Feasts From the Middle East

We don’t use this as often as couscous or bulgar wheat, but I do enjoy it and it’s delicious in my easy and very filling Freekeh with Chicken (see here (#litres_trial_promo)). Like bulgar and couscous, it is wheat, but it is harvested when young and green, then toasted and cracked to make the freekeh. It has a slightly nutty flavour and the cooking time varies depending on the packet you buy. Check this before you start so you don’t end up with bullet-like grains when you’re preparing it.

DRIED FRUIT

I always keep dried dates, figs, prunes and apricots in my cupboard – they’re instant snacks, plus I also love to serve them with mint tea and perhaps some whole almonds if anyone drops by. Much smaller dried fruit, such as sultanas, are also useful. Have a look at one of my favourite recipes, Slow-cooked Shoulder of Lamb (see here (#litres_trial_promo)), where I go to town with the whole range.

FUL OR FAVA BEANS

I’ve explained why it’s better to buy dried chickpeas and lentils, but I tend to buy ful or fava beans in tins. These are broad beans that have been dried then rehydrated. You can, of course, cook the dried beans, but it takes more time, and the recipes I use them in – Ful Salad with Radish & Mint (see here (#litres_trial_promo)) and Broad Beans in a Tomato Sauce (see here (#u59f5c8e0-14ca-5b82-a189-deef375e0b1c)) – are quick to make, so it’s easier to use tinned.

HARISSA

I love this fiery hot paste and I’ve even been known to enjoy it on eggs for breakfast. It’s also great swirled into yoghurt to make a dip, which softens its heat. You can buy it ready-made in jars or tubes (which makes it look a little like tomato purée), but I urge you to make my homemade harissa sauce, which is served with the Spiced Fried Squid (see here (#litres_trial_promo)) and keeps well in the fridge.

HONEY

For me, sugar brings a simple sweetness to a recipe, but to give depth, too, you need a good-flavoured honey. We often use honey to make a syrup; I love using it this way, especially combined with orange blossom water or rose water. Choose a runny honey so it dissolves easily into other ingredients. it’s wonderful in the Walnut & Cinnamon Honey Cigars (see here (#litres_trial_promo)).

LEBANESE SEVEN-SPICE MIX

I use this to season a piece of meat when I want to add a little extra something, at the same time as salt and pepper. Seven-spice is a blend of allspice, black pepper, cinnamon, coriander, ginger, cloves and nutmeg. I use it in the Chicken & Chickpea Stew (see here (#litres_trial_promo)), and also to give a more powerful flavour to a finished dish, such as the Slow-cooked Shoulder of Lamb (see here (#litres_trial_promo)).

DRIED LENTILS

These are really handy as they don’t need soaking overnight, and a little goes a long way. I keep both green and red lentils in the cupboard. Lentils need extra herbs and spices to give them flavour and garlic is always a good addition. Try my budget-friendly Lentil Soup with Lemon (see here (#litres_trial_promo)), which uses a handful of ingredients and is bulked up with Swiss chard.

DRIED MINT

We use dried herbs in dishes that need long, slow cooking as they have a more intense flavour than fresh herbs. The powerful flavour of dried mint can also be used to finish off a recipe, as in Stuffed Cabbage Leaves with Spiced Minced Lamb & Rice (see here (#litres_trial_promo)). The little parcels of cabbage stuffed with rice are drizzled with an aromatic herb and garlic butter.

NIGELLA SEEDS

I like these little black seeds in the Feta & Nigella Seed Falafel (see here (#litres_trial_promo)) as they have a slightly bitter flavour, which enhances the herbs, spices and other ingredients. I also love the fact that they look good decorating the outside of the balls. If you’re looking for them in supermarkets, you might see them labelled as black onion seeds or kalonji seeds.

NUTS

Nuts play a big role in Middle Eastern food; they are part of our culture. If someone drops by, we put a bowl of nuts on the table. When we bake, we use them in sweet recipes. At the end of a meal, we’ll finish with mint tea and a bowl of nuts and dried fruit. You can buy them everywhere – from stalls in the street to shops specialising in roasted seeds and nuts, so of course I like to use them generously in whatever dish I’m making. If you can, buy them in big bags – it’s cheaper that way – and store them in a cool, dark cupboard so they don’t go off. I like to keep a good range in stock, but pistachios and pine nuts are my favourites so I always have these in. Try pistachios in my Fig, Halloumi & Pistachio Tart (see here (#litres_trial_promo)) and sprinkle pine nuts over Feta & Spinach Flatbread (see here (#u96458ea0-4de9-571a-bb71-b9c2ee93338f)).

EXTRA-VIRGIN OLIVE OIL

I like my olive oil to have a rich colour and a deep flavour. Lots of people reserve extra-virgin olive oil for dressings, but if you can buy a reasonably priced one, it’s worth cooking with it, too. The only time I use another oil is when I’m deep-frying, and then I use sunflower or vegetable oil, as they have high smoking points.

