Lebni and Zahtar

I went to Sammy's Woodfired Pizza this summer in San Diego, and it was DELICIOUS. We had this great appetizer called Lebni, which is a Mediterranean soft cheese that was served with some delicious pita-like stuff ... it was so good. Anyways, my goal is to someday make this, so I've found a recipe for the entire appetizer, plus a recipe for zahtar, which is the spice mix that is used in the appetizer. Apparently this first one is coming straight from Sammy's, which is super cool. So here's the recipe:

Lebni is a pasteurized kefir cheese with a fluffy texture like whipped cream cheese and a tangy taste kind of like sour cream. Lebni and zahtar – a blend of sesame seed, powdered sumac and dried thyme needed for this recipe – can be purchased at Middle Eastern markets.

Lebni (Mediterranean Soft Cheese)

4 servings

6 tablespoons zahtar

2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

10 ounces Lebni cheese

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

OPTIONAL GARNISH

Diced tomatoes

Snipped chives

Chopped parsley

HERB OIL-GRILLED FLATBREAD

1/2 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon chopped fresh garlic

2 cups softly packed fresh herb leaves (equal parts basil, cilantro, mint)

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 tablespoon coarse salt

4 (8-inch) flatbreads

Combine zahtar and sesame seeds in a small bowl. On a large shallow platter, spread the Lebni 1/2 to 1 inch thick. Surround with Herb Oil Grilled Flatbread wedges. Sprinkle zahtar mixture evenly over Lebni and flatbread. Drizzle extra-virgin olive oil over all. Top with optional garnishes, if desired.

To make the Herb Oil-Grilled Flatbread: Combine all ingredients except flatbread in blender and blend until smooth. Brush both sides of flatbread with the herb oil and let marinate for several hours. Saute or grill bread evenly on both sides. Cut bread into wedges before serving.

And now for the Zahtar recipe:

Dukkah (Zahtar)

100 g sesame seeds
50g roasted chick peas
100g coriander seeds
50g hazelnuts
50g walnuts
1 Tblspn ground cinnamon or 2 sticks cinnamon
1 tsp sea salt
large pinch black or white pepper
1.5 Tblspn cumin seeds
1 Tblspn dried marjoram
1 Tblspn sumac
50 g sunflower seeds

method

Separately dry roast in a hot frying pan the sesame seeds, chick peas, coriander seeds, hazelnuts and walnuts.

Likewise roast the cumin seeds.

Grind the coriander seeds first, as they are the hardest ingredient.

Then add the remaining dry roasted ingredients and the sunflower seeds and grind –pounding together if doing it by hand until coarsely crushed. If you prefer a finely crushed mix, don’t crush to a state where the oils form the nuts and seeds are released and the mixture starts to form a paste. It should be a dry mixture of ingredients.

Mix the herbs and ground spices. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. It is yummy with a peppery bite, and a slightly salty taste.