Za'atar...

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.