Spinach Salad with Tahini-Dressing, Sumac Pita and Pomegranate. Introduce your taste buds to something tasty tonight! If you’re not already familiar sumac, it’s a taste treasure often used in Middle Eastern cooking. It’s also one of the main ingredients in the tangy, herbaceous spice mix za’atar (along with roasted sesame seeds and dried herbs).
Sumac has a bright, tangy lemon taste and has long been used in Europe in place of lemon juice as well as to season grilled meat and fish and add tartness to classic dishes like rice and salads. If you haven’t tried it, I recommend you go spice hunting — immediately!
This salad — cause I love salads and can’t get enough of them or making them — was inspired by a dinner at colleague’s place just recently. With a celebration of vegetarian dishes, along side sumac pita chips, she served a fabulous kale salad, which sadly is now a week later…is out of season! The downside of a mild winter. I never thought I would utter such words. Normally kale is available in Germany all the way through to March but with a balmy 10° here… adiós kale, it was short but sweet, see you next winter.
So…the inspiration…well…every couple months colleagues and I do something called “Eimsbüttel Cribs”. Remember MTV Cribs? You know, the show where celebrities open the doors to millions of viewers to show off their million dollar pads, car collections and overly-stocked refrigerators. Well, our “cribs” is the modest version of that. At the time, we all lived in the same neighborhood and somehow initiated the start of what has become a tradition of showing off our pads and cooking for each other. Two years strong. Thanks again, for yet another delicious evening!
Spinach Salad with Tahini Dressing
This gorgeous spinach salad with tahini dressing and spiced sumac pita garnished with pomegranate seeds is bright and delicious! Lime and soya sauce add a fresh Asian flair. Try pairing with kale as an alternative. Serves 4 as a side, or 2 as a main.
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 2 pitas (about 100g), roughly torn into 2-3 cm pieces
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons sumac (found at Turkish, Greek and Mediterranean markets)
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 100 g baby spinach leaves, tough stems removed
- seeds from 1/2 pomegranate, garnish
For the dressing:
- 1 tablespoon tahini
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon soya sauce
- juice of half a lime (alternatively, juice of half a lemon)
- 1 small clove garlic, minced
Method
-
In a large skillet, heat butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add pita pieces, stir to coat and cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring all the time, until pita is golden brown and crunchy. Remove from heat and toss together with sumac and salt. Set aside to cool.
-
In a small bowl, mix together the tahini, olive oil, soy sauce, lime juice, and garlic, until well combined.
-
Place the spinach leaves in a large bowl. Add the dressing and mix to combine thoroughly with the spinach. Add the toasted pita and toss gently. Transfer the salad to serving plates and sprinkle with the pomegranate seeds. Serve and enjoy!
Did you try this recipe?
Then tag @ellerepublic on Instagram and hashtag it #ellerepublic
How did you like it?
Please let me know how this Spinach Salad with Tahini-Dressing, Sumac Pita & Pomegranate recipe turned out for you! I would love to hear how you liked it. Simply rate it with the stars above ⭐or leave me a comment and rate it below.
Did you make any changes to this recipe?
If you have tips for other readers, let me know! It helps me and other readers so much. Sharing is Caring :-).
