Feasts From the Middle East

2 onions, finely chopped

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 (#litres_trial_promo) for photo.)

FETA & SPINACH FLATBREADS (#ulink_a45469e3-5373-53c1-ac4d-af80ce8083cd)

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.