HOLY MOLY! While on a recent visit to Washington, DC, I stopped by an extremely significant spice store – Aditi Spice Depot – in Vienna, VA. While there, I met a wonderful Moroccan who over a cup of Chai – shared with me her family recipe for Zaatar. This is an exquisite Mediterranean spice mixture that will enhance just about any recipe you make! I am going to try it with a Thanksgiving turkey! BUM APPETITE! (oops, Bon Appetite!) This mixture is used throughout the Mid east and will go great with extra fine, extra virgin olive oil as a dipping sauce (Please – can anyone explain to me: Just how can an olive oil be a virgin?). ZAHTAR (AKA zaatar) Makes a scant 1/3 cup. AKA zaatar, predominately ground sumac, roasted sesame seeds, and green herbs, Zahtar is used to flavor meats and vegetables, or mixed with olive oil and used as a marinade for olives or as a spread for pita or flatbread - a tangy, slightly sour Middle Eastern replacement for a PBJ! The taste of a zaatar mixture can be herbal, or nutty, or toasty. Zaatar is both a family of herbs and an herb, Thymbra spicata, with a slight minty tendency,in the marjoram/oregano family. Some are salty flavored and quite rare, some are lemony. Zaatar is NOT sumac. What is sold commercially is often blended with sumac and lightly toasted sesame seeds, but the base of the zaatar blend is zaatar herbs. Marjoram is much milder than the oregano we usually find, Western blends usually use it along with oregano and thyme. In the East, thyme is Zaatar romi(roman zaatar), and oregano is Zaatar achdar(green zaatar) and so forth. Zaatar can also be the name of hyssop or a varied mixture of herbs. The commercial often contains three kinds of zaatar and sumac. 2 teaspoons oregano 2 teaspoons basil 2 tablespoons ground thyme 1 teaspoon whole thyme 2 teaspoons savory 2 teaspoons ground marjoram 1/2 teaspoons whole dry marjoram 1-2 tablespoons sumac berries, crushed (if available - see Middle Eastern delis) 1/4-1/2 cup unhulled, toasted sesame seeds, ground coarsely 1 1/2 teaspoons salt (or to taste) 1 tablespoon dried ground lemon peel or zest of two lemons, very finely minced Ideally, this is a little coarse. First grind the sesame seeds and crush the sumac separately. Then crush everything together with a pestle or the back of a spoon, or put it into a zipper plastic baggie, press out the air, seal, and roll over it with a rolling pin or the side of a quart jar until the desired mix and texture is achieved. While it is fresh, dampen a few tablespoons with olive oil, and add some hummus or crushed chickpeas if you like, to make dukkah. Spread on pita or flatbread, and bake or broil until hot through. Or work some into the top of fresh bread dough before baking. Green zahtar variation: Omit sumac and replace with ground and whole thyme or marjoram, fenugreek leaf (exotic flavor) or dried parsley.
Posted on: Tue, 25 Nov 2014 00:59:21 +0000
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