Feasts From the Middle East

½ tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

½ tsp cumin (optional)

6 large eggs

100g feta cheese, roughly chopped

TO SERVE

a few parsley sprigs and a large mint sprig

warm pitta bread

Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/gas mark 7.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan. Season the aubergine slices and fry them in batches for 3–4 minutes on each side, until golden and tender, adding more oil as necessary. Transfer the slices to a plate as they are cooked.

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a medium frying pan and sauté the onion gently over a low-to-medium heat for about 8 minutes, stirring every now and then, until softened. Stir in the garlic and cook for a further minute.

Tip the tomatoes into the pan along with any juice and stir into the onion. Cook for 8 minutes until the tomatoes have broken down and softened – they should be a pulp. Pour in the tomato juice and cook, again over a low heat, for 5 minutes. The sauce will be quite thick by this stage. Season with salt, black pepper and the cumin, if using.

Spread a layer of aubergine slices over a large, ovenproof dish, then spoon over half the tomato sauce. Repeat to make two layers.

Make a hole in the sauce with the back of a large spoon and crack an egg into it. Do the same all round the dish until you’ve positioned all the eggs. Scatter over the feta. Bake in the oven for 5 minutes.

Pick the leaves off the parsley and mint sprigs, and chop roughly. Scatter over the shakshuka and serve with the warm pitta bread.

This is a dish I had at a friend’s house on the outskirts of Beirut. We were totally spoilt there as his mum would cook four or five different dishes for breakfast every morning, and because she knew I loved this, she would always make it. It’s a big, open omelette, topped with tender chunks of aubergine, caramelised cherry tomatoes and bite-size cubes of halloumi – all seasoned with one of my favourite spice blends. If you want to get ahead with this to make it a really speedy dish to rustle up, you could cook the vegetables and cheese the day before and chill them. Just make sure you toss them in a pan to heat them through before topping the omelette.

AUBERGINE & HALLOUMI OMELETTE (#ulink_adda244f-76f3-51a2-b7cb-79d4f34b7419)

BATENJAN WA HALLOUMI

SERVES 6

3 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to drizzle

½ aubergine, chopped into 2cm cubes

za’atar, to season

100g cherry tomatoes, halved

75g halloumi, chopped

8 large eggs

salt and black pepper

fresh thyme, to serve

Heat the oven to 100°C/80°C fan/gas mark ¼ to keep the vegetables and halloumi warm while making the omelette.

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan and cook the aubergine over a low heat, tossing every now and then until golden. Season with za’atar and some salt and pepper. Spoon into a roasting tin. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pan and fry the tomatoes, cut-side down, until just golden and caramelised, but not squishy. Season in the same way as the aubergine and put in the tin.

Cook the halloumi in the pan, tossing it every now and then so that the cubes turn golden on each side and then season them, too. Spoon into the tin, then put the tin in the oven to keep warm.

Beat the eggs in a bowl and season well. Add a drizzle more oil to the pan and place over a low-to-medium heat. Pour in the beaten eggs.

As the egg starts to cook, draw a wooden spoon across the base of the pan to allow more of it to cook. It’ll wrinkle up and make a much thicker – and more delicious – omelette this way. Lower the heat if it cooks too quickly and continue until the egg is just set on top. Spoon the aubergine, tomatoes and halloumi on top, garnish with fresh thyme and more za’atar, and serve.

FETA 4 WAYS

JEBNA FETA

It’s a bit unusual to have feta for breakfast, but I’ve been brought up on it and the salty, slightly sharp flavour goes brilliantly with both savoury and sweet ingredients. To be honest, I’m so greedy I could easily hoover up a block when it’s served with any of the accompaniments here. Sometimes I use a handful of mixed nuts in place of pistachios, and toast them in a pan first for extra flavour. And, if I can get hold of them, I love it topped with candied figs and a drop of rose water. Fingers of hot, just-toasted pitta cut through the richness, and a bowl of fruit completes the meal. If you have any left over, save it for lunch and serve it in a sandwich. (photos on here (#ulink_064d3a3e-0415-538f-9434-862bcb437288).)

FETA WITH TOMATOES & SPRING ONIONS (#ulink_70b3b0cc-5c4a-5ff1-941d-9b45fe3048c2)

EACH BLOCK OF FETA SERVES 4–6

250g block of feta, cut into three equal pieces

3 tomatoes, halved, deseeded and chopped

3 spring onions, sliced

½–1 red chilli, sliced

small handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped

black pepper, to season

olive oil, for drizzling

juice of ¼ large lemon

paprika, to sprinkle

Arrange the feta on a plate. Spoon over the tomatoes, spring onions, chilli and parsley. Season with black pepper – there’s no need to add salt as the feta is salty.

Drizzle over some olive oil – about 2 tablespoons will be plenty – then squeeze over the lemon. Finally sprinkle over a little paprika and serve.

FETA WITH OLIVE OIL & ZA’ATAR (#ulink_e8c44123-a187-5cf7-ba25-82a38da9a2db)

250g block of feta