Author Notes
I came up with the idea for these when I was making pita chips for a large party a few years back. Splitting the pitas and then brushing with olive oil just seemed to take forever. I was asked to make the same appetizer a week later, so when I was in the store looking at the pita and thinking how "pita" described perfectly what it's like making pita chips for 30, I noticed the lavash right next to them. Inspiration struck, I came up with this much easier alternative, and I haven't made a pita chip since. I like using my own dukkah blend, or za'atar made with fresh thyme, or a bit of both. These bake up best on a preheated baking stone in a screaming hot oven, so I typically make these right before or right after making pizza or artisanal bread. If I'm not interrupted and can get a good rhythm going, I can cut and prepare one lavash while another is baking in the oven (2-3 minutes), so a big batch using 6 lavash takes less than a half an hour to prep and bake. I hope you like these. ;o) —AntoniaJames
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Ingredients
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Lavash (6 lavash will make 96 triangular crackers)
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Olive Oil ( 3-4 tablespoons per 6 lavash)
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Spice blend of your choice (I like dukkah and za'atar on these.)
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Kosher salt, to taste
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FOR THE DUKKAH
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2 tablespoons raw pepitas or pumpkin seeds, or coarsely chopped pistachios
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2 teaspoons whole cumin seeds
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2 teaspoons whole coriander seeds
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2 tablespoons raw sesame seeds
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1 ½ teaspoons good black peppercorns or grains of paradise
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½ teaspoon flaky sea salt, or more to taste
Directions
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Heat oven to 450 degrees. If you have a pizza or other baking stone slightly larger than your lavash, heat it, too. You can make these on a standard cookie sheet if you don't have a pizza stone. Each batch will take a minute or so longer per tray.
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Put one lavash on a piece of parchment paper that's a few inches larger on each side, that you've put on a cookie sheet that has one open side (or a pizza peel, if yours is large enough). Brush olive oil generously on the lavash. (Actually, I find that drizzling it on and then using a spatula to spread it works better than a brush.)
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Sprinkle on dukkah (see instructions below) or za'atar, or any other spices you like. If your blend does not include salt, sprinkle some of that on, too.
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Use a pizza cutter to cut the lavash into sixteen triangles, or whatever other shapes you like. (See my photo above for one way to do it.)
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Slide the parchment paper onto the hot pizza stone, or onto a baking sheet in the oven. Put the timer on! Start with 2 minutes and check immediately, as these go from just right to burned in about five seconds.
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When lightly brown on the edges, remove immediately from the stone or baking sheet and let cool on the paper on a cooling rack for about 3 minutes; then take them off the parchment paper immediately and let them cool on a wire rack. This is important, to allow them to get crisp. Repeat for the other lavash. Store in a tightly lidded container.
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I hope you like these. Sincerely, AntoniaJames ;o)
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*** TO MAKE THE DUKKAH *** Toast the pepitas or pumpkin seeds in a small heavy skillet until they just start to darken and release their fragrance. Remove to a cutting board while you toast the other ingredients.
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Toast the cumin and coriander seeds, each in turn, in the same skillet, removing from the pan as soon as they start to darken. Do not tarry, lest they burn.
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Toast the sesame seeds in the same skillet, shaking periodically to make sure they brown evenly. Remove when they start to darken just a bit.
Grind the pepitas in a spice mill to a coarse powder. Don’t worry if there are a few larger pieces. Remove from the mill and put into a medium bowl.
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Chop the toasted pepitas or nuts. Grind the spices together until fine, and then add to a small bowl with the pepitas or nuts. Grind the peppercorns coarsely; add to the bowl with the sesame seeds and salt; stir to blend.
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Incidentally, here is the appetizer (submitted by another member) that I made for those two parties, which I highly recommend. It deserves Wildcard honors. See if you agree. https://food52.com/recipes/28029-baked-feta-with-mediterranean-tomato-sauce
See problem, solve problem. Ask questions; question answers. Disrupt, with kindness, courtesy and respect. ;o)
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