PAPRIKA

This lovely, red, smooth-tasting spice is made by drying sweet red peppers then grinding them into a powder. It doesn’t have any heat and is lovely in the mezze recipe, Aleppo Roast Peppers & Mixed Nut Dip (see here (#litres_trial_promo)).

POMEGRANATE MOLASSES

I love this pink-hued syrup, which is a mixture of sweet and sour. It’s quite powerful – a little goes a long way – so I tend to dot it carefully over salads. It’s particularly good in the Spiced Lamb Pastries (see here (#litres_trial_promo)), in which the sweetness enhances the savoury filling of these little pies.

RICE

Basmati is my go-to rice on the side if I’m serving a stew with lots of sauce, and it’s essential in dishes in which light, fluffy rice is needed, for example, my Palestinian Spiced Rice with Chicken (see here (#litres_trial_promo)). Pudding rice isn’t just used for desserts; we use this stubby variety in recipes where the rice part of a stuffing, as in the Stuffed Cabbage Leaves with Spiced Minced Lamb and Rice (see here (#litres_trial_promo)). The sticky nature of the grains helps to meld all the ingredients together and maintain the shape of the cabbage parcels.

ROSE WATER AND ORANGE BLOSSOM WATER

I buy these scented waters in big bottles, as they are better value. I quite often advise the chefs not to be cautious about adding these waters to dishes. The orange blossom water adds a really interesting twist to the Date, Almond, Orange Blossom & Labneh Smoothie (see here (#litres_trial_promo)), while the rosewater is a must in the Roasted Aubergine, Rose, Honey & Labneh Tart (see here (#litres_trial_promo)).

SALT

You’ll notice that most of the recipes in this book specify a measured quantity of salt in the ingredients list. It’s so important to season food properly as this helps to bring the flavours of all the ingredients together and enhance them. I like sea salt, but you may need to grind it to make it finer if you’re making bread, so that it disperses through the flour properly.

SESAME SEEDS

These tiny little seeds pack a punch once they’re toasted – see my gorgeous breakfast feta recipes (see here (#u44b4df39-a24f-5479-9757-ae8243479fa3)). They also give a great texture to falafel or to finish off our renowned Sesame Seed Bread (see here (#u52903ddd-8123-54b9-b688-ebfa50a8348b)).

SUMAC

This is one of my absolute favourite spices. I love the deep red colour and the lemony, slightly sour flavour. The bush that these berries come from originated in the Middle East. The berries are dried and ground into powder. A sprinkling is perfect with sweet-flavoured ingredients such as tomatoes, so try it in my Village Tomato Salad (see here (#litres_trial_promo)).

TAHINA

Along with extra-virgin olive oil and pomegranate molasses, tahina is one of those store-cupboard ingredients that I have to keep in. I buy it in a big plastic tub – it’s cheaper that way – and keep it in the cupboard next to the salt and pepper, so it’s always to hand. You may spot it labelled as ‘tahini’ in supermarkets. Anyone close to me knows how much I love aubergines, so even simple dishes such as grilled or roasted aubergines are served with a drizzle of tahina over the top, to make them taste even better. I also love it in the amazing New Potatoes & Green Tahina Salad (see here (#litres_trial_promo)).

ZA’ATAR

I couldn’t live without za’atar, the spice blend of wild thyme, sesame seeds, sumac and salt, and I will add it to anything. It’s a must on man’ousha (see pages (#u46d397cf-f2bd-5c9c-aa72-88ec732078e0)) and I particularly love it pressed into halloumi – see Za’atar-crusted Halloumi (see here (#litres_trial_promo)). Just so you know, we call wild dried thyme za’atar, too.

(#ulink_22b03fb0-0dca-5e01-be73-cef267a52464)

My mum used to make this favourite of mine for me, my brothers and my sister. Breakfast was pretty busy for her with seven of us to feed, but she could rustle this up quickly and sometimes she made it for lunch instead. If she was really pressed for time, instead of waiting for the eggs to set, she’d scramble them into the tomato mixture, which I loved.

Here I’ve married the classic with one of my favourite ingredients, aubergine. You must make the sauce in an ovenproof frying pan, as the eggs are baked right at the end. Just 5 minutes in a hot oven is all it takes for the whites to set and the yolks to still be soft and runny.

AUBERGINE SHAKSHUKA (#ulink_4c51102a-d236-508a-96e2-76340fcf65be)

SHAKSHUKA BATENJAN

SERVES 6

olive oil, for frying

2 large aubergines, sliced into rounds

½ red onion, sliced 1 garlic clove, finely chopped

8 large tomatoes on the vine, chopped

125ml tomato juice