I love using unusual spices and ingredients to dress up every day dinners. This recipe is a perfect example.  Za’atar is a Middle Eastern spice blend, made of sesame seeds, thyme, sumac, and sometimes caraway or oregano. This unusual recipe was adapted from Artichoke to Za’atar, by Greg and Lucy Malouf.   If you buy pre made Za’atar from penzeys.com, you will have this recipe done in a flash.  Make sure to slow roast the salmon on the lowest possible setting of your oven.  When the fish is slow roasted, it is cooked the entire way through. Slow roasting the salmon creates a flavorful, succulent and tender fish, even though it is ‘well done’.  I first discovered slow roasted salmon out of a Chez Panisse cookbook years ago and it has become my favorite way to prepare salmon.

Slow Cooked Salmon with Arab Spices, adapted from Artichoke to Za’atar, by Greg and Lucy Malouf.

1 Tablespoon za’atar (available at penzeys.com)

1 tsp. sumac

1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves

Salt and pepper to taste

2  salmon filets, 6-8oz each

Pre-heat the oven to the lowest possible setting. Combine the za’atar, sumac and fresh thyme in a small bowl.  Generously salt and pepper the salmon filets, and place them on a foil lined baking sheet.  Rub the salmon filets with the spice mixture and cook in the oven for 25-35 minutes, depending on the thickness of your filets.

And that’s it. Enjoy!

I love this recipe for ‘Chicken in Pistachio, Sumac and Sesame Crumbs’ from the cookbook ‘Turquoise, a Chef’s travels in Turkey‘ by Greg and Lucy Malouf.  It’s easy, exotic sounding and tastes great.  The sesame seeds and pistachios add a delightful crunch, the lemon zest and sumac add a bright lemon-y note that is tempered by the richness of the parmesan cheese. Leftovers keep well and this chicken is great the second day in a pita sandwich with a little yogurt dressing, sprouts and shredded carrots. Chicken is the workhorse of the carnivore world.  It’s easy to eat, a good source of protein, and inoffensive.  At its best it is tender, juicy and moist. At it’s worst, dry, tough and tasteless.  Boneless, skinless chicken breasts can get more than a little boring if you eat them frequently—and I am constantly looking for new ways to dress them up.  The breading on this chicken ensures that it stays nice and moist.  The recipe has a couple of steps you need to take to ensure success. The first is to pound the chicken breast to an even thickness so that it cooks evenly, use fresh bread crumbs and don’t chop the pistachios too finely.

Chicken in pistachio, sumac and sesame crumbs

4 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about 6 oz each, pounded to an even thickness

2 eggs

Salt and Pepper

All purpose flour

Olive Oil

Lemon Wedges to serve (optional)

Pistachio Crumbs

2 slices of sandwich bread, crust removed, torn into pieces

1 Tbsp. ground sumac (if sumac is unavailable, substitute the zest of ½ a lemon in addition to .)

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

¼ c. unsalted, shelled pistachios, coarsely chopped

¼ cup of sesame seeds

2/3 cup finely grated parmesan

To make the crumbs, put the bread into a food processor with the sumac, zest and pistachios and pulse briefly.  Add the sesame seeds and parmesan and pulse briefly to combine.

Preheat the oven to 350F.

When ready to cook the chicken, lightly beat the eggs with a little water in a shallow bowl to make an egg wash.  Set up a production line of seasoned flour, egg wash and crumb mix. First dip the chicken pieces into the flour, then the egg wash and finally the crumb mix, patting them carefully all over

Heat the oil in a saute pan and saute the chicken pieces until golden brown all over.  Transfer to a cookie tray and cook for 8-10 minutes in the center of the oven.  Remove the chicken from the oven and allow to rest for a few minutes before serving with wedges of lemon.

Serves 4