Muhammara, Roasted Red Pepper & Walnut Dip

Another week, another red pepper dip (I made Balkan Ajvar a couple of weeks ago).  

Muhammara is a Syrian red pepper, walnut, and pomegranate molasses dip. I didn't have pomegranate molasses, so googled that balsamic vinegar is an acceptable substitute.  Muhammara also typically includes breadcrumbs, but I found mine was a good dippable/spreadable consistency without any.

4 roasted red pointed peppers
100g walnuts

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed 

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 tbsp pomegranate molasses or balsamic vinegar

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

Salt and pepper to taste

Breadcrumbs to thicken if needed

Roast the peppers in an oven together with the peppers about 30 minutes at 200C.  These can also be roasted in an air fryer for a similar length of time.  Turn the peppers when they are beginning to blacken on the top.  When collapsed and charred,  take out of the oven and place in a sealed plastic bag (this helps loosen the skins). 

When cool enough to handle, discard the stalk, peel off the loosened skin, and scrape out the seeds and discard.  Don't worry if a few seeds slip out of your grasp.

Whizz all the ingredients together in a mini food processor, adding a heaped tablespoon of breadcrumbs at a time too runny, until you get a consistency you like.

Serve as a dip with crudités, warmed flatbreads, or sauce for pasta or salad potatoes.

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Tahini Dressing

I've been meaning to make Tahini Dressing for ages. I finally got round to it this week, to dress a feta, roast squash, chickpea, kale, and quinoa salad bowl.  It's quick and delicious.

Serves 2

2 tbsp tahini 

Juice of 1 lemon

2 tbsp water

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 

1 small garlic clove, peeled and crushed 

A pinch of salt

Break down the tahini with the lemon juice, water, and salt.  Once smooth, stir in the rest of the ingredients, adding more water if needed to make a pourable dressing consistency.

This dressing goes well with many roast vegetables; beetroot, parsnip, carrots, cabbage/sprouts, aubergine, and is great on a warm salad (I microwaved my salad bowl before dressing it).  

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Rishta, Rishtaya, or Rishtayeh (Middle Eastern Lentil & Pasta Soup)

A hearty and inexpensive Lebanese lentil & pasta soup, ready in 30 minutes.

This is my take on Rishta, with a few more spices and added greens.

Serves 4 

2 tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, peeled and diced

1 large garlic clove, peeled and crushed

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp dried mint

100g green lentils

100g macaroni

250g fresh or frozen chopped spinach 

1.5 litres recently boiled water

3 vegetable stock cubes

1 lemon cut into quarters for serving

Chilli flakes for serving

Fry the onion in the olive oil in a soup pan over a medium heat until it starts to go golden brown.

Add the garlic and spices, stir around, then add the rest of the ingredients (apart from the lemon and chilli), cover and bring to the boil.

Stir to check the pasta is not sticking to the bottom of the pan, then put the lid back on and simmer for 20 minutes until the lentils and pasta are soft.

Serve with a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of chilli flakes.

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Middle Eastern Spinach & Beans

I have a rainbow chard glut at the moment, and am using it as spinach wherever I can. I based this recipe on Claudia Roden's Salq Bi Loubia (Spinach with Black Eyed Beans) from her A New Book of Middle Eastern Food using chard, white beans, garlic, and spices not detailed in her recipe.

Serves 2

1 large onion, peeled & thinly slliced

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

500g spinach or chard, rinsed well
1 can beans in water (black eyed, haricot, whatever)

1 clove of garlic, crushed

1 tbsp za'atar or ras el hanout, or 1 tsp ground cumin

In a saucepan large enough to fit all the greens, gently fry the onion until caramelised.

Rinse the spinach/chard several times until the water is clean.  When the onion is golden brown add the greens still dripping with water.  

Cover with a lid or plate and simmer for 5-10 minutes until the greens have wilted.

Stir through the garlic, spices, and drained beans (keep the liquid to make the dish more soupy at the end if preferred). Cover and heat the beans through.  Add more bean water if you like a more soupy dish.

Serve hot or cold with crusty bread.

