I'm a big fan of Za'atar, I absolutely love that tangy taste so it's one of my pantry essentials.
Zaatar is an aromatic spice blend combining toasted sesame seeds, dried thyme, dried marjoram, and sumac.
You can use it in so many ways - season your veggies before roasting, sprinkle on your favourite pasta dish or simply dip some fresh bread in olive oil, then dip into za'atar and enjoy the flavours. It also works really well with puff pastry. These bite sized puffs are delicious and so quick & simple to make, you can whip them up in no time.
I've been buying my za'atar package free from my local co-op (which is why you'll see my jar with a hand written label on it) the za'atar comes from Palestine Fair Trade Australia which is fair trade and just delicious!
These bites only need 3 ingredients: frozen puff pastry, za'atar and olive oil.
You can find frozen puff pastry in supermarkets that happen to be vegan, just check the ingredients. These are best enjoyed straight out of the oven, with a cup of tea or coffee.
Recipe:
makes 12 bite sized pieces
1 sheet of frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup za'atar mix
small round cookie cutter (I used a 4 inch one)
1. Using a cookie cutter, cut out some round pieces from the thawed puff pastry sheet.
2. Use a spoon to carefully carve out some of the pastry from the centre of each round piece of pastry. Do it gently so as to not tear the pastry. Carving out the pastry will let the outer rim of the pastries rise more than the centre.
3. Brush each piece with a little olive oil and sprinkle some za'atar mix into the centre.
4. Place the pieces onto a baking dish or tray and bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 15 mins or until they turn a golden brown.
5. Remove from the oven and serve them warm. You can enjoy this with some hummus dip for a little extra flavour.