Skordalia is a beautifully simple smooth purée of waxy potatoes, lots of juicy garlic, lashings of vibrant extra-virgin olive oil, a generous splash of white wine vinegar and flat leaf parsley whipped together to create a classic Greek dip which is served at room temperature with a scattering of salty capers. Trust me, this bears…
Category: Dips
Amirim Lemon-scented Labneh with Zhoug and Hazelnut and Thyme Dukkah
Labneh is a beautiful soft cheese simply made from strained yoghurt that can be eaten with pretty much everything and is a particularly good friend to rich and spicy mezze dishes. The first time I tasted it I was sat at a little linen-covered table on the edge of a vegetable garden in Amirim, an entirely vegetarian organic…
Shuk Hummus with Smoked Chilli Harissa and Toasted Sesame Seeds
Machane Yehuda market in Jerusalem was the first full blown Middle Eastern market I ever visited and, for me, it was an absolutely mind-blowing experience with over 250 vendors and stall holders inviting me to sample their beautiful chaos of fresh fruits and vegetables, bread, pastries and halva, cheeses, nuts and seeds, herbs and spices all piled…
Greek Island Tzatziki with Dill and Mint
Originating from the Ottoman Empire, this is my version of the popular Greek dish, tzatziki (known as cacık in Turkey). It’s simply a bowl of authentic Greek yoghurt getting it on with little cubes of crunchy cucumber, lots of finely chopped garlic, briny sea salt, a generous glug of grassy Kalamata olive oil, an audacious…
Greek Wild Oregano-roasted Tomatoes and Whipped Feta on Garlicky Sourdough
Thinking ahead for a vibrant working lunch, I drizzled a tray of lusciously ripe plum tomatoes with olive oil, a flourish of organic oregano and plenty of sea salt and placed it in a low oven for a couple of hours. As they slowly caramelised, I was immediately transported to a recent visit to Corfu old…
Moroccan Zaalouk Tartine with Whipped Feta, Lemon and Mint
Dusk falls and the Jemaa el Fna – place of the vanished mosque – in the heart of the ancient walled médina is transformed into a seething mass of tribesmen, Berber villagers, performers and musicians who converge upon Morocco’s ochre-tinted city every evening to tell stories, juggle, bang drums in a trance-like state of bliss, dance, charm snakes,…
Pera Za’atar-roasted Aubergine with Cacık, a Turkish Yoghurt Dip
Life in Turkey doesn’t happen without yoghurt. Indeed it is one of the most important components of the modern Turkish diet and there is rarely a table where it isn’t featured in some form or other; as part of a main dish, a condiment, a chilled soup, in a dessert or even as a drink…
Shuk Ha’Carmel Green Herb Falafel
“Wait. You’re telling me that you have never – NEVER! – eaten falafel?” he exclaimed, narrowly missing the turning onto Boulevard Rothchild as we made our way to dinner one impossibly hot and humid evening in downtown Tel Aviv. “No!” I replied, “I have never – NEVER! – eaten falafel!“. He looked at me with that…
Mallorcan Smoky Tomato and Garlic Dip
On a recent trip to Mallorca, breakfast consisted of endless cups of darkly strong black coffee, freshly baked ‘ensaïmada’ – a beloved Mallorcan sweet pastry originating from Arabia – and ‘pan con tomate’ (Spanish tomatoes on garlicky toast). I could happily live forever on the latter so I wanted to create something similar for this…
Egyptian Mesa’a’ah, a Spiced Aubergine Dip with Tahini Yoghurt
Last weekend I made a plate of Egyptian fava bean falafels (ta’miyah) for the first time and they were, by far, the best I’ve made to date; super crispy on the outside and crumbly and moist on the inside. I’m tweaking the recipe at the moment but look out for it soon. To accompany them…
Cardamom and Dill 