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Courgette & Tahini Dip

A great recipe for using (some of) a courgette glut.  This is based on Mutabal, a Middle Eastern aubergine and tahini dip.

500g/3 medium courgettes

1 small garlic clove, peeled and roughly chopped

2 tbsp tahini

Juice of 1/2 a lemon

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp chopped mint, or za'atar (optional)

Salt & pepper

Heat oven to 200C. Place the whole courgettes in a shallow roasting dish, drizzle with a little olive oil and salt, and roast for 30 mins or until soft when pricked with a fork. Turn on the grill to blacken the skin slightly.Leave the courgettes to cool completely. 

When cool, trim the ends and roughly chop.  Put the chopped courgettes together with the rest of the ingredients into a food processor blend until smoothish.  Season to taste.

Serve with toasted pitta.

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Mushroom Shawarma

Shawarma is usually lamb or mutton cut into thin strips, stacked on a vertical rotisserie spike in an inverted cone, and roasted slowly. Mushroom Shawarma can be improvised with a grill or bbq and a skewer, but short of time, I just fried flat field mushrooms whole.

Serves 2

4 large field mushrooms, sliced into wide slices

1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
1/2 preserved lemon, or zest & juice of half a lemon
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp ground coriander
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Oil for frying

Mix all the marinade ingredients together and coat the mushroom strips in the marinade.

Heat 1 tbsp of oil over a high heat in a non-stick frying pan.  Fry the mushrooms until slightly crispy on the edges.  Water will come out after a few minutes, but this will evaporate off, allowing you to crisp the mushrooms a little.

Alternatively, you could fry the mushrooms whole like I did.  I fried the mushrooms over a medium high heat gill side down first for a few minutes until slightly browned, then turned them over and put the shawarma marinade (which I had not tossed them in) and spooned the marinade into each mushroom whilst they browned on the bottom.  I turned the heat down to low and put on a lid for a final a couple of minutes to cook the mushrooms through.

Serve in a pitta or on toast.

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Loubia, Moroccan Bean Stew

Loubia is a hearty Middle Eastern Baked Beans, traditionally made with beef or lamb.

I based my version on this recipe from Taste of Maroc.  Their recipe includes meat, but I prefer a vegan version.

Serves 6

2 cans of haricot or cannellini beans, or 450g dry beans soaked overnight and cooked according to their instructions 

2 cartons of passata

1 large onion, peeled and diced

4 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped 

3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

3 tbsp chopped fresh coriander 

1 tsp salt

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tbsp cumin

2 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp turmeric - (optional)

1/4 tsp chilli powder  - or fresh chili peppers (optional)

2 tbsp olive oil

Fry the onion in the olive oil in a casserole dish with a lid.  When it starts to brown add the garlic and cumin, stir then add the rest of the ingredients apart from the salt.

Bring boil, cover and turn down to a simmer. Cook for 30 minutes until the onion is soft.  Add the salt just before serving.

Serve with crusty bread or couscous.

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Mujaddara, Middle Eastern Rice & Lentils

Needed as a break from lentil curry, so recalled this Middle Eastern recipe I'd seen in a library e-book over the summer.  

Serves 4

200g dry green or brown lentils, or a can

2 onions, peeled and finely sliced

2 large cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp cumin seeds

2 tbsp ground coriander

½ tsp ground turmeric

1½ tsp ground cinnamon

1 mug basmati rice

For the garlic yogurt

250ml Greek yoghurt (or vegan yoghurt)

3 spring onions, finely sliced, or wilted spinach

1 garlic clove, crushed

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Salt & pepper to taste

The original recipe calls for deep fried flour dusted onions to be cooked first.  I halved the number of onions (to two), forwent the flour, and just caramelised the onions first, then added the rice and lentils to the onions in the pan to cook like a biryani.

Cook the lentils for 2 minutes less than the instructions on their packet so they stay firm.  Drain the tinned lentils if using.

Heat the olive oil in a heavy bottomed pan.  Peel and half the onions, then thinly slice,  Fry gently for about 20 minutes over a medium high heat, stirring from time to time, until brown.  

