. It’s the month of abundance, of gluts of fruit, of sun-ripe veg, bursting at the seams, and, most importantly, it’s the last month of summer.
I was gifted a Mainly Breakfast calendar for Christmas, which beautifully navigates the seasons through monthly summaries of in-season produce, complete with sumptuous drawings of everything from radicchio, to elderflower, to juicy heritage tomatoes. Whilst I’m completely rubbish at keeping it updated, it hangs on my wall as a mouth-watering reminder of everything I should be cooking with each month. July and August are by far the juiciest.
As the long evenings start closing in (sorry), and the back-to-school feeling creeps into my periphery, my cooking becomes a bit of a manic effort to make the most of summer’s last spoils. This salad is the result of this impulse, relying entirely on the juiciness of summer stone fruits and tomatoes. If you don’t have access to these, I probably wouldn’t bother, as you really need the natural, seasonal, sweetness to shine through. The pita chips are a fun addition, but if you’re totally purist you can easily omit. This is simple summer cooking at its finest.
Heritage Tomato, Peach and Za'atar-baked Pita Salad
serves 2 as a light main
2 rounds of pita
Extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp Za’atar
Maldon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 mixed heritage tomatoes, chopped into bite-size chunks
2 flat peaches, halved and thinly sliced
a handful of basil
a sprinkling of feta, to garnish (optional)
Preheat the oven to 150 degrees C. Using scissors, cut the pita into bite-size triangles (or whatever shape you fancy). Spread onto a large baking tray in one layer, drizzle liberally with olive oil and sprinkle with the za’atar and a large pinch of salt. Bake in the oven for 12 minutes, until crispy and golden brown.
Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the chopped tomato, peach and most of the basil and toss in 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. When the pitta chips are ready, add half to the bowl and toss again.
Spread the salad on a serving platter and finish with a sprinkling of the remaining pita chips, basil leaves, a further glug of olive oil and some crumbled feta, if desired.
Thank you so much for reading! If you liked the recipe (or the ramblings) I’d love to hear your feedback 💛and please do share the love using the link below.