In preparation for a black-eyed pea dish that I'll be featuring soon, I made this Middle Eastern spice blend. I am running out of room for all the homemade spice blends that I make, but I can never resist in any case. Widely used in the Middle East and North Africa, zahtar is a wonderfully tangy, zesty and salty blend of herbs, spices, seeds and nuts that's surprisingly hearty on its own. Often served for breakfast with bread after dipped in olive oil, this delicious blend can be enjoyed for a snack, lunch, dinner or whenever you please. Consider adding it to salads, with your vegetable dishes or included in your favorite dipping sauce. The possibilities are endless.I did some research and came up with my own recipe for zahtar (also known as za'atar or dukkah) based on ideas I found from A Life Time of Cooking and Kevin of Closet Cooking. Zahtar will keep in the fridge in a well sealed glass jar for several months. Your pulse should be rather coarse. Enjoy the aroma while making this blend, and try the exotic flavor just on its own.Sumac is the dried fruit of a temperature shrub ground to a powder and used extensively in Middle Eastern and Turkish cuisine. You can easily find it in any Middle Eastern or Asian grocer.Zahtar (Dukkah)Recipe by Lisa TurnerCuisine: Middle EasternPublished on February 3, 2012A tangy, zesty and salty blend of nuts, seeds, herbs and spices from the Middle East.Print this recipeIngredients:1/2 cup sesame seeds1/2 cup coriander seeds1 tablespoon cumin seeds1/2 cup walnut pieces1/4 cup sunflower seeds1/2 cup raw pistachios2 cinnamon sticks1 tablespoon black peppercorns1 teaspoon rock salt or sea salt2 teaspoons sumacpinch of dried marjoram1/3 cup dried fenugreek leavespinch of dried thymepinch of dried oregano1 teaspoon chili powderInstructions:In a frying pan, dry roast the sesame seeds, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, walnut pieces, sunflower seeds, pistachios, cinnamon sticks and peppercorns until fragrant. Grind together in a coffee grinder or food processor (I used my trusty magic bullet).Transfer to a small bowl and add the salt, sumac, marjoram, fenugreek leaves, thyme, oregano and chili powder. and stir until well combined.Yields approximately 1 1/2 cupsOther spice blends you may enjoy from Lisa's spicy kitchen:Curry PowderChat MasalaGaram MasalaOn the top of the reading stack: Ancient Grains for Modern Meals: Mediterranean Whole Grain Recipes for Barley, Farro, Kamut, Polenta, Wheat Berries & MoreAudio accompaniment: Horace AndyŠ Copyright 2007—2011 Lisa's Kitchen. For personal use only.If you are seeing this post on a site other than foodandspice.blogspot.com, it is being stolen.

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