Add the garlic and dry spices. Stir the rice and drained lentils into the oil and spices, then add a mug and a half of recently boiled water

Cover and bring to the boil, then turn down the lowest heat to simmer gently for 15 minutes or until the rice is tender. 

Whilst the rice is cooking, mix all the garlic yoghurt ingredients in a bowl and leave to one side. 

After the rice has been cooking for 15 minutes, turn the heat off and leave to rest for 10 minutes without taking the lid off.  After 10 minutes fluff the rice up with a fork and stir in half the fried onions, and sprinkle the rest on the top

Serve with the garlic yoghurt on the side.

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Easy Preserved Lemons

I have been meaning to make my own preserved lemons for ages, and now wish I'd done so sooner as it is so easy, and gives a wonderful kick to savoury dishes.

Small preserving jar
4 lemons 

Salt

Cooled boiled water

Wash the lemons giving them a good scrub with a vegetable brush.

With the stalk end pointing down, cut down ALMOST halving the lemon, then cut again at right angles to make 4 segments/quarters still joined at the bottom that can be opened up like petals.

One by one, cup each lemon in your hand, open the sections up, and spoon in 1 tsp of salt.

Pack the lemons tightly into a sterilised preserving jar and top up with cooled boiled water.

Leave for 3-4 weeks, flipping the jar every few days, for the lemon rinds to soften in the brine.

A lot of recipes tell you to scoop out the pulp before using, and just use the rind.  So far I have just chopped everything up (discarding any pips) and added them to North African dishes like Vegan Tagine, Chicken or Lamb Tagine, and Courgette & Yoghurt.

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Middle Eastern Courgette & Yoghurt

I have just discovered Yotam Ottolenghi's website, and have used his Grilled Courgettes with Warm Yoghurt and Saffron Butter and Super Soft Courgettes with Harissa & Lemon recipes as my inspiration for my Middle Eastern Courgette & Yoghurt.

I have eaten this as a light dinner with flatbread, but it could equally be a side or be part of a mezze.

Serves 2 as a light dinner

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
500g courgette, finely sliced 

1/2 preserved lemon, finely chopped

1 tbsp harissa

1 tbsp tahini

1 tbsp chopped mint

1 tbsp chopped parsley

1 garlic clove, crushed

3 heaped dessertspoons greek yogurt

Gently fry the courgette in the olive oil. Cover and turn the heat down low so the courgettes steam for about 20 minutes.  Check the courgettes from time to time whilst you make the yoghurt sauce.

Mix the remaining ingredients together. When the courgettes are ready, turn off the heat, leave for a couple of minutes so they are not scaldingly hot, then stir into the yoghurt. Apparently the yoghurt splitting with the heat is a possibility but it didn't happened to me!

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Torshi Left, Egyptian Turnip & Beetroot Pickle

I was treated to Torshi Left made by an Egyptian friend's mother on my arrival in Cairo in 1991 en route to Sharm el Sheik on the Red Sea to learn to dive.  I was thrilled to find a recipe for it in Claudia Roden's Mediterranean Cookery, which I had bought after a previous visit to Egypt.

This is an quick anglicised version I have come up with 

1large white turnip or mooli
2 medium or 1 large beetroot

50ml white wine vinegar

50ml water

1 tsp salt

Peel the turnips/mooli and beetroot, and grate coarsely. Mix together with the remaining ingredients. The original recipe says cut the vegetables into large chunks and soak in vinegar brine for a week for at least a week. I can never wait that long and so came up with this quick grated method that I can tuck into straight away, although the longer it marinades the better the flavour.

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Lamb Kofta Wraps

Lamb Kofta have become a birthday meal favourite. I started off using Jamie Oliver's Lamb Kofta Flatbreads recipe, but it has now evolved into a family recipe based on the ingredients we usually have to hand.

