Buratta With Dukkah And Preserved Lemon Bruschetta

Prep Time 10 min

This delicious blend of rich buratta cheese spiced with preserved lemons and Egyptian dukkah can set the stage for an adventurous meal.

Dukkah takes me back to my high school days in Cairo when on my way home, there was an old wizen street vendor on the corner of our school bus stop who sold crunchy, fresh-out-of-the-oven rings of sesame bread. He greeted every customer with a wide toothless smile, dispensing orders that included dukkah wrapped in a small cone-shaped parcel made of old newspaper. The idea was to take a small piece of sesame bread, dip it in the dukkah and there you had a slice of heaven. A hard boiled egg was an extra charge but dispensing with that and on the rare occasion that I had saved some of my pocket money, I would treat myself to this delicious snack on my walk home from the bus stop.

Dukkah is Egypt’s equivalent to Lebanon’s Za’atar. Made from crushed hazelnuts, sesame seeds, coriander, cumin and little salt it is a heavily aromatic blend of spices that is creeping into recipes in the US. I have read about fish and chicken being marinated in it but have yet to try these recipes. I suspect it might work with poultry but might be too overbearing for fish.

Traditionally used on its own as a dip with a little olive oil, this recipe uses dukkah to spice up creamy burrata cheese with preserved lemons and a drizzle of olive oil for an exotic starter or served with a light green salad for quick and tasty lunch .

What you need

Slices of toasted fresh bruschetta bread
Room temperature burrata cheese
A sprinkle of dukkah (available from Middle East groceries or Amazon) or make your own. See recipe.
Coarsely chopped preserved lemons rind ( If you really feel adventurous, make your own. See recipe).
A drizzle of olive oil.