This is a Lebanese bread salad combining fresh herbs and leaves with crisp croutons. If you are taking it on a picnic then pack the pitta bread pieces separately and mix everything together at the last minute so you have the contrast of textures.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 2 pitta breads
• 50g (1¾ oz) clarified butter
• Juice of 2 small lemons
• 1 cucumber, seeded and sliced
• 4 spring onions, finely sliced
• 1 green pepper, finely chopped
• 5 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• Lettuce leaves
• 1 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley
• 1 tbsp roughly chopped coriander
• 1 tbsp chopped mint
• Salt
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Method

Brush the pitta breads with the clarified butter and place in a half-size AGA baking tray, lined with Bake-O-Glide.

2, 3 and 4 oven AGA: Cook in the roasting oven on the second set of runners down for 5-8 minutes until browned and crisping, then turn the pitta breads over and cook for a further 5 minutes.

Cut the pitta bread into small pieces. Place in a bowl and pour over the lemon juice. In a larger bowl mix together the salad ingredients then add the bread and lemon juice and mix well.

Check the seasoning and serve immediately, so the bread still has some crispness.

Conventional cooking: Cook the pitta bread in the oven set at 220ºC (425ºF), fan oven 200ºC, Gas Mark 7 for about 8-10 minutes in total, turning over after 5 minutes or until brown and crisp.

Tip: Clarified butter is used as it has the ability to take a higher heat without burning than ordinary butter. To make clarified butter, place butter into a bowl and put it at the back of the AGA to melt.  The butter will separate on melting - use the top clear part and responsibly discard the solids.