Serves 4

500g lamb mince

Handful bread crumbs

1 large free range egg

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp smoked paprika

4-8 wholemeal wraps

Large tub cottage cheese

Sliced onion

Sliced tomato

Grated carrot (optional)

Shredded lettuce or cabbage

Chilli sauce

Squish the breadcrumbs, egg, cumin and paprika into the lamb mince until thoroughly mixed. Divide into 4, and divide each quarter into half again if people want two wraps.  Shape the kofta into balls or sausages - whatever takes your fancy. We have recently trialled a long flat sided sausage which works quite well in along wrap.

Fry the kofta over a medium heat until lightly brown on each side. Whilst the kofta are cooking assemble the other ingredients on your wrap. When the kofta are ready place along your strip of fillings, roll up the wrap and away you go.

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Easy Turkish Pizza - Lahmacun

Not sure what reminded me of Lahmacun, but it seemed an easy tea after a busy day. After all my kids love pizza, and kofte. And keema naan, as my son reminded me after eating it.

Serves 4

4-8 wraps

500g lamb or beef mince

1/2 sweet red pepper, cored, cut into chunks

1 shallot, or small red onion, peeled and roughly chopped

2 cloves of garlic, peeled

1tsp smoked paprika

1tsp ground allspice

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

4 tbsp tomato paste

2 tbsp olive oil

A couple of fresh parsley leaves with some stem

Mint & lemon wedges for later

Preheat oven to 200C.

Place everything apart from the lamb mince (and wraps) in the food processor and chop finely. Crumble in the mince and blitz again until a well incorporated paste.

Divide the paste into 4, and decide if you are having one wrap or two. If having one, spread 1/4 of the  paste over the wrap right up to 1cm from the edge.  Place on a lined baking tray and bake for 5 minutes until bubbling.  

Squeeze over lemon juice and sprinkle with chopped mint before serving. Serve in slices like pizza, or rolled up like a wrap.

Broad Bean & Quinoa Pilaf

Last year I had a bumper broad bean harvest from my allotment. This year, less so.  So this recipe makes a few broad beans go a long way (although I had to add cooked pinto beans to my meagre harvest).

Serves 2

120g quinoa

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, peeled and thinly sliced

100g podded small broad beans (or cooked lentils, pinto beans etc)

3 tbsp flaked almonds (optional)

1 tsp ground cumin

A few sprigs of parsley, finely chopped

Salt & pepper to taste

Cook the quinoa according to the instructions on the packet.  Leave draining in a sieve to one side.

Fry the onions gently over a medium low heat in a wide saucepan or high sided frying pan until they begin to soft, brown, and caramelise.  This takes about 25 minutes.  

Add the broad beans, cumin, almonds and parsley and fry for a few minutes.  Add the quinoa and mix everything together well. Cover on a low heat to heat the quinoa through.  When you hear frying stir everything through, then leave again until you hear frying.  It does not need to be piping hot to serve.

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Vegan Moroccan Harira Soup

A drizzly lockdown home school/work day calls for a warming and filling soup.  Having spotted homemade Harissa frozen in ice cube trays whilst rummaging in the freezer for something else this morning, Harira came to mind.  And the thick tomatoey soup is a great medium to hide veggies in.

Serves 5 (or a hearty 4)

1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and diced
1 large stick of celery, diced
1 large carrot, coarsely grated
1 medium courgette, coarsly grated
1 large clove of garlic, peeled & crushed
50g puy lentils
50g red lentils
50g soup pasta (orzo, vermicelli, stars), or macaroni
1 can chickpeas, including liquid
500ml passata
500ml recently boiled water
2 vegetable stock cubes, crumbled
1-2 tbsp harissa (or 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp smoked paprika, pinch of chilli flakes)
Chopped parsley or coriander to serve (optional)

Gently fry the onion, carrot, and celery in the olive oil in a soup pan for about 5 minutes.  Add the courgette and garlic and fry for another 5 minutes.

Add the rest of the ingredients, cover and bring to the boil.  Stir, cover again and simmer for 20 minutes, checking every five minutes or so that the lentils and pasta aren't sticking to the bottom of the pan. Serve when the green lentils are tender.  Sprinkle each bowl with coriander or parsley if you have it.

