P is for Purslane: a perfectly delicious weed. My favourite salad since the age of 5 is a salad of purslane, rocket and fresh coriander with an olive oil and lemon juice dressing. There has to be lots of the dressing so that there is enough left at the bottom of the bowl to mop […]
Mansaf with shoulder of kid goat
Celebrating the past, present and future with Mansaf made with shoulder of goat, turmeric rice and sumac roasted almonds Mansaf is synonymous with celebration and marking important life events. Slow cooked meat and rice served generously and proudly on a large plate and I cannot think of a better dish to celebrate the life and […]
East Med Truffles
Desserts and sweets have never been my strong point partly because I failed repeatedly at my home economics classes to produce any dessert which didn’t end up in the rubbish bin and because I would always, and still do, choose savoury over sweet. If I do choose something sweet than it is because it is […]
Herring, caraway seed sourdough bread with baba ganoush and pickles.
The herring was a humble presence during my childhood, indeed it was often the butt of jokes because of its low status. Smoked it accompanied bean dishes and pickled it found its place on the table of the elderly. When I was in the fishmongers recently I found myself admiring some fresh line-caught herring […]
Shawarma – Chicken wrap with Zhug, tahini and pickles
My uncle theorised that the reason why street food tasted so good and could not be replicated at home was down to the honest sweat of the vendor. At the time I pulled a face but I secretly agreed with what he was trying to say. My uncle while not a wordsmith had a point […]
Beautiful beans from East Med (Ful Medames)
Growing up beans and pulses featured prominently at our table. We purchased them by the kilo and stored them in large containers. Looking back now, preparing beans was probably my first lesson in balancing flavours; the beans were boiled either with vegetables or alone and then served in a bowl with some of the cooking […]
Spicy lamb pittas (Arayes) with a yogurt and sumac dip
When I first started this blog I wanted to focus on dishes and ingredients from the East Med rather than specific countries because the countries in the region have so many dishes in common. Arayes is definitely one of those dishes that could be easily claimed by many countries as their own. Although often described […]
Hash with kid goat and Israeli hot sauce (Zhug)
Mondays are undoubtedly loathsome and so I set about to defeat the Monday blues by making one of my happiest dishes. I had made a leg of kid over the weekend and I cunningly kept back some of the cooked meat which I hid at the back of the fridge out of my father-in-law’s sight. […]
Partridge with Pasta and Green Olives from Cyprus
Game is very common in the East Med and hunting for game is enjoyed by many irrespective of economic background. Cypriots in particular love their game and yet it is unlikely that you would find game on a restaurant menu unless you knew where to go as a local. Since moving to London and I […]
Beetroot salad with tahini dressing
The raw beetroot is lovely and crunchy and combined with the tangy tahini dressing makes for a very moreish salad. I had this with roasted chicken thighs but it would be perfect as part of a meze. Although using cooked beetroot in this type of salad is more common it doesn’t quite have the same […]
