As I have said in a previous post, I was practically raised on traditional Palestinian stuffed vegetables. They are my favourite thing to eat, and they represent the perfect joining of childhood memories from my past with my desire to have a healthy, organic plant based diet of my present. These stuffed vegetables are my favourite things to recreate and also the hardest as the originals are just so delicious.
I remember when I was younger, it always seemed like a real treat to have a casual dinner which only required one bowl and one spoon to eat. Sometimes, we were even allowed to eat it from our laps while sitting in the livingroom. I still have a fondness for meals that you can consume easily with just a spoon and where each bite is reliably the same as the last one. There are some days when you just need something that predictable to end your day with.
Zayt & Za’atar translates into English as Oil and Thyme. This is a simple and delicious combination of fruity silky oil and salty tangy herbs, and makes up the best part of a traditional Palestinian breakfast. It’s also great as a simple snack and makes perfect ‘ nibbles’ if you have friends over for a dinner party.
Bread has always made up a large part of my diet. In the Middle East we use it as a vessel to transport food form the plate to our mouths, often instead of cutlery to eat Hummus, Labaneh, Baba Ghanoush, Arabic Salad, Halloumi, olives and Zayt & Za’atar, at breakfast, lunch and dinner. I used to love nothing more than warm from the oven pita bread, so when I decided to cut wheat out of my diet for health reasons, a good bread recipe was the first thing I started developing.
The Olive Tree Kitchen 