Feasts From the Middle East

125ml water

4 large eggs, beaten

2 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

TO SERVE

pinch of paprika

extra-virgin olive oil, to drizzle

Heat the oil or ghee in a large saucepan and sauté the onion and garlic for about 5 minutes until starting to soften.

Stir the lamb into the onion mixture and cook for about 1 minute, until starting to colour a little. Stir in the spices and cook for about 1 minute, then add the chopped courgette and the water, and mix everything together.

Cook, uncovered, over a medium heat for about 10 minutes, until the water has all been absorbed into the courgettes and they are tender.

Use a spoon to make a large hole in the middle of the courgettes. Add the eggs and the seasoning, and mix everything together.

Cover the pan with a lid and leave on the heat for about 1 minute until the eggs are cooked. Sprinkle with paprika and serve with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.

Here’s a really great wrap that’s quick to make and delicious. It’s great for breakfast or brunch and has the added bonus that you can wrap it up and take it anywhere. Creamy labneh is spread over a flatbread, then topped with caramelised bananas. If you’re going to take it with you, I’d skip that stage and just top it with some fresh fruit – my favourites are figs and strawberries or, of course, fresh banana. But the one ingredient I always make sure to add to the honey is plenty of orange blossom water or rose water, then I sprinkle the wrap with toasted sesame seeds at the end.

LABNEH & CARAMELISED BANANA WRAP (#ulink_32d1ad08-a4f1-51d2-8de5-23994aa282dc)

SERVES 6

50g butter

3 tbsp caster sugar

4 large bananas, sliced

6 flatbreads

200g labneh

6 tbsp runny honey, plus extra to drizzle

1–2 tbsp orange blossom water or rose water

plenty of toasted sesame seeds, to sprinkle

Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat and put the butter in the pan to melt. As soon as it has completely melted and stopped foaming, sprinkle over the caster sugar. Carefully lay the pieces of sliced banana over the base of the pan and cook until golden on each side, turning them after 1–2 minutes.

Lay the flatbreads on a board. Spread each one with an equal amount of labneh, leaving about 1cm border from the edge. Top with the caramelised slices of banana. Keep a few to one side (two or three per wrap is plenty) to garnish at the end.

Mix the honey with orange blossom water, then drizzle over each flatbread. Sprinkle over the sesame seeds, roll up and pop a couple of slices of banana on top of each to serve. I like it with an extra drizzle of honey and more sesame seeds over the top.

I now realise how lucky I was as a little boy, being able to pick fruit straight from the tree. Quinces were one of the many fruits – along with pomegranates and figs – that I loved to gather then eat as soon as I got home. Although quinces are often cooked, they can be eaten raw in the Mediterranean and Middle East. We also cook them in a tagine, or roast halves until golden and tender, or poach them, as in this recipe. Make sure you buy dried figs, apricots and prunes, as opposed to the ready-to-eat fruit, as they’ll be too soft once they’ve been cooked in the syrup. This keeps well in the fridge for up to a week if you don’t eat it all at once.

LABNEH WITH CARAMELISED POACHED QUINCES AND SPICED DRIED FRUIT (#ulink_00445bf5-6a1e-5913-b716-7b11a6704dbb)

LABNEH BIL SAFARJAL MESHWY

SERVES 6

3 medium quinces

½ lemon

6 dried figs

6 dried apricots

6 dried prunes

40g sultanas

6 fresh or dried dates

2 cinnamon sticks

2 star anise

pared rind of 1 orange

juice of 2 oranges

150ml runny honey

200g caster sugar

500ml water

15g butter

TO SERVE

600g labneh or Greek yoghurt

zest of 1 orange

1 tbsp orange blossom water

1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds