Shaya – Hungry for Louisiana

Delicious and aromatic spices zahtar and sumac are easy to use

I had the best time playing around with the Middle Eastern spices zahtar and sumac for a story in the February 2016 issue of 225 Magazine. We happen to have tons of Middle Eastern eateries in Baton Rouge – close to 30 or so, and they’re a big part of our regular culinary experience. It’s why I wanted to write a story on these familiar yet exotic spices.

Zahtar is a savory-floral spice blend traditionally made in Middle Eastern homes that features sumac, sesame seeds, thyme and other spices. Its flavor stems largely from the presence of sumac, sort of a dark purple dust with lemony notes.

Here are some of the ways I’ve been using these two lovely spices lately. You can pick them up or mail order them in one-ounce quantities from Red Stick Spice Company, our phenomenal local spice store, or order them from national vendors, Penzeys, which carries zatar (spelled this way) and sumac in berry form.

New Orleans, On the Road, Restaurants, Travels

Mmmm, New Orleans. How I choose where to eat.

For last 10 years as New Orleans has marched back from Katrina, and for many years before that, I’ve spent a lot of time dining out in this luscious exotic American city. My husband John and I are among the thousands of people who live in a Louisiana city other than New Orleans (yes, those exist), making it easy to head to the Crescent City for regular food adventures. From our home in Baton Rouge, New Orleans is just over an hour’s drive, and when you live that close to a city whose culinary scene always reveals something new, you end up there for a lot of milestone birthdays, anniversaries and stolen weekends. After all, the money saved in plane fare is extra dough for food and drink.

But weekends don’t last forever, and choosing where to eat in a city lousy with great restaurants is tough. Sure, it’s hard to make a mistake, but it’s also fun to leave feeling like you’ve done your due diligence. By the time we hit our 15th wedding anniversary this year, John and I had finally perfected the right formula for choosing where to eat.