I'm really not sure about the spelling here! There was a restaurant in my town that served this - they spelled it this way. It was also called a Mediterranean breakfast pizza. It was basically a prepared pizza crust, covered with this spice mixture that was made into a paste with olive oil. It also had sesame seeds. It was covered with diced fresh tomato and onion, then drizzled with more extra virgin. It was delicious, and I can't find it anywhere on the web. I'm looking for information on the spice mixture, of course. Any recipes or information out there?|||MANOOSH BI ZAATHAR
2 lb. basic dough
3/4 c. zaathar
3/4 c. oil
1/4 c. simaq
After dough has risen, divide into 10 balls. Allow to rise again. Roll into small circles. Allow to rise 15 minutes. Oil cookie sheet. Place circles on sheet. Spread zaathar oil and simaq mixture on top. Use the fingers to make dents all over the top with mixture. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes.
Za'atar
My first find is a herby, spicy mix called za'tar (Arabic word for wild thyme) that's enjoyed across the Middle East, Turkey and North Africa. There are many ways to spell zatar or zaathar, or za'tar, and similarly recipes differ too.
Rarely sold as a single herb, it is usually packaged as a combination of several herbs and flavours with thyme and sumac the main ingredients. If you can't find it in the Middle Eastern section of a deli, try this recipe:
Mix 4 tablespoons dried thyme with 2 tablespoons ground sumac (or use grated lemon zest), 2 tablespoons toasted white sesame seeds and a pinch or two of salt.
Sometimes zatar is mixed with paprika, hyssop (an aromatic minty plant), olive wood, marjoram, or oregano. Traditionally, zatar is served with pita bread and olive oil - dip the bread in the oil and then the herb mix and tuck in. Pita bread baked with a zatar topping and a splash of olive oil is absolutely delicious. Or make a paste of the oil and herbs, sprinkle generously on a serving of salty cheese, like feta or Bulgarian; sprinkle over ripe tomatoes; dust over thick Greek yoghurt or add to a yoghurty mayonnaise for a vegetable dip. Zatar also makes for a wonderful alternative to the ubiquitous European mixture known as herbes de province in recipes for roast chicken or beef, or lamb stew
Simaq is another word for SUMAC!!!
Along with yoghurt, lemons and pomegranates, sumac is one of the key ingredients that provides the sour flavours characteristic in Middle Eastern food. Sumac is used extensively in cooking in the Lebanon and Syria and also in Iran, Iraq and Turkey.
The sumac shrub grows wild throughout the eastern Mediterranean. However, it is the berries of this shrub which are ground to make sumac itself. It ranges in colour from dark purple to rich red. Sumac has a pleasant salty lemony taste and a mild astringency that gives a refreshing tartness to food. Store it in an airtight container in a cool dark place.
Use sumac as a condiment for all barbecued or grilled meats or fish. Follow the Iranian custom and put a small dish of it on the table for everyone to sprinkle over their food. In Iranian cookery, sumac is often used sprinkled over kebabs.
Make some za鈥檃tar (or zaatar or zahtar), the Lebanese spice mix used as a dip for flat bread. Za鈥檃tar is also the word for wild thyme which is available from Middle Eastern food shops (or email rawnrg@xtra.co.nz for the name of your nearest supplier). Make the za鈥檃tar when you need it so it stays fresh. Recipes vary but try mixing together 1 part sumac, 2 parts wild thyme, 2 parts toasted sesame seeds and season well with salt. Use it with a bowl of olive oil and warm flat bread. Dip pieces of bread into the oil, then the za鈥檃tar and eat.|||I have it is very good. here is my mom's recipe:
dough
zatar
virgin olive oil
take some dough and roll it into a ball and flatten it. and then take zatar and add olive oil to it and mix it then spread it on the dough and put it in the oven until crunchy.
tatastes best with mint, tomatoes, and cucumber.
ENJOY!!!
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