Afternoon Everyone,
I’m not going to talk
about the rain that’s coming for the next several days nor the subzero
temperatures we had this morning.
Instead I thought I’d give you a little information on our newest Culinary
Blend, Lebanese Za’atar.
Let’s start with the word
itself. Za’atar (ZAHT-ar) is a class of
herbs, and includes members of the thyme, oregano, and savory families. It’s
also a Middle Eastern herb blend, which may contain one or more of the za’atar
herbs. Of course there are endless variations of not only the spelling but also
what may be contained in a Za’atar blend.
Regardless of its local or
historical usage, “za’atar” has come to be used in the Middle East as a generic
term for any of a group of similarly flavored herbs that all belong to the mint
family. Za’atar herbs grow in similar
conditions and have similar appearances. These factors may have led the
indigenous to use one word for all the plants.
This can and has resulted in many disagreements over what Za’atar should
contain and/or taste like. Not to
mention spellings. Za’atar, za’tar,
zatar, zahtar, satar, zahatar, and za’ater are all used. Might have something to do with the fact that
Arabic languages don’t use the Roman alphabet and as a result transliterations
result. Pick one and be happy. You’ll be right regardless.
Our original Za’atar Blend
is primarily composed of Sumac with Thyme, Sesame, Paprika, Cumin, and Sea
Salt. After having done a fair amount of
research I’ve decided that it most closely resembles a Syrian version of
Za’atar. But ask someone else and they
may tell you that it should have less Sumac and more sesame and that it should
have a strong toasted flavor. To each
his own.
So I give you the new
Za’atar:
Za’atar ~ Lebanese
(Organic): Believed to stimulate the brain and improve memory retention, try
sprinkling on meats, vegetables, and breads, or mix with olive oil for use as a
dipping sauce. Makes a great addition to tomato sauce or blend with Kalamata
olives mixed with a little olive oil and topped with Feta cheese. Contains: Thyme Leaf, Hyssop, Sumac, Sesame
Seed, Oregano, Nigella, and Sea Salt.
This is a very different blend than our
original, and lends itself to several great uses. Here’s a couple of ideas for it.
Mana’eesh with Za’atar
Mana’eesh are like slightly more
solid pita breads and have endless uses
The Dough:
2 1/2 Cups lukewarm water
1 Tbsp. Yeast
1 tsp. Sugar
1 Tbsp. Sea salt
6 – 7 cups all-purpose or bread flour
The Topping:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup Lebanese Za’atar
Place the water in a large bowl. Sprinkle the yeast over the water, sprinkle
the sugar on top and let rest for 10 minutes, or until the yeast begins to
foam. Mix in the salt and half the flour. Add the rest of the flour one cup at
a time, just until the dough holds together. Knead the dough well (either by
hand or in a standing mixer), adding flour as necessary until the dough is
smooth and shiny. You may need more or less flour than called for in the
recipe.
Put the kneaded dough in a bowl that has been coated with olive oil, cover the
bowl with a dish towel, and place in a warm area to rise. Let the dough rise
for 1 hour, or until it has doubled in bulk.
Preheat the oven to 500°F.
Divide the dough into 12 pieces and pat or roll each piece into a 6” round
flatbread. Place the flatbreads on baking sheets with rims. Use your fingers to
dimple the tops of each flatbread. Let the flatbreads rest for 20 minutes.
Mix together the olive oil and Za’atar.
Dimple the flatbreads one more time. Divide the topping between the flatbreads,
about 1 Tbsp. each, and spread it evenly over the flatbreads’ tops.
Bake the
flatbreads for 8-10 minutes, or until the flatbreads are golden. Serve
immediately.
Alternatively you can add 2 Tbsp. of Za’atar to a 14 oz. can of diced tomatoes, some olive oil, and a little sea salt. Sauté this for several minutes until the flavors come together, and then use this as an alternative
topping prior to baking the bread. Get creative. We added sliced onions, some
ground lamb blended with Ras el Hanout and Feta Cheese and made a meal out of
them.
That’s it for this
week. That and I hate spell-checkers. A previous version of this went out to about 400+ clients with the word indigent instead of indigenous. World of difference.