Lebanese Summer Squash and Chickpea Salad with Sumac and Toasted Pita

Trim the squash and zucchini, then shave them lengthwise into long ribbons with a vegetable peeler, stopping when you reach the seedy core. Pile the ribbons into a colander, toss with the fine sea salt, and let them drain over the sink for 20 minutes.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 medium yellow summer squash
• 2 medium zucchini
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 small red onion, sliced paper-thin
• 1 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup mint leaves, torn
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic, finely grated
• 2 teaspoons ground sumac, plus more for finishing
• 2 large pita breads
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta (optional)

Instructions

1. Trim the squash and zucchini, then shave them lengthwise into long ribbons with a vegetable peeler, stopping when you reach the seedy core. Pile the ribbons into a colander, toss with the fine sea salt, and let them drain over the sink for 20 minutes.
2. While the squash drains, tear the pita into rough bite-sized pieces and toast them in a dry skillet over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes, tossing often, until crisp and freckled with brown. Set aside to cool.
3. Squeeze the drained squash ribbons gently between your palms to release the last of their liquid, then spread them on a clean towel and pat dry. This step is what keeps the finished salad from turning watery.
4. Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, grated garlic and sumac in the bottom of a large bowl until the dressing looks slightly thickened and cloudy.
5. Add the squash ribbons, chickpeas and sliced red onion to the bowl. Toss with your hands, lifting from the bottom, until every ribbon is coated.
6. Fold in the parsley and mint, then taste and adjust with more lemon or salt — the salad should taste sharp and green, not shy.
7. Just before serving, scatter over the toasted pita and the feta, if using, and dust generously with more sumac. Serve immediately so the pita keeps its crunch.
8. Sumac, the tart crimson berry ground into powder across the Levant, does the work that vinegar does elsewhere — it brightens without thinning the dressing, and its faintly resinous sourness is unmistakably Lebanese. This salad follows the logic of fattoush, where stale flatbread is revived by dressing rather than thrown away, but leans on August squash instead of the usual tomato and cucumber. Raw squash gets unfairly ignored; shaved thin and salted, it turns silky and takes on dressing the way pasta does, which is exactly what makes this a lunch worth repeating all month.

Nutrition (estimated, per serving)

• Calories: 398 kcal
• Protein: 12g
• Fat: 23g
• Carbohydrates: 38g
• Fiber: 9g
• Sugar: 7g
• Sodium: 620mg