Toum with quick za’atar flatbread and haloumi

SERVES 4

Toum, the pungent, luxurious garlic emulsion, is often served with charcoal chicken, falafel or sharwama, but we’ve gone all out and served it as a dip with za’atar flatbread, haloumi and radishes.

300 gm (2 cups) plain flour, plus extra for dusting

130 ml olive oil, plus extra for shallow-frying

2 tsp sumac

2 tsp finely chopped thyme leaves

2 tsp roasted sesame seeds 8 garlic cloves

1½ tbsp lemon juice, or to taste 175 ml grapeseed or other neutral-flavoured oil

250 gm haloumi, thickly sliced 4 radishes, halved

1 Combine flour, 2 tsp olive oil, sumac, thyme, sesame seeds, 160ml water and 2 tsp sea salt in a bowl and mix to form a rough dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth (3-4 minutes).

2 Process garlic, lemon juice and 30ml ice-cold water in a food processor until smooth, scraping down sides (1-2 minutes). Combine grapeseed oil with 80ml olive oil in a jug and, with motor running, slowly pour combined oils into food processor in a thin, steady stream to make an emulsified sauce. Season to taste with salt and lemon juice. Toum will keep refrigerated in an airtight container for 3 weeks.

3 Divide dough into 4 and roll out on a lightly floured surface to 2-3mm thick. Heat a large frying pan over high heat, add 2 tsp olive oil and cook one flatbread, turning once, until cooked and slightly charred (2-3 minutes). Keep warm and repeat with remaining oil and flatbread.

4 Heat extra olive oil in a large frying pan or char-grill pan, add haloumi and fry, turning once, until golden (3-4 minutes).

Serve with warm flatbread, toum and radishes.