Eating In

This is a dry nuts and spices dip, adapted from ‘Vegetarian Dishes from the Middle East’ by Arto der Haroutunian.
4 oz (225g) sesame seeds
4oz coriander seeds
2oz (110g) walnuts
2oz chickpeas (precooked salted and dried – you can buy these in middle eastern shops, but you may have to make your own)
1½ tablespoons ground cumin
½ teaspoon salt
¼  teaspoon black pepper
½ tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon dried marjoram
½ tablespoon sumac (another for the middle eastern shopping list)
Roast the first 4 ingredients in the oven or on a griddle pan. Pound together until finely crushed but don’t pulverise into a paste. Mix in the other ingredients, taste and adjust if necessary. Arrange some of the Zahtar in a shallow dish and pour a little olive oil onto another dish. Dip a piece of bread first into the oil, then into the Zahtar – and eat.