Za’atar (or you can find it ready-made)
- 3 tablespoons dried thyme (or lemon thyme, if you can find it)
- 3 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
- 2 tablespoons sumac
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper (not traditional, but adds a nice bite of heat)
Tabouli
- 1cup bulgur wheat – (if gluten free, use buckwheat kernals)
- 1/4cup za’atar
- 1 3/4cups boiling water
- Juice and zest of 1 to 2 lemons
- 2 tablespoons walnut or olive oil
- 1/2cup finely chopped flat leaf parsley
- 4 stalks of celery with leaves, finely chopped
- 1spring onion or 2 scallions, minced
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Plain Greek yogurt
- 1/4cup chopped toasted walnuts
- More za’atar as needed
- Crumbled feta cheese (optional)
- In a large bowl, stir za’atar into bulgur wheat and pour boiling water over the mixture. Let sit until the water is completely absorbed, about 45 minutes. Meanwhile, zest and juice your lemon, chop your parsley, onions and celery, toast your walnuts.
- When the wheat has absorbed all the water and cooled to room temperature, stir in zest and juice of one lemon (you might add more later) and 2 tablespoons of walnut or olive oil. Add in chopped parsley, onions, and celery and stir well. Taste. Add salt and pepper to taste, and adjust the rest of the seasoning to your taste. You may need more oil and/or lemon juice, and you may want to stir in more za’atar.
- To serve, scoop the tabouli onto a plate and add a tablespoon or so of plain yogurt. Sprinkle the yogurt with a tablespoon of the chopped walnuts and a pinch or two of za’atar. (feta cheese is also really good!)
