I remember the first time I had za’tar – a Middle Eastern staple generally made with a combination of sumac, thyme, sesame seeds, oregano and hyssop. We were in an Arabic grocery store and, there at the check out counter, they had a huge stack of freshly made flatbreads generously spread with a za’tar pesto topped with olive oil and toasted pine nuts. The intoxicating aroma couldn’t be ignored. I’m guessing the store owner was well aware of this, anticipating his stash would disappear in a whir of impulse buys. He looked down, grinning as he counted my change – very slowly – and watched out of the corner of his eye as I ripped the bag open, took a big bite and asked him to ring up another package. I was hooked!
Za’tar on flatbread is probably my favorite way to consume the spice, but I’m just not eating much bread anymore. But guess what za’tar is also good on? Pretty much everything!
We’ve had a nice crop of asparagus, so I decided to roast up some tomatoes with za’tar. Then I toasted up a handful of walnuts in the sauce made by the tomatoes and threw it over the lightly-cooked asparagus. A subtle but distinct flavor that I think you’re going to love. I used grape tomatoes for this because they have less moisture and cook up faster than regular tomatoes, but use whatever you have on hand.
This is so quick to come together. And for those following Dr. Fuhrman’s Eat To Live program, this complies with the life plan. If you leave out the (small) amount of oil and salt, you can have this on the weight loss plan as well.
Ingredients (serves about 4)
1 large bunch of asparagus (cleaned and tough ends cut off)
1 pound grape tomatoes (cut in half)
1/2 cup roughly chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 – 2 teaspoons za’tar (start with 1 teaspoon and add more to suit your palate)
pinch of chili flakes
salt – to taste
Directions
- Warm the olive oil, chili flakes and za’tar in a non-stick skillet over medium heat.
- When skillet is evenly heated, add the tomatoes and stir until they are thoroughly coated with the oil/spice mix. Initially, the tomatoes will release a lot of liquid, but that will start reducing. Cook over medium-high heat for about 7 – 10 minutes. Stir occasionally to make sure they do not burn.
- Bring a sauce pan of lightly salted water to a boil. When the tomato juice has reduced to about 1/2, par boil the asparagus for 2 – 4 minutes, depending on the thickness of the spears. You want the spears to become bright green and retain a slight crunch – not soggy and over-cooked.
- While the asparagus is cooking, add the walnuts to the tomatoes, stirring until they are coated with the oil-spice mixture. Increase the heat if necessary and cook until remaining liquid is completely reduced. Salt to taste, if desired.
- When asparagus is cooked, immediately drain it and arrange on a serving platter. Spread the tomato-walnut mixture over the top.
- Serve hot immediately.
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