Biladi, meaning ‘from the land,’ was founded by childhood friends who come from a small, beautiful village in the South of Lebanon. Inspired by the quality of the local produce and delicious Lebanese flavours, they decided to bring Biladi to the world. We recently started stocking a selection of their spreads and dips, chief among them the flavour-packed Za’atar in Olive Oil - and now Biladi have shared with us this simple recipe that brings together pasta (we used Seggiano’s bronze-drawn Linguine - our favourite!) with aromatic herbs, chilli heat, and fresh tomatoes, for a super-quick, spice-packed midweek dinner.
Za'atar Pasta
Ingredients:
- 200g pasta (we used Seggiano’s Linguine)
- 3-4 cloves minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter or plant-based butter
- 1 tablespoon Biladi Za’atar
- 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
- salt & pepper to taste
- 400g cherry tomatoes
- 100g spinach, chopped
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
Method:
Bring a pan full of water to the boil; add salt and a dash of olive oil and cook pasta until al dente as instructed.
While the pasta cooks, put a pan on medium-high heat. Add butter and oil to the pan, then the garlic. Cook garlic for 1 minute, then add the za’atar and red pepper flakes and stir.
Add cherry tomatoes and mix until they are coated in spices. Let the tomatoes sit in the pan for 2-3 minutes or until they start to blister and pop. Mix the tomatoes and slightly mash any tomatoes that have not popped. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Strain your pasta, but set aside around 4 tablespoons of the water. Take your pan off the heat. Add pasta directly to the tomato mixture. Add a tablespoon of the water from the pasta to the pan. Add a bit more until the pasta is well coated with sauce.
Add spinach, and fresh lemon zest to the pasta. Mix together and serve.
