Za’atar is the blend I reach for when a dish needs to taste finished. Herbal first, then tangy from sumac, then nutty from toasted sesame, it turns a piece of bread and a dish of olive oil into something worth sitting down for. UC Cooperative Extension Master Food Preservers describe za’atar as a dried herb…

The first time I cooked chickpeas from dried, I expected them to taste just like the ones from a can. Instead, they were nuttier, creamier, and so much more satisfying that I’ve barely bought a can since. A single 250 g bag of dried chickpeas gave me about 625 g of cooked chickpeas, enough for…

The first time I chopped a sliver of preserved lemon rind into a bowl of roasted cauliflower, the whole dish changed. It tasted brighter, saltier, deeper, and somehow more Mediterranean, all from a spoonful of something I’d made with nothing but lemons, salt, and time. Preserved lemons are one of the simplest preserves you can…