Bread salad tangy, flavorful

“Tartine All Day: Modern Recipes for the Home Cook” by Elisabeth Prueitt (Lorena Jones Books, $40) is a book you will want to refer to for recipes that are refreshing, creative and doable. I can’t wait to go back and try dishes like aquachile with shrimp and scallops, avgolemono, and cider caramel pork ribs. I selected fattoush, a Middle Eastern version of Italian panzanella, for you to try while the tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers are at their height of the season.

Fattoush is usually made with toasted pita and a melange of colorful vegetables, then finished with the tangy spice sumac. Here the author switches out the go-to Middle Eastern pita bread for country-style bread. You can also use a ciabatta or baguette. The bread is oven-toasted with a drizzle of olive oil to give it flavor and texture.

The vegetables should be cut the same size for ease in eating, and the sumac adds a unique tangy lemon flavor. In many cuisines you’ll find dishes that cleverly repurpose cooked staples like rice, tortillas and bread in delicious ways. Think fried rice, tortilla soup or chips, and bread salads or puddings.

This is an easy salad to put together for a light meal along with some roasted baby eggplant. You’ll find a substitution for using pita bread below, if you prefer. Don’t be afraid to add other veggies you like, including carrots, celery, avocado or artichoke hearts. Makes: 6 servings Note: You can substitute 4 rounds of day-old pita bread, also torn into irregular pieces, for the country-style bread. Proceed as directed for the country-style bread. slices country-style bread tablespoons olive oil tablespoon sumac tablespoons warm water tablespoons red wine vinegar cup olive oil teaspoon sea salt, plus more as needed Ground black pepper red or yellow bell peppers, cut into 1/2-inch pieces red onion (or 1/4 if large), cut into 1/2-inch slices tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch dice small Persian cucumbers, cut into 1/2-inch dice radishes, very thinly sliced bunch mint, coarsely chopped Heat the oven to 350 degrees. To make the croutons, pull the bread apart into large, irregular pieces, about 1-inch square. Toss in a bowl with the olive oil, spread out in one layer on a baking sheet and toast in the oven until golden, about 10 minutes. Set the croutons aside to cool. Mix the sumac and water and set aside for 10 minutes. Whisk together the red wine vinegar, olive oil, sea salt, pepper and sumac water; set aside. Toss the bell peppers, red onion, tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes and mint together with the croutons. Dress with three-quarters of the dressing, adding more as needed, and serve. If making the salad ahead, dress the vegetables without the croutons and keep refrigerated; add the bread 10 minutes before serving.