Manakeesh with Zaatar and Cheese (Middle Eastern Flatbread with Thyme and Cheese)

Some of my favorite memories from living in the Middle East involve food. Particularly in Syria where the people were so hospitable and the food was so fresh and delicious.

When walking down the street, you often pass bakeries with a variety of amazing baked goods, including these little mini "pizzas" with a variety of toppings. They are called Manakeesh and they are a typical quick lunch or snack. But you don't just find them in the city. Go for a drive in the country, open your windows and you will smell these delicious flat bread baking in the stone, tandoor type ovens long before you even see them. 

Manakeesh can have a wide variety of toppings and they can be filled and folded over, kind of like a calzone. My favorites are the classic Zaatar with Cheese or the folded over Spinach Manakeesh.  Zaatar is a spice combo involving dried thyme, sesame seeds, salt, and the middle eastern spice, sumac. (Sumac is a spice made from red berries that are ground into a powder. It gives a subtle lemony flavor and is used a lot in middle eastern cooking. If you can't find it, you could substitute some lemon zest.) Alternatively, you could find already mixed Zaater in middle eastern grocery stores. Add some olive oil to form a paste, and eat it with Arabic bread, cheese and olives for a very typical middle eastern breakfast. Or use that paste on top of your Manakeesh!

Homemade Chili Oil

I love a little bit of spice. And so often I find myself sprinkling chili flakes onto my pizzas or dipping bread in olive oil flecked with chili.

But besides dried chili flakes, I have a new favorite pantry staple… Homemade Chili Oil. It is so easy to make, and you get a much more intense and dispersed chili flavor. Drizzle it over your pasta before serving or spice up your garlic toast. I think you will find this oil indispensible in your kitchen!

Homemade Chili Oil

Makes 1/2 cup

2 tbsp chili flakes

1/2 cup Vegetable Oil

Sterilized jar (boil in water for about 10 minutes to sterilize).

Heat oil to about 225 degrees. Add chili flakes. Let cool to room temperature and pour into sterilized jar, straining if desired.

Store in fridge for up to a month. When the oil starts to become cloudy, discard.

The Perfect Pizza

I am not perfect. And neither is this pizza. It isn’t perfectly round and the toppings aren’t perfectly even, but it is delicious and homemade. And that makes it far better than any take away kind.

This pizza can be made just as easily as picking up the phone and ordering one. Plus, it is topped and cooked just the way I like it. Just enough cheese, perfect seasonings, and a thin, crisp crust.

So, in my eyes, it is perfect.

The Perfect Pizza

Makes 2- 10 inch pizzas

For the crust

1 cup White Flour

2/3 cup Whole Wheat Flour

1 tsp Salt

2 1/4 tsp Instant Yeast

3/4 cup Warm Water

1 tsp Olive Oil

In a large bowl, combine the flours, salt, and yeast. Make a well in the middle and pour in the water and olive oil. Mix until the dough starts to come together. Turn out onto a floured board and knead for 3-5 minutes until a smooth dough is formed. Shape into a ball and place back into the bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled in size (about 30-45 minutes).

Once doubled, punch down the dough and divide into 2 balls. Roll out into rounds about 1/4 inch thick. Place the dough onto a pizza stone if you have, or a baking sheet.

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Top the crusts with your favorite toppings. I like the following combinations:

- a thin layer of tomato paste on the base, thinly sliced tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella cheese

- anchovy fillets, sliced onions, dried oregano, and mozzarella topped with an egg (the egg is cracked onto the pizza when it has only about 3 minutes left to bake)

Place the pizza in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until golden. Enjoy!

Yummy Grilled Pizza

During my travels in Canada visiting my family, I was introduced to many interesting food ideas. Some of these ideas were from restaurants, but majority were from good old home cooking. It's interesting because I really love to read menus and eat in restaurants. I love to hear about different flavor combinations, to taste new ingredients and to forecast restaurant trends. However, it's the home cooking that gets me everytime. Why? Because it's so simple. Simple flavors and simple execution.

Today's recipe is a perfect example of this. Introduced to me by my sister and executed to perfection... the grilled pizza. Sounds interesting, right? Yes it is. And here are all the reasons why:

1. You get a crispy crust every time

2. When it's hot and you don't feel like turning on your oven in your already roasting appartment/house/dwelling, moving outside and turning on the grill sounds like a great idea

3. Less clean up. I am not actually sure if there is less clean up than the conventional pizza method, but it certainly is minimal. Especially if your toppings are only prepared on the grill. 1 dough bowl, 1 pizza pan, 1 cutting board and knife, and the grill (which really shouldn't be that dirty)

4. Great conversation topic. People will ask you about the grilled pizza... about the dough, how to get it on the grill, how to make it crispy, what toppings to use etc etc. Talk about an ice breaker!

5. Great to make a few big sharing pizzas or to make a bunch of pancake sized individual pizzas

6. Healthy. No oil needed to grill to veggie toppings or the crust (except for the small amount already in the crust).

So, are you interested in trying this recipe? Please do. I have been inspired to try it and love the results!

Grilled Pizza Recipe
The DoughMakes 2 large crusts or lots of little ones

Adapted from the book "Pizza on the Grill" by Elizabeth Karmel, Bob Blumer

1 cup Warm Water
1 tsp Honey
1/4 cup Olive Oil
2 ¼ tsps Active Dried Yeast
1 cup Whole Wheat Flour
2 cups White Flour
¼ tsp salt

In a large bowl, measure out water, honey, and oil. Sprinkle in yeast and let it rest in a warm place until foamy on top.

In another bowl, mix together flours and salt. Add to the liquids slowly, ensuring that it's well incorporated. Add more water or flour as necessary to make a soft and slightly sticky dough. Turn out dough onto a floured surface and knead just until smooth (about 1 minute. Do not overwork!).

Place the dough in a clean, oiled bowl. Drizzle the top with olive oil and ensure all sides are coated. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for about an hour until doubled in size.

After doubling in size, punch the dough down and knead again on a floured work area for a few minutes until smooth. Divide into two balls.

Note: you could also incorporate herbs or olives to the dough during the final kneading

The Toppings
This is where you can be creative and use whatever toppings you love or that inspire you. For summer, think fresh, light colorful ingredients. Grilled veggies, fresh herbs, grilled chicken... whatever you desire.

For our pizzas, we used grilled aubergine, asparagus and zucchinni with caramelized onions, crushed garlic, sundried tomato pesto, and grated mozzarella.

The Assembly and Cooking

1. Preheat the gas grill on medium heat with the cover on.

2. Roll out the dough ( I like mine really thin- about 3-4 mm thick)

3. When the grill in hot, place the pizza dough directly on the grill and close the lid. Leave the lid closed for about 3 minutes so that the dough rises and the bottom is golden brown.

4. Remove the crust from the grill and flip over so the grilled side is up. Top your pizza with your chosen toppings. Reduce heat on grill to med-low and put the pizza back on the grill. Close the lid and let cook for about 7 minutes until bottom is brown and cheese is melted.

5. Enjoy!