A monthly cooking challenge to spice up your kitchen… Try something new for dinner! Each month, pick up a FREE spice sample. The packet will also include a simple recipe and a list of cookbooks with additional recipes using the featured spice. Post a photo of your completed dish on Facebook or email it to jdickenson@polklibrary.org for an entry into our monthly gift card drawing.

July's Spice: Za'atar
Za'atar encompasses such a wide range of flavors that it can be the bright note that both enlivens and anchors sliced tomatoes, the unifying force in a salad of refreshing cucumbers and feta, and the replacement for lemon and herbs on a roast chicken. Consider adding it when you're looking for a spice mix that's earthy, savory, and tangy, all in one. In the Middle East, za'atar is often eaten with oil-dipped bread or spread onto flatbread.

Recipe: Roasted Carrots with Za'atar

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 pounds carrots
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• salt and pepper (3/4 tsp each)
• 4 teaspoons za'atar
• 3 tbsp chopped parsley
• 1 lemon

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat two baking sheets in a 450 degree oven.
2. Quarter carrots lengthwise and toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
3. Spread carrots on the hot baking sheets and roast until browned, 18 to 20 minutes.
4. Squeeze the juice from the lemon.
5. Toss roasted carrots with za'atar, chopped parsley, and lemon juice.

Cookbooks with other za'atar recipes:

• The Raw Food Gourmet by Gabrielle Chavez
• Olives, Lemons, & Za'atar: The Best Middle Eastern Home Cooking by Rawia Bishara
• The Palomar Cookbook: Modern Israeli Cuisine by Layo Paskin
• Ottolenghi Simple by Yotam Ottolenghi