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shain

shain

Early dinner today (BTW, out of curiosity, do you usually eat dinner around midday or by evening?)

 

Fatayer pitta.

These are one of my two favorite "fast foods", the other being hummus (happily, those are the only fast food I really get to eat). While hummus is a weakly affair, those pittas are sadly less common on my table (so many tasty things - so little time :( ).

They are made in a near by town, at a small family business. They mostly sell vegetables during weekdays, but at weekends they prepare many cooked dishes and baked goods.

 

20160305_130254.thumb.jpg.25c9cdf2c927cb20160305_130334.thumb.jpg.00914c6760071220160305_131452.thumb.jpg.bab7dd1880dfc5

 

These are made using strong elastic pitta sough, rolled paper-thin and essentially laminated with good olive oil.

Then a variety of chopped seasonal herbs and plenty of spinach is layered on top. This time of year Iv'e noticed malva leaves (here it's called "hubezza", a wild mallow) and white chard.

The laminated dough is folded to enclose the leaves, rested, then stretched thin, with great skill, using only the two hands.

It is baked on a large flat gas fired saj oven (a domed sheet of metal used as a griddle, heated from below). It is grilled on very high heat from both sides, until charred in spots and mostly browned.
The high heat allows the dough to stay soft and mist, yet flavorful and crisp at the charred spots, very much like a Neapolitan pizza.
The leaves cook and soften inside and lose some green notes, yet retains their fresh herbal flavor. The plentiful high quality olive oil gives them  richness and also it's own flavor.

Served while still very hot, This bread is a meal of it's own.

 

Iv'e tried to make it myself a couple of times, but to inferior results. I am sadly lacking the proper oven, and more important, lacking the skill of of stretching the dough this thin after being filled.

 

Served with a tabbouleh salad, made with parsley from our garden, mint, cucumber, tomato, scallion, bulgur, plenty of lemon juice, sumac and olive oil.

20160305_121820.thumb.jpg.ce37f5acc1fe0b

 

Labbaneh with zaatar mixture made by a friend. Both are amazing, the cheese is perfectly tart and just slightly bitter. The zaatar is warm flavored, with dark toasted sesame, warm and herbal dry zaatar leaves and a little tart sumac.

20160305_125951.thumb.jpg.2765114c857bff

 

 

Ate it with tomatoes, onion and green olives (pickled with lemon, onion a little clove).

20160305_130527.thumb.jpg.d57b9baf0b36b920160305_125958.thumb.jpg.4d5d2d9de0e959

 

 

 

Also bought rice filled cabbage. Those will be for later on today. They are gently flavored with allspice, and perhaps something more.

20160305_130052.thumb.jpg.defca9a1916fa2

 

 

shain

shain

Early dinner today (BTW, out of curiosity, do you usually eat dinner around midday or by evening?)

 

Fatayer pitta.

These are one of my two favorite "fast foods", the other being hummus (happily, those are the only fast food I really get to eat). While hummus is a weakly affair, those pittas are sadly less common on my table (so many tasty things - so little time :( ).

They are made in a near by town, at a small family business. They mostly sell vegetables during weekdays, but at weekends they prepare many cooked dishes and baked goods.

 

20160305_130254.thumb.jpg.25c9cdf2c927cb20160305_130334.thumb.jpg.00914c6760071220160305_131452.thumb.jpg.bab7dd1880dfc5

 

These are made using strong elastic pitta sough, rolled paper-thin and essentially laminated with good olive oil.

Then a variety of chopped seasonal herbs and plenty of spinach is layered on top. This time of year Iv'e noticed malva leaves (here it's called "hubezza", a wild mallow) and white chard.

The laminated dough is folded to enclose the leaves, rested, then stretched thin, with great skill, using only the two hands.

It is baked on a large flat gas fired saj oven (a domed sheet of metal used as a griddle, heated from below). It is grilled on very high heat from both sides, until charred in spots and mostly browned.
The high heat allows the dough to stay soft and mist, yet flavorful and crisp at the charred spots, very much like a Neapolitan pizza.
The leaves cook and soften inside and lose some green notes, yet retains their fresh herbal flavor. The plentiful high quality olive oil gives them  richness and also it's own flavor.

Served while still very hot, This bread is a meal of it's own.

 

Iv'e tried to make it myself a couple of times, but to inferior results. I am sadly lacking the proper oven, and more important, lacking the skill of of stretching the dough this thin after being filled.

 

Served with a tabbouleh salad, made with parsley from our garden, mint, cucumber, tomato, scallion, bulgur, plenty of lemon juice, sumac and olive oil.

20160305_121820.thumb.jpg.ce37f5acc1fe0b

 

Labbaneh with zaatar mixture made by a friend. Both are amazing, the cheese is perfectly tart and just slightly bitter. The zaatar is warm flavored, with dark toasted sesame, warm and herbal dry zaatar leaves and a little tart sumac.

20160305_125951.thumb.jpg.2765114c857bff

 

 

Ate it with tomatoes, onion and green olives (pickled with lemon, onion a little clove).

20160305_130527.thumb.jpg.d57b9baf0b36b920160305_125958.thumb.jpg.4d5d2d9de0e959

 

 

 

Also bought rice filled cabbage. Those will be for later on today. They are gently flavored with cinnamon and allspice, and perhaps something more.

20160305_130052.thumb.jpg.defca9a1916fa2

 

 

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