These delightfully neon pink pickles are a Middle Eastern speciality and a staple in all Middle Eastern households. They are served with falafel, madjadura, humus, kebabs and roast meat or as nibbles with drinks and olives I even put them in salads and sandwiches. They taste salty and vinegary with the flavours that you add to the jar.
I am a massive fan of the Danish cafe Joe and The Juice and am slightly obsessed with their Tunacado sandwich. So I try and copy them and make them at home. I can’t get their delicious crisp rye bread here as they don’t sell it in the UK so I either use thinly sliced toasted rye bread or sourdough crackers from Peters Yard… but standard sourdough bread is fine. They are perfect with a freshly made juice for a saintly lunch or as canapés with drinks and Netflix.
This is the easiest most delicious salad which is so fresh and summery and perfect with a bbq or any alfresco eating. The Thai basil give it a slightly aniseedy flavour which works really well. I eat it for lunch with roasted sourdough or for dinners with any of my pasta recipes and the tomatoes taste even nicer if you mix them up with the vinaigrette and onions in advance and leave them in the fridge for a few hours before assembling the salad. If you press on the word vinaigrette in the list of ingredients below it will take you straight to the recipe.
I saw this traditional Israeli sandwich being made on “Somebody Feed Phil” on Netflix and I had to recreate it as it looked so delicious. It’s got fried aubergines, boiled eggs, pickled vegetables, salad and a tahini dressing. What’s not to like? After the Gothenburg (also on this blog), this is my other favourite sandwich – and it’s not called the best sandwich in the world for nothing… It’s usually folded over or the filling is tucked into the pocket of a flat bread, but I’ve made it like an open sandwich so you can see the gorgeous ingredients. I have left Amba sauce out (which is a savoury mango pickle which you can buy online or make yourself but you can add it if you can get hold of it) and I used Sriracha instead of making chili sauce from scratch.
It’s a vegetarian dream.
Freekeh has a fantastic flavour and texture and it’s even better for you than quinoa, although it’s not gluten free it’s packed with good things if you google it. I wanted to make a warm salad with it with a Middle Eastern vibe that was easy and delicious. I serve it on its own or as a side dish to a main meal and everyone loves it. It’s not gluten free but the freekeh grain is different in structure to standard wheat grain and is tolerated by some people who are gluten free.
This sushi ginger is a game changer, I made it when I ran out of sushi ginger and thought I’d give it a go to see what happened and it has a more delicate flavour than commercial sushi ginger, which can sometimes taste a bit chemical. I eat it with sushi and sashimi… and in salads with avocados and eggs and in sandwiches. Try it it’s super easy.
This fresh summery Greek salad is a great way to eat broad beans and the artichokes make it extra delicious. If you can’t be bothered to skin the broad beans you can use defrosted peas instead. I serve it with other salads, flatbreads and a block of feta for that alfresco summery feel. It is best served at room temperature with an extra sprinkle of herbs. It’s also great with roast fish or meat.
This take on what is essentially a classic of mushrooms on toast with soft boiled eggs is deliciously flavoured with allspice and coriander seeds so it tastes much more Mediterranean or Middle Eastern. The mushrooms once cooked create their own unctuous sauce which you spoon over the crunchy bread and then you have the creaminess from the eggs with the fresh herbs and a squeeze of lemon to finish it off. It’s delicious I promise.
I knocked up this store cupboard recipe when I had a cold and wanted to make something that was packed with garlic, chili, ginger and vitamins that would help me get better. A friend eventually came over and tried it and started to make it for her family; she loved it so much she wanted me to share it on the blog. It’s super tasty comfort food. So, here’s the recipe.
These gnocchi are much lighter than potato gnocchi, although I’m a still big fan of potato gnocchi. I’ve made this recipe with gluten free flour which works really well, but you can use normal flour if you prefer. They take a day to make because you need to strain the ricotta overnight in a sieve, but after that the are easy and worth making because they are clouds of deliciousness. You can also serve them with my sugo instead of the butter and olive oil with fried sage, and then grate lots of parmesan on top. They make a great starter or main meal with a salad.
