My two very good friends from medical school bought me a recipe book (Sabrina Ghayour – Bazaar) and my mother bought me another recipe book (Honey & Co – Food From the Middle East) as birthday gifts. I am a very happy woman.

I have decided that I am quite interested in exploring Middle Eastern cuisine. The presentation, tastes and flavours are quite something. I’m hoping to recreate this in my home as while we won’t be dining out for a while.

So I thought I would start with a little snack not dissimilar to bruschetta. It was very easy to make. I did not have Greek yoghurt or labneh so I used sour cream instead.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 large ciabatta, cut into 12 slices
• 1 large or 2 small garlic cloves, peeled
• 4 large, ripe vine tomatoes, very finely chopped
• 1 small red onion, very finely chopped
• 2 tsp sumac, plus extra to garnish
• 1 small packet (about 15g) of fresh coriander, finely chopped (reserve some for garnish) Olive oil
• 4 heaped tbsp labneh or thick Greek yogurt
• Maldon sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper

METHOD

1. Chargrill the bread in a griddle pan on both sides or use a toaster. Lightly rub the surface of each slice with the raw garlic.
2. Mix the tomatoes, onion, sumac and coriander in a bowl. Add a little drizzle of olive oil and season well with salt and pepper.
3. Divide the tomato mixture between the toasts, spreading it across the surface of each piece. Top each with a teaspoon of labneh or yogurt and garnish each with a little pinch of sumac, the reserved coriander and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve immediately.

Delicious.

Reference:

Bazaar by Sabrina Ghayour page 14

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/recipes/0/sumac-tomato-garlic-toasts-labneh-recipe/