- 25g sesame seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp sumach
- A handful of oregano, leaves only
- A handful of marjoram, leaves only
- 2 red peppers
- 2 shallots
- A handful of flat leaf parsley
- 1 lemon
- 50g watercress
- 2 pork escalopes
- Sea salt
- 3 tsp olive oil
- Freshly ground pepper
- Pan
- Small frying pan
- Bowl
- Griddle or frying pan
- 1.
To whip up your za’atar, toast all of the sesame seeds in a small dry pan for 2 mins. Add 1 tsp of the cumin seeds. Toast for 1 min. Shake the pan occasionally. Tip into a bowl. Stir in 1 tsp of the sumach and a pinch of salt.
- 2.
Strip the oregano and marjoram leaves from their stalks. Roughly chop them. Stir into the spice mix. Pop to one side.
- 3.
Make the salsa. Halve the peppers. Scoop out the seeds and white bits. Finely dice them. Peel the shallots. Dice finely. Chop the parsley leaves and stalks roughly (discard any really thick bits of stalk). Grate or pare the zest from the lemon.
- 4.
Mix the lemon zest with the parsley, shallots and peppers. Add 2 tsp olive oil. Taste and season generously with salt and pepper. Slice the zested lemon into quarters.
- 5.
Heat a griddle or large frying pan. Rub the pork escalopes with ½ tsp olive oil each. Season with salt and pepper. Fry for 8-10 mins, turning the pork once, till cooked through and juicy.
- 6.
Serve the salsa with the pork escalopes, scattered with the za’atar, handfuls of watercress and lemon wedges for squeezing.
- 7.
- Tip
Return of the sumach
Sumach is delicious sprinkled on tomato and cucumber salads, rubbed onto chickens before roasting or try stirring it into yogurt with cucumber, dill and lemon and serving as a dip.