Fresh za’atar at Ramla Open-Air Market
Chef Moshe Basson created this pungent, chunky pesto in just a few minutes, right under our eyes.
Za’atar (Arabic: زعتر, also romanized as zaatar, za’tar, zatar, zatr, zahatar or satar) is a generic name for a family of related Middle Eastern herbs from the genera oregano, calamintha, thyme, and savory.
It is also the name for a condiment made from the dried herbs, mixed together with sesame seeds, and often salt, as well as other spices and enjoyed as a seasoning or like salt in Middle Eastern cuisine. Used in Arab cuisine since medieval times, both the herb and spice mixture are popular throughout the Middle East and Levant. Today, Slow Food chef, Basson gives us his surprising and mouth-watering alternative: a recipe for za’atar pesto.
Za’atar Pesto Recipe
Ingredients:
1 cup toasted, blanched almonds
3/4 cup fresh, rinsed, za’atar leaves (in season right now at open-air markets), patted dry and stripped off the stalks
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon powdered sumac (rhus coriaria, an edible Middle-Eastern variety of sumac with a lemony flavor)
2 large, fresh garlic cloves
1 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
Method:
1. Place the almonds in a food processor. Whizz till they’re coarsely ground, not pasty.
2. Add the za’atar next. This sequence is important: if you grind the za’atar first, it will liquify too much. Process for a few seconds.
3. Add the salt, sumac, garlic cloves, olive oil, and lemon juice. Process for a few minutes, till you have obtained a spreadable pesto.
Enjoy it as a flavorful shmear on sandwiches, to top pasta as with basil pesto, or as a dip for raw vegetables.
And remember…za’atar is a protected plant in the wild, so buy it from a farmed source.
Wild Za’atar
More about pesto and sustainable agriculture in Israel here:
[…] pepper glue into a pan of nuts, trounce a bit into eggs for a spicy omelet, or desegregate it with za’atar, smear it on open pita halves and pop the bread into a hot oven to toast. Once you savor the […]
[…] display of spices in burlap bags kept invitingly open. You can almost inhale cumin, paprika, and za’atar; almost touch that day’s vegetables. The text has a warm, friendly tone and the gorgeous […]
[…] If you love the odorous bulb – and don’t mind your house smelling like a salami for a few days – now is the time to head out to the shuk and snatch up braided ropes of fresh garlic. Or braid your own, or simply hang it up to dry in a shady, dry place. It will keep for at least 9 months. Think of all the delicious recipes there are with garlic – like our za’atar pesto. […]
[…] Za’atar Pesto Recipe […]
[…] to create elaborate, expensive baskets to impress your neighbors. Home-made cookies and condiments like our za’atar pesto are more appreciated than tons of junky candy. At least, by the […]
Magic,
You can make this with fresh oregano leaves if you can’t get a hold of za’atar. It really is good! And if there’s one thing I love, it’s going through the open-air markets searching for fresh herbs.
Wow this sounds so good…And wow what a great looking market!
[…] find dried rose buds and rose water in open-air markets and Middle Eastern […]
[…] Here are some recipes to start you off: Creamy Eggplant Soup Butternut Squash Stuffed with Quinoa Za’atar Pesto Recipe from Israel’s Premiere Slow Food Chef AKPC_IDS += "19446,";Browse topics: activism, carbon footprint, sustainable food, Tel Aviv, Tel […]
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[…] Recipe: Za’atar Pesto […]
Agreed, this sounds delicious!
Agreed, this sounds delicious!
many thanks Miriam! Looking fwd to trying it….have to figure out where I can get bundle of the fresh hyssop/zaatar from in the UK!never mind, its wild garlic season soon……..
Something new and Middle Eastern: Za’atar Pesto recipe http://ow.ly/1oiTcY