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Pan Fried Falafel

I've always wanted to make falafel ever since having them for the first time in the backstreets of Aswan. But somehow travelling on my own in Egypt in my early 20s was less daunting than a deep fat frier.

Today I found a recipe on BBC Good Food, and doubled it to make a vegan dinner for 5. You could half the quantity and serve as four falafel burgers as the original recipe

Serves 5-8

2 tins chick peas, drained and patted dry with kitchen towel
1 red onion, peeled and roughly chopped
1 handful roughly chopped parsley
1 large garlic clove
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1tsp smoked paprika
4 tbsp plain flour
Large pinch of salt
2 tbsp sunflower oil

To serve
5 pitta pockets or wraps
Lettuce leaves
Sliced red onion
Tahini
Lemon Juice
Chilli sauce

Put chick peas, onion,garlic, spices, and salt in a food processor.  Blitz until smooth.  You may have to stop the food processor and poke the mixture down.  Don't be tempted to add any liquid otherwise the resulting falafel will be too squidgy.  Once smooth, shape into 10 patties.

Shallow fry in the sunflower oil for 3-5 minutes each side until golden brown.  Serve in a toasted pitta   on a bed of lettuce and onion, and a drizzle of tahini, lemon juice, and chilli sauce.

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Vegan Moroccan Sweet Potato & Lentil Stew (Harira)

My children do not look forward to #veganmonday, but this stew went down well.

Serves a hearty 6

2 large sweet potatoes (or a small butternut squash or pumpkin)
100g red lentils
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 stick celery
1 small carrot
1 onion
1 large clove of garlic
1tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1/8th tsp hot chilli flakes
1 tsp red wine vinegar
2 vegetable stock cube
1 litre just boiled water

Grate the sweet potato, and finely dice all the vegetables.

Fry the onion, celery, carrot, and pumpkin gently until the onion begins to soften slightly.  Add the tomato paste, garlic, and cumin seeds and fry for a minute more before adding the rest of the ingredients.

Bring to the boil then cover and simmer gently for 30 minutes, stirring from time to time making sure nothing is catching on the bottom of the pan.  The stew is ready when the vegetables and lentils are soft.

Serve with bulgur wheat, couscous, or brown rice.

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Pistachio & Honey Ice Cream

A Middle Eastern inspired pudding to finish our vegetarian gluten free meals with friends last weekend.

300ml double cream
50g finely crushed shelled pistachio nuts
4 tbsp runny honey
2 tbsp granulated sugar

Mix all ingredients in an ice cream maker.  If you have the time freeze after making, but this is very nice as a mousse like consistency if you don't have time.

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Middle Eastern Broad Beans

I never used to be a fan of broad beans until I had an Egyptian dish of Ful Medames.  The dried broad beans used in this dish are hard to find, and I had largely forgotten about it until I had a bumper harvest of broad beans on my allotment this year.

My partner usually just steams the beans and tosses the warm beans in a little olive oil and crushed garlic.  But left to me to prepare them one day last week I added my Middle Eastern twist...

1kg broad beans
1/2 tbsp olive oil
Small garlic clove, crushed
Squeeze of lime juice
Pinch of salt
Large pinch of ground cumin

Pod the beans and steam for 15-20 minutes until tender.

Toss the warm beans with the rest of ingredients and serve as a warm side dish or cold salad.

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Simple Houmous

I am starting to teach my kids to cook/prepare the recipes they love.

I taught my 12 year old daughter's how to make Chickpea Salad a few weeks ago, and now Houmous. 

1 can cooked chickpeas

1 tbsp tahini paste

Juice of half a lemon

1 tbsp olive oil

Large pinch of salt

1/2 tsp cumin powder (optional - I first had Houmous in Egypt where this was sprinkled on top)

Drain the chickpeas, reserving the liquid, and place everything in a food processor.  Blitz until smooth, adding a little chickpea water if it is too thick.

I see the trend is to have 'flavoured' humous ie caramelised onion, red pepper, sweet chilli.  I never add anything to mine, but you could try adding a caramelised onion, half a red pepper, or a tablespoon or two of sweet chilli sauce to the mix...

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