Manakish with Cheese and Za'atar....savoury salty deliciousness

One of the things that I love about cooking is learning new things and the creativity that it allows me. To learn is to grow as the old adage says. Cooking the same old thing every day can become so very stagnant. Don't get me wrong...I do have my favourite old standby recipes that I fall to (Chana Masala for lunch anyone?) but I love finding something new and fun to create. And that is what cooking is to me: Creation. Enjoyment. Serenity. Calmness. Relaxation. It's my Zen-ness. My therapy.

Fast forward to my new cooking obsession: Middle Eastern Cuisine.  I'd like to say that I found this all on my own since it has been around for ages (like since before the time of the baby Jesus??? as said by a former-church-going-turned-agnostic-atheist...which is me). But I didn't. One of my lovely nieces (Haley) and her husband (Andy) sent me the most amazing cookbook, "Jerusalem" by Ottolenghi and Tamimi. It was kind of like the Oh She Glows Cookbook... the whole entire world knew about this cookbook and its author(s) before I did. Slightly embarrassing as someone who likes to cook and thinks of themselves as worldly. But apparently I am not.  And that's ok.  You are never too old to learn something new. And I do constantly on a daily basis. So after I was sent this most amazing, life changing, awesome cookbook, I spent some $$$ on the most fragrant and delicious spices from Silk Road Spice Merchant to  help me make the most of  these dishes. And they were well worth it. My quest became to make up for lost time and create as many recipes as I could find with these most fragrant of spices. Through the magic of Social Media, I found several friends who also have the same cookbook and they recommended their favourite recipes: Mejadra (yum! and co-worker envying fragrance when you heat it up for lunch),  Chicken with Onion and Cardamom Rice, and Cod Cakes in Tomato Sauce (Holy Crap Delicious!!!) You need to try these recipes out. I am serious. They are life altering. Not kidding.

And then the sous chef and I picked up the latest edition of Food & Wine (from the LCBO.) And there it was: Manakish with Cheese and Za'atar.  I oogled it for a couple of weeks. Finally the moment presented itself: Snowed in for a weekend in April due to an ice storm. We had the time; we had the spices: today was the perfect day to make it. So I did! Perfect brunch. Salty. Savoury. Delicious. Yes it does take some time to make up the flatbread but it was well worth it. I used parmesan instead of mozzarella (because I didn't  have the mozzarella), and I used curly parsley instead of the flat, simply because we had it and I like it more. Next time I may try some feta or cheddar, or maybe even mozzarella if I have it. I think whatever cheese you like shall do. Can't really go wrong with cheese. So good! It makes 6 little delicious parcels of flatbread. You can freeze the leftovers and reheat at 300F. It won't be quite as good as fresh, but it will still be way better than any other "fast food" you can buy.

Expand your repertoire and comfort zone. Variety is the spice of life as they say. Cheers from Bistro 164!

Manakish with Cheese and Za'atar

from Food & Drink Spring 2018

Serves 6
Za'atar (in case you don't buy it already made up)
2 tbsp sumac
5 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp toasted sesame seed
1 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp fine sea salt

Dough
1 cup lukewarm water, divided
1 tsp dry active yeast
1/2 tsp sugar
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella

Garnish
Parsley, whole leaves or coarsely chopped

1. For the za’atar, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl. Mix until evenly distributed. Transfer to an airtight container. (Za’atar will keep in a cool dark place for 6 months.)

2. For the dough, stir together ½ cup (125 mL) water, yeast and sugar in a mixing bowl. Let stand until mixture begins to foam, about 10 minutes. Stir in remaining ½ cup (125 mL) water, olive oil and salt. Gradually stir in flour until a shaggy dough forms—you may not need all the flour at first. Transfer dough to floured work surface. Knead, dusting with more flour if sticky, until dough is smooth and elastic, 7 to 8 minutes. Transfer to an oiled bowl large enough for dough to double. Place in a warm, draft-free spot until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

3. Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C). Line 2 heavy duty baking sheets with parchment paper.

4. Stir together za’atar and ¼ cup (60 mL) olive oil.

5. Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface. Divide into 6 equal portions. Form a portion with your fingers into a disc and place on lightly floured work surface. Dust with flour and roll a circle approximately 6 inches (15 cm) in diameter. Transfer to a prepared baking sheet. Repeat with 2 more portions of dough to get 3 rounds on a tray. For each round, smear half with 2 tsp (10 mL) za’atar mixture and sprinkle other half with ¼ cup (60 mL) mozzarella.

6. Bake on bottom shelf until bottoms are nicely browned, about 10 minutes. While manakish are baking, repeat with remaining 3 portions of dough.

7. Garnish with parsley if desired, and eat by folding it in half so each bite gets some cheese and some spice mixture.

Cheers!