The basic recipe consists of sesame seeds, dried thyme, sumac and salt. The exact amounts are not terribly important so adjust for your tastes. The proportions I tried came from combining recipes from multiple sources:
2/3 cup toasted sesame seeds
1/2 cup dried thyme
1/4 cup sumac
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp dried marjoram
2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 tsp paprika
In a mortar and pestle, grind together half of the sesame seeds and all the other ingredients. Do this in batches as there will be too much to do in a single go. Mix in the rest of the sesame seeds. This can be stored in an air-tight container in the fridge for a few months.
The za'atar can then be used in heaps of ways and goes well with many different food:
- Brush turkish bread (pide) or flatbread with olive oil, cover with za'atar and put under the griller for 5 minutes to make za'atar manakish. I added some blobs of lebneh to make it tastier.
- Dip bread in good olive oil and then into the za'atar for a tasty snack
- Add to scrambled eggs or roast tomatoes topped with za'atar
5 comments:
I hearby annoint you an honourary leb (lebanese). Normally, no one makes za'atar unless you were born to it...
p.s.: Mix the za'atar in with some olive oil and use as a dip for bread.
I like to dip pide in some good olive oil and then dunk it in the za'atar. It's probably less messy than mixing it ahead of time and keeps the guests busy.
But why can't a non-lebanese made za'atar???
We have a carton of Labneh in the fridge at this very moment! We get it from our local Iranian store in NDG: cheap, delicious, adds thickness and taste to sauces.
In Sydney, people seem to sell labneh as a gourmet item. $14 for a small jar of labneh is extortion so I'd rather make it myself.
WHAT??!! Extortion indeed! Don't you have a little Persoan grocery store somewhere (or would that only be in Melbourrne?)
Post a Comment