Yemeni Shafout Yogurt Bread Layers

Ingredients

• 2 pieces flatbread, torn
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1 cucumber, diced
• 1 tbsp olive oil or unsalted butter
• 1 small onion or 2 scallions, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 tsp dried mint
• 1/2 lemon, cut into wedges
• 1/4 cup fresh herbs, chopped
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Steps

1. Blend the yogurt with the garlic, dried mint, half the fresh herbs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 cup water until smooth and pale green and pourable, roughly the thickness of heavy cream.
2. Taste it and season firmly. This sauce has to flavour a large quantity of plain bread, so it should taste slightly too salty and too herbal on its own.
3. Chill the yogurt mixture for at least 15 minutes. Shafout is served cold, and a cold sauce keeps the bread from going limp on contact.
4. Meanwhile toss the diced cucumber with the onion, a pinch of salt, and a squeeze of lemon and set aside.
5. Lay the torn flatbread flat in a wide shallow dish, overlapping the pieces in a single even layer rather than piling them up.
6. Pour the chilled yogurt mixture evenly over the bread and press it down gently with the back of a spoon so every piece is soaked.
7. Let it stand for 5 minutes only, just long enough for the bread to soften while keeping its shape. Any longer and it collapses into paste.
8. Scatter the cucumber, onion, and remaining herbs over the top, drizzle with the oil, and serve cold with lemon wedges.

Allergen note: Contains gluten and dairy.

Use the listed quantities as a guide, adjust seasoning to taste, and cook proteins to a safe internal temperature.