my grandma’s famous za’atar recipe
Out of all the absolute delicious dishes my grandma, Sitto Layla, makes, my favorite is hands-down her zayt ou za’atar (olive oil + za’atar) at breakfast. She takes the classic za’atar spice mix and adds her own flare to it - with more spices, nuts, and just the right amount of olive oil to create a thick paste to spoon onto bread and bake as the accompaniment to the labneh, cheeses, veggies, and fruits as part of her huge breakfast spreads.
Missing my Sitto a little extra lately, I decided to make her za’atar at home. She explained the recipe to me over the phone, but I soon realized that it would make about a half-gallon amount of za’atar, and that the cup measurements were based off her mug in cupboard. So, after a lot of questions, and a little math, we have my Sitto Layla’s not-so-secret za’atar recipe.
You might be wondering, “what is za’atar?” Za’atar is a Middle Eastern spice blend made with the leaves of a plant in the thyme/oregano family, which gives it an herby, savory flavor. It’s typically combined with sumac, salt, and sesame seeds, and then mixed with olive oil, to create a spoonable paste. Across the Levant - Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Palestine - you’ll see different variations of za’atar used in different ways.
You also might be wondering, “how do I use this?” And the answer is, however you want! My Sitto always spoons it onto bread and bakes it for 10-15 minutes like a toast (you see who I take after), but you can also spoon it onto eggs, yogurt or cottage cheese, a roast chicken, salmon…you name it, you can spoon this glorious za’atar onto it.
a board full of all the goodies for a middle eastern breakfast
prep time: 10 minutes | cook time (if baking): 15 minutes
makes: 1 16-oz. jar
INGREDIENTS
1 cup za’atar (this one is my favorite)
1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped
1/4 cup pistachios, finely chopped
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1 heaping tbsp. ground cumin
1 tbsp. ground sumac (this one is my favorite)
1 tsp. aleppo pepper, cayenne pepper or chili pepper flake
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 1/2 cups high-quality olive oil
bread of choice, to spoon mixture onto
DIRECTIONS
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine all ingredients (besides olive oil & bread) and mix until well combined.
Add spice mixture to a clean 16-oz. jar with an airtight lid, leaving about 1” of space at the top. Slowly pour in olive oil, 1/2 cup at a time. After each 1/2 cup, mix oil into spice mixture. Continue until spice mixture is covered in oil (there are no dry patches), and oil covers the top about 1/2-inch. Cover and keep at room temperature, away from sunlight, for up to 1 month.
If baking onto bread (as shown in pictures), spoon za’atar mixture onto bread of choice, completely covering the top. Bake in a 350°F oven for 10-15 minutes, until bread is golden and toasty.
