Naan and Meyer Lemon Zahtar
By the lack of comments on my last blog post I truly made you all uncomfortable with my “angry” post. It’s OK. I get it. Anger is socially unacceptable. No one wants to deal with an angry individual. Please understand: for anyone who has suffered a loss, especially of a child, anger will be a strong component of their grief process. Don’t abandon them. Help them work through it. Here are a few tips to assist in sorting out the feelings.
Grief Tips
- Understand that the griever may be feeling betrayed by their God
- Understand that the griever may feel responsible for not being able to save and protect their loved one
- Know that something was stolen from them and they will never get it back
- Understand the injustice of random acts and not needing to find blame
Kneading dough, I am told helps release aggression, but, I am all about “not kneading” when it comes to homemade bread. Naan is a traditional no-knead Indian flat-bread baked in a special brick oven called a tandoor. A heavy skillet is a fine substitute for the more authentic tandoor. Shallow fried golden and light, naan can not only be used to scoop up delicious curries, but also makes a perfect pizza crust or base for a sandwich. Here I top it with a zesty zahtar made with my homegrown Meyer lemons. Sliced into strips this Naan and Meyer Lemon Zahtar makes for an unexpected appetizer.
Naan and Meyer Lemon Zahtar
Ingredients
Meyer Lemon Zahtar
1 Meyer lemon, grated zest and juice
1 clove garlic, mashed and minced
¼ cup toasted sesame seeds
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
½ teaspoon fleur de sel (or kosher salt)
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
¼ teaspoon dried sumac, optional
Naan Bread
¼ cup hot tap water
1-tablespoon sugar
1-teaspoon active dry yeast
3 cups all purpose flour
1-cup whole wheat flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1-teaspoon baking soda
1-teaspoon kosher salt
¾ cup warm milk
1-cup plain Greek yogurt
¼ cup olive oil
Instructions
Meyer Lemon Zahtar
Combine all ingredients; cover and set aside.
Naan Bread
- In 1-cup measure combine water, sugar and yeast, stirring, until yeast dissolves. Let yeast proof for 10 minutes or until mixture looks foamy.
- In large bowl, whisk flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- In medium bowl, whisk milk, yogurt and yeast mixture until blended.
- Add wet ingredients to flour mixture; mix by hand until dough comes together into a slightly sticky ball.
- Cover with plastic wrap and let dough rest for 1 hour or as long as overnight in the refrigerator.
- Divide dough into 12 balls.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll each ball into an oval shape about ¼-inch thick.
- Heat a heavy skillet, over medium heat.
- Brush both sides of dough lightly with olive oil and place in skillet.
- Cover and cook for 1 minute or until brown and dough begins to bubble up. Flip bread over.
- Spread some zahtar over top. Cook 2 to 3 minutes or until bread is cooked through.
- To serve: cut on the diagonal into strips.