In our gluten-averse society, a gluten-free grain that’s virtually unknown sounds all but impossible. Job’s tears, which have been consumed for centuries across Asia, are technically not a grain (the plant is part of the grass family), but that didn’t stop Bon Appetit from declaring them “the next cult gluten-free grain” last year. In the case of the wild strain, Job’s tears are often dried and used as beads, while the softer domesticated version can be steamed like rice, ground into flour, boiled to make tea, and brewed into beer.
Pita bread was a given: Publican Quality Bread provides dough for the restaurant, which Walker rolled thin and grilled on the open wood-burning range. His twist on tzatziki sauce includes sour cream, butter, labneh (strained yogurt), cucumber, and the Middle Eastern spice mixture za’atar. The finishing touches were a simple salad of cucumber, pickled Fresno chiles, and scallion, and a drizzle of wildflower honey spiced with espelette pepper and fennel seed.
