Sometime in 2021 we were sitting outside at Zaytinya with family and I said something like “I wonder how hard it is to make pita bread.” It’s flat, it doesn’t need to rise, can I do this?
If there was a moment cooking became an obsession, this was probably it. The first batches of red pepper dip and tzatziki were excellent, hummus would take a little while longer to find the right recipe, and the pita, well, it’s fresh pita!
I spent the next few months perfecting it.
The recipes are a blend of Maydan, The Mediterranean Dish, Zaytinya, and Zahav. I’ll link where I can.
If you get into this, you’re going to want a Food Processor.
First, Pita
Flatbread is awesome. It’s easy, it’s forgiving, it’s quick to rise, and it’s ancient. People used to bake this on a hot stone.
I set up two cast iron skillets on the stove so I can flip them in pairs. The stovetop method is faster and easier than the oven method, and they last for a few days in a bread bag.
The hard part is getting the pocket.
Tzatziki
You know what this is. Grate cucumber, stir with yogurt and excessive dill.
There’s a right way to make it, and another right way, and a third right way. Zayntina uses a mix of yogurt and labne. My usual go-to book The Mediterranean Dish uses lemon instead of red wine vinegar. Tinker to taste.
As an aside, yogurt-based sauces don’t get enough attention. It’s stupid easy and will take any spice profile and acid you throw at it. More on that later.
Muhammara (Red Pepper Dip)
You go to Sababa, they bring you all the digs, there’s this smoky red stuff that’s to die for you and you “wait, what is this and can I make it?”
I’m beginning to realize most of this site is me going to DC restaurants and going “wait, can I do that?”
Muhammara is a blend of roasted red pepper and walnuts with a tiny splash of pomegranate molasses (don’t overdo it, you want a sweet note in the background) and something spicey. It’s awesome.
Baba Ganoush
I’m told this is not worth doing unless you’re going to grill it. I’m sure it’s much better, but look, the roasted results are solid if less smoky than desired.
Finally, hummus
The world’s two stupidest food controversies are:
- Did Italians invent French food?
- Who invented hummus?
There are deeply passionate arguments about these things that go on and on and I can’t help but notice if you look at a map, and remember that there were dudes on boats bouncing between the port cities from before we had writing, some of these methods may have seeped across porous borders before they totally penetrated their home regions.
But first we have a problem: levantine tahihi is different than Spanish tahini and different than most American tahinis. Is it pungent? Is it a thick paste or runny?
Most of my subpar results are because of this. You can use raw or canned chickpeas, you can try the ice cube method, but if your tahini doesn’t match the recipe’s, your mileage will vary all over the place.
After many attempts my favorite is actually done with canned chickpeas (bonus points for not planning ahead). The video above.
Dog Tax
I sincerely apologize for the lack of beagle in this post. As promised, here is a nose.
