sumac?

June 3, 2008 1:41 PM

I just bought a big bag of sumac (the spice, not the poison). Now what?

I originally bought it to make Za'atar and the Mediterranean market only sold it in pretty big (though inexpensive) bags. Now I have a lot of leftover ground sumac sitting in my spice drawer. What else can I make with it? I prefer vegetarian or fish dishes so recipes for sumac chicken are out.

posted by mustcatchmooseandsquirrel to Food & Drink (15 answers total)

Both the fattoush and the fish stew sound good (top and bottom of list). However I have experience with neither.
posted by silkygreenbelly at 2:10 PM on June 3, 2008 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Sprinkle liberally on anything you like. For example, use on some veggies or fish fillets right before they hit the oven or grill. I've been known to pour sumac liberally onto hummus and babaganoush. I also *really* like it sprinkled on a bagel with lox & cream cheese.
posted by gnutron at 2:16 PM on June 3, 2008 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Sumac goes great with rice. Try making sumac-sprinkled onigiri, pilaf, or briyani. Also, I once made some pretty great sumac cabbage rolls (the mushroom-variant "Russian" rolls that recipe describes are great for vegetarian purposes). Cabbage rolls are traditionally served with a lingonberry or cranberry sauce for tartness; I got much the same effect by sprinkling them liberally with sumac before cooking.

Here's a recipe for Stuffed Onions with Barley-Lentil Pilaf that calls for sumac; anything similarly rice-or-grain-or-lentil-y would probably be good with sumac, too.
posted by vorfeed at 2:17 PM on June 3, 2008

I often make a chickpea salad that has sumac in the seasoning. I originally got the recipe from the book Flatbreads and Flavors (Amazon link), but now I just kind of wing it: chickpeas, sumac, garlic, dried or fresh spearmint, fresh parsley, green onions, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Basically just mix the chickpeas, parsley and green onions, then season to taste with everything else.
posted by Janta at 2:40 PM on June 3, 2008

I second fattouch. It's wonderfully amazing and the sumac is one of the things that makes it special (that and all of the lemon juice).
posted by jdl at 2:46 PM on June 3, 2008

Best answer: Sumac is nice for anything that needs some acid/brightness. Sumac is great on cooked vegetables, raw vegetables in salads, rice hot or cold, bean salads, fattoush, as a garnish on cream- or vegetable-based soups (omg gazpacho garnished with sumac!!). It is excellent on grilled fish, with either olive oil or butter. Thinly sliced raw onions, salt, olive oil, and sumac is an improbably delicious relish/salad. Put it in yogurt- or sour cream-based dips! Add it to hummus! Any place you might add a squirt of lemon juice or zest, try a pinch of sumac.

Yay sumac! (I tend to get a little obsessed every year when the really hot weather starts...which is right now. Can you tell?)
posted by peachfuzz at 3:02 PM on June 3, 2008

Spinach pies! Basically it is spinach, that you chop, add chopped onions and some lemon juice and in this case lots of sumac, fill in a flat pie and fold closed and bake, they are yummy, and you can make a large batch and freeze.
posted by convex at 3:07 PM on June 3, 2008

You're talking about the red conical clumps of "berries" right? There's always Sumac Lemonade, I guess. I've also heard of sumac being used anywhere you need some sour in a recipe.
posted by ArgentCorvid at 3:07 PM on June 3, 2008

I've bought this in Mediterranean grocery stores before, and was always disappointed with how bland it tasted compared to what I get in restaurants. I asked an Iranian friend about it once, and he brought me some that had been sent from relatives in Iran. What a difference! It could be just shelf life, but I don't know. I use it on rice.

AgentCorvid, I'd wondered whether the spice was related to the conical clumps you describe that I remember from growing up in Quebec. If I'm reading Wikipedia correctly, they are different species of the genus Rhus. I also found out dried sumac glows under UV light. Cool!
posted by Killick at 3:38 PM on June 3, 2008

Make some Grilled lamb kofta kebabs with pistachios and spicy salad wrap!
posted by Siberian Mist at 4:32 PM on June 3, 2008

Best answer: I adore this Turkish lentil soup and I've made many variations of it, but it's really best with sumac.
posted by shirobara at 4:47 PM on June 3, 2008

YES!

When I was in Istanbul, my friend took me out for "Turkish Ravioli" ... I have no idea what it's really called but (it's called Manti) it's basically small lamb ravioli in a white yogurt sauce with paprika, garlic, dried mint and sumac sprinkled all over.

This may sound totally ridiculous but I bet sumac and ground up mint would be freaking awesome on white macaroni and cheese.

Try it. Also, if anyone knows what that Turkish ravioli is called or where I might find it in the DC area, please post.

Oh, wait, I think it's called Manti.
posted by metajc at 5:39 PM on June 3, 2008

As a big fan of sumac, I have to say that every single suggestion so far is totally great.

Also nice: a potato salad made with good little potatoes, boiled, tossed with lots of olive oil, salt, and lemon juice while still hot, then parsley, scallions and sumac.

And...

This may sound totally ridiculous but I bet sumac and ground up mint would be freaking awesome on white macaroni and cheese.

...does not sound ridiculous at all, but in fact freaking awesome.
posted by neroli at 6:17 PM on June 3, 2008

Make a loose rub/paste with olive oil and brush it on baked or grilled lamb, or dunk chunks of crusty bread in it.
posted by obiwanwasabi at 4:21 AM on June 4, 2008

Best answer: I had french fries once with sumac all over them and a horseradishy dipping sauce. They were amazing.
posted by kpmcguire at 10:24 AM on June 4, 2008