Manakish with Za’atar & Steak
By Lee Jackson ↣ Published on: January 9, 2020
Manakish bread with Za’atar is commonplace around the Middle East & Mediterranean. Simple flatbread is topped with herbal za’atar and juicy, tender steak and sharp salty cheese to create a harmonious marriage of flavour, texture and aroma.
Flatbreads are enjoyed all across the Middle East and Mediterranean - simple, humble but packed full of warm spiced goodness - the perfect pick-up-pick-me-up option, for breakfast, lunch or dinner. One such treat is Manakish, a Lebanese flatbread - My recipe is a twist on the classic using store-bought pizza dough topped with juicy pink steak, za'atar and cheese.
Manakish dough is essentially the same as pizza dough, so using a store-bough dough or base is a no-brainer. You'll have your manakish on the table in a fraction of the time - no shame.
Manakish is traditionally served with ground meat, but I like my pimped up version using steak, it makes for a meatier and more satisfying plate of food!
What is Manakish?
Manakish (مناقيش) is a Levantine bread topped with ground meat, herbs, cheese or a combination of all. Around the Arab-speaking world, there are many variations of Manakish and so the dish goes by many names, including manaqish, manaeesh, manakeesh, manooshe, man'ousheh, mankousheh and faṭāyir.
Typically it's a dish served with simple ingredients. Fresh dough is topped with olive oil and dried thyme, oregano or in the delicious spice mix known as za'atar. Often, manakish will also features ground spiced meat and goes by the name of 'Lahmacun' (Lahm b'ajin, lahamagine, lahmajun, lahmajoun).
To add to the mix, cheese will also be added to manakish in the form of sharp, salty cheese like feta or as in this recipe an amazing cheese called Shangleesh (shanklish).
Why it works?
It's fragrant, filling and easy to make at home! - The use of Middle Eastern spices makes for a supr fragrance wafting through the house and the addition of the salty cheese is just heavenly. It's not a strictly authentic version of manakish, but it's my version and I love it!
Stuff You'll Need
Making my manakish requires only a few key ingredients - they all bring a wonderful balance and marriage of flavour and texture to the final offering.
- Store-bought pizza dough (you could also use a pre made pizza base)
- Za'atar spice mix (a combination of dried thyme, sumac and sesame seeds)
- Steak - You can use shaved steak or a juicy cut like ribeye or New York strip.
- Shanklish Cheese (or feta) - crumbled
- Garnishes - I like earthy parsley and some sharp, sour pomegranate seeds.
Step by Step
Making manakish is simple, ready in a few simple steps - there's a full recipe and how to below, but this will give you an at-a-glance view of what's in store.
- Roll out the dough
- Drizzle generously with extra virgin olive oil and scatter a good helping of za'atar
- Bake the bread for about 15 minutes until cooked.
- Fry the steak until cooked to your liking. Leave it to rest until the bread is done.
- Thinly slice the steak and arrange on the bread.
- Scatter over the cheese
- Garnish with more za'atar, the fresh parsley and pomegranate seeds
Serving & Storage Suggestions
Leftovers are fine for a couple of days in the fridge and can be eaten cold or reheated for 10 minutes in a 200ºc/400ºf oven. You can also freeze and reheat (after defrosting).
Ready to get cooking?
If you're searching for something a little different than Pizza for dinner, Manakish is the perfect choice, and if you have any Za'atar leftover, then give this deliciously creamy Harissa hummus with Za'atar a go too.
As far as Manakish goes it's a truly tasty flatbread recipe that stands out as something quite marvellous in taste, texture and aroma. I love this as an alternative to pizza and whenever I serve it to guests it always garners a little applause as the greedy hands make their way to fight for a slice or two. Hope you enjoy the recipe!
More Middle Eastern and Mediterranean recipes
If you liked this recipe for my delicious manakish, I'm sure you'll love some more of my Middle Eastern and Mediterranean style recipes.
- Roasted Carrots with Tahini Sauce
- Israeli Couscous with Beetroot
- Jordanian Lamb Mansaf
- Borani Kadoo (Afghani Squash Salad) | براني كدو
- Muhammara (Red Pepper & Walnut Dip)
- Hummus Bi Arnabeet – Hummus with Roasted Cauliflower
- Turkish Pide
- Pilpelchuma with Sweet Potatoes
- Baba Ghanoush
- Zaatar Lamb
- Bulgur Pilav with Lamb & Kale
- Harissa Hummus
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Ingredients
- 1 packet pre-made pizza dough
- 1/3 cup Za'atar spice mix
- 1 Steak (New York, Ribeye) around 250g/9oz
- 1/3 cup Shangleesh Cheese (or feta) - crumbled
- Salt & pepper
- 1/4 cup Fresh pomegranate seeds (optional)
- 1 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley (chopped)
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (approximately)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 220ºC/425ºF
- Drizzle around 2 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil on a 30x40cm/12x17" baking sheet and spread out with your fingers to cover the whole sheet. Using a rolling pin, roll out your pizza dough to a rough rectangle around 35x25cm/10x15" to fit on the baking sheet. You can also just stretch it with your fingers straight onto the baking sheet.
- Drizzle generously with about another 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil, then scatter over generous amounts of za'atar. Taste the za'atar to see if it has salt, if it doesn't then season the bread with salt & pepper. If it does, just pepper. Bake in the oven for around 10-15 minutes until browned and cooked through. Remove from the oven.
- Season the steak well with salt & pepper. Heat a frying pan with a little olive oil and fry the steak for 4-5 minutes each side for a medium cook. Rest the meat for 2-3 minutes and then thinly slice.
- Arrange the steak in one layer on the flatbreads then scatter over the Shangleesh, pomegranate seeds (if using) and the parsley. Sprinkle over a little more Za'atar and then finish with another drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Use a pizza cutter to portion out the bread. That's it, you're good to go!
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