LEBANESE BREAD WITH SPICES

One of my best friends has watched me talk about wanting to have my own garden for a few years now. As I live in a cozy but small apartment that gets NO sun, this has proved impossible a task for me. In an effort to inspire me, she gave me the endearing cookbook ‘The Edible Balcony’ by Indira Naidoo, which imparts wisdom about how to grow fresh food in very small spaces. As work, exercise, my partner, family, friends and cooking has taken over my life since my 24^th birthday in January this year, I have not been able to conquer or even begin this massive but rewarding task of constructing my very own garden. At the very least, I have made a few of Indira’s unique and homemade recipes in the past few weeks. The first one I will share with you was adapted from this cookbook. Such a simple recipe for a snack, but it tastes just delicious plain or even better served with a dip or two! 

INGREDIENTS

• 2-4 pieces of large Lebanese bread
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• 1 tablespoon mixed herbs
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 tablespoon sumac
• 1 -2 teaspoons grape seed/olive oil

COOKING 

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius fan-forced. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. 

2. Dry-fry the sesame seeds over low heat in a small frying pan for around 4 minutes or until seeds are lightly golden. Remove from heat and pour into a small bowl. Add mixed herbs, salt and sumac to the seeds and mix well to combine. 

3. Brush the bread sparingly with oil (1 teaspoon for 2 slices, 2 teaspoons for 4 slices) and spread the herb & spice mixture evenly over the top. (If you are using 4 slices of bread, you must use the spice mixture more sparingly than I did in the photo above). Place in the preheated oven for 6-8 minutes or until the bread is lightly brown and crisp to touch. 

Serves / 2 - 4. Works well as part of a mezze platter and served alongside dips. 

x E