If you haven’t been to the JW Marriott in Savannah, you need to get out your calendars and book a trip right now. The building is a restored electric plant that was converted into a giant hotel that has revitalized that whole area. Not only is the main atrium of the hotel a work of art, but they have a plethora of different food restaurants to choose from. My husband and I decided that we couldn’t pick just one, so we hopped around a little bit here, had a glass of wine there. Our first stop of the evening was an African themed bar called BaoBab Lounge, that immediately transported me halfway across the world immersing me in their culture with their display of mounted animals, photographs of African people, paintings of villages, sculptures and masks. Their wine list included several choices from the African region complimenting their cocktail menu that included some insanely delicious drinks. We decided to enjoy a few appetizers with our cocktails and selected biltong, which is beef jerky, and Shoko Tostadas, that were fried plantains topped with spiced ground lamb and chicken and basil yogurt. However, the shareable dish that knocked our socks off was their Harissa Steak Flatbread. The textures and flavors married so well together it was as if my tastebuds were launching rockets off every few seconds. Typically, I shy away from flatbreads because restaurants skimp on the quantity of topping ingredients but this one didn’t disappoint.
My version of this recipe takes a few turns in a different direction. One, I added even more toppings to make sure every bite had every single ingredient on it. Second, I sauteed the tomatoes with garlic and olive oil first before adding to the flatbread so that they were soft but not dry when they came out of the oven. Lastly, I tossed the arugula with truffle oil so that its aromatic smell hits your nose as you go in for a bite and just pairs so nicely with the steak. You just can’t beat homemade hummus either. All the freshness and ethnic flavors were simply heaven. As we were sitting at the dinner table eating this flatbread, we hardly noticed that neither of us said a whole lot. The flatbread was gone wayyyy to quickly and several times both my husband and I said to each other, “That was the best flatbread I have ever had”. I am not ashamed to say that I may have had thoughts of licking my plate.
Middle Eastern Harissa Steak Flatbread Recipe
Cheers!
