1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tomatoes, finely chopped, plus extra to garnish
3 tbsp za’atar
small bunch of thyme, finely chopped
salt and black pepper
TO SERVE
1 ripe tomato, finely chopped
few sprigs of thyme
toasted sesame seeds
extra-virgin olive oil, to drizzle
Put the yeast in a bowl and add a pinch of the sugar. Pour in half the water and set aside for 5 minutes to allow the yeast to activate.
Sift the flour into another bowl, make a well in the middle, add the yeast mixture, then the remaining sugar, the rest of the water, the oil, milk and salt. Stir together to make a dough, then knead on a board until smooth. Put in a clean bowl, cover and set aside to rise for 20–30 minutes.
To make the topping, heat the oil in a medium saucepan and cook the onions over a low heat for 10–15 minutes, until softened. Stir in the garlic, season well and cook for 1–2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook for about 10 minutes until they have broken down and softened, and the mixture looks juicy. Add the za’atar and thyme, increase the heat a little and cook for 3–5 minutes to thicken slightly.
Preheat the oven to its highest setting; it needs to be very hot. If you have a pizza stone, put it in now. Or use two large baking sheets.
Next, shape the dough. Divide it into three pieces and roll each piece into a round. To create a pattern round the edge, crimp the dough using your thumb and forefinger, holding a little bit of the outside edge and pushing into the dough with the forefinger of the opposite hand to create a pattern. Do this all the way round, then crimp the edges on the two other rounds of dough.
Once the pizza stone or baking sheets are hot, slide the dough on to them. Spoon the tomato mixture on top, spreading it out to the side, then bake in the oven for 7–10 minutes until the bread is golden.
Once cooked, slide the flatbreads onto a board. Scatter over the chopped tomato, thyme and sesame seeds, and drizzle with olive oil.
This man’ousha, topped with spinach and feta, is a recipe given to us by the mother of Firas, one of the Syrian chefs who bakes and makes patisserie for us. Once I tasted it, I just had to put it on the menu, so we added it the very next day. (see here for photo.)
MAN’OUSHA SABANEGH WA JABNAT AL FETA
SERVES 6
FOR THE DOUGH
1 tsp dried yeast
1 tsp caster sugar
100ml lukewarm water
250g white bread flour
1 tbsp vegetable oil
50ml milk
½ tsp salt
FOR THE TOPPING
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
pinch of sumac, plus extra to sprinkle over at the end
400g spinach leaves
1 lemon, halved
75g feta, crumbled
30g pine nuts
salt and black pepper
TO SERVE
small handful of fresh pomegranate seeds
small handful of mint leaves
pomegranate molasses, to drizzle
extra-virgin olive oil, to drizzle
Put the yeast in a bowl and add a pinch of the sugar. Pour in half the water and set aside for 5 minutes to allow the yeast to activate.
Sift the flour into another bowl, make a well in the middle, add the yeast mixture, then the remaining sugar, the rest of the water, the oil, milk and salt. Stir together to make a dough, then knead on a board until smooth. Put in a clean bowl, cover and set aside to rise for 20–30 minutes.
To make the topping, heat the oil in a medium frying pan and cook the onion over a low heat for 10–15 minutes until softened. Stir in the garlic, season well with salt, pepper and the sumac, and cook for 1–2 minutes more. Add the spinach to the pan and squeeze in the juice of half the lemon. Cook for a couple of minutes more, stirring the spinach around in the pan so that it wilts in the heat. Rest a sieve over a bowl, spoon the mixture into it and allow it to drain. This ensures that the man’ousha will not end up soggy.
Preheat the oven to its highest setting; it needs to be very hot. If you have a pizza stone, put it in now. Or use two large baking sheets.
Next, shape the dough. Divide the dough into three pieces and roll each piece into a round. Once the pizza stone or baking sheets are hot, slide the pieces of dough on to them. Spoon the spinach mixture on top, spreading it out to the side, then scatter over the feta and pine nuts. Bake in the oven for 7–10 minutes until the bread is golden.
Once the flatbreads are cooked, slide them on to a board. Scatter over the pomegranate seeds and mint, and sprinkle with sumac. Drizzle over the molasses and extra-virgin olive oil. Squeeze over a little more lemon juice and serve.
‘Kaak’ in Arabic means ‘bread’, and these, with their distinctive handbag shape, are at their best fresh from the oven. Topped with sesame seeds, they are thinner than other breads, but you can prise them open and fill them with anything – salty feta and slices of juicy ripe tomatoes are always good in my book. You can see the shape in the photo.
KAAK BIL SEMSSOUM
MAKES 6
150ml tepid water
12–15g dried yeast
50g sugar
500g white bread flour, plus extra for rolling
10g salt
1 medium egg
100ml vegetable oil, plus extra for greasing
sesame seeds, to sprinkle
FOR THE EGG WASH
2 medium eggs
1 tsp white wine vinegar
Pour half the water into a bowl and sprinkle over the yeast. Add a pinch of the sugar and stir everything together. Set aside to allow the yeast to activate for 5 minutes.
Sift the flour into a large bowl and stir in the rest of the sugar and the salt. Make a well in the middle and add the egg and oil. Whisk the egg to break it down. Pour the yeast mixture into the middle, rinsing out the bowl with a little of the remaining water so that all the yeast goes in. Pour the rest of the water into the flour mixture.
Mix all the ingredients together to make a rough dough, then tip it on to a board and knead well until it’s really smooth. This will take about 5–10 minutes,. Put into a clean bowl, cover and leave in a warm place for about 40 minutes.
Divide the dough into six equal pieces. Take each piece and roll it in the palm