Tony Kitous - Feasts From the Middle East

COPYRIGHT

HQ

An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

First published in Great Britain by HQ

An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd 2018

Text Copyright © Tony Kitous 2018

Tony Kitous asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Hardback ISBN 978-0-00-824834-5

eBook ISBN: 9780008248352

Photography: Philippa Langley

Food styling: Rosie Ramsden

Prop styling: Olivia Wardle

Design & Art Direction: Anita Mangan

Senior Commissioning Editor: Rachel Kenny

Project Editor: Sarah Hammond

Head of Design: Louise McGrory

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

CONTENTS

COVER

TITLE PAGE

COPYRIGHT

INTRODUCTION

MIDDLE EASTERN STORE CUPBOARD

BREAKFAST & BREADS

AUBERGINE SHAKSHUKA

AUBERGINE & HALLOUMI OMELETTE

FETA WITH TOMATOES & SPRING ONIONS

FETA WITH OLIVE OIL & ZA’ATAR

FETA WITH PISTACHIOS & DATE SYRUP

FETA WITH SESAME SEEDS & HONEY

SUJUK SCRAMBLED EGGS

FIG & FETA TARTINE

LEBANESE VILLAGE BREAKFAST

BROAD BEANS IN A TOMATO SAUCE

SCRAMBLED EGGS WITH LAMB & COURGETTES

LABNEH & CARAMELISED BANANA WRAP

LABNEH WITH CARAMELISED POACHED QUINCES AND SPICED DRIED FRUIT

DATE BRIOCHE

SPICED TOMATO FLATBREADS

FETA & SPINACH FLATBREADS

SESAME SEED BREAD

ARABIC BREAD

MEZZE & DIPS

CLASSIC HOMMOS

LABNEH DIP

AUBERGINE & WALNUT DIP

COURGETTE & TAHINA DIP

BROAD BEAN & TAHINA DIP

ARTICHOKE HEART & TAHINA DIP

FRIED VEGETABLES WITH YOGHURT & TAHINA SAUCE

ALEPPO ROAST PEPPERS & MIXED NUT DIP

SPICED POTATOES

MARINATED CHICKEN WINGS

SPICED FRIED SQUID WITH HARISSA SAUCE

CHICKEN LIVERS WITH CHERRY TOMATOES & POMEGRANATE MOLASSES

SPICED LAMB PASTRIES

PASTRIES STUFFED WITH FETA & HALLOUMI OR OLIVES

FETA & NIGELLA SEED FALAFEL

ZA’ATAR-CRUSTED HALLOUMI

ROASTED CHICKEN & COUSCOUS SALAD

SALADS & VEGETABLES

GRILLED CHOPPED AUBERGINE SALAD

AUBERGINE & POMEGRANATE SALAD

ROASTED PEPPER SALAD

BUTTER BEAN SALAD

NEW POTATOES & GREEN TAHINA SALAD

VILLAGE TOMATO SALAD

GRILLED HALLOUMI WITH ROASTED VINE TOMATOES

BEETROOT, FIG & FETA SALAD

FRENCH BEANS IN A TOMATO & OLIVE OIL SAUCE

BRAISED BROAD BEANS WITH OLIVE OIL

BRAISED GREENS IN OLIVE OIL

FUL SALAD WITH RADISH & MINT

ROASTED PEPPER & FETA SALAD

BRAISED OKRA WITH TOMATO SAUCE

SYRIAN AUBERGINE SALAD

CAULIFLOWER & TAHINA

ROASTS & GRILLS

SLOW-COOKED SHOULDER OF LAMB

SPICED ROAST CHICKEN

BABY CHICKEN WITH LEMON JUICE & POTATOES

PALESTINIAN BRAISED SPICED CHICKEN PIE

SPICED MEATBALLS IN TOMATO SAUCE

AUBERGINE & SPICED MINCED-LAMB KEBABS

FISH & SEAFOOD

BAKED BREAM WITH TAHINA SAUCE

SEAFOOD STEW

FRIED RED MULLET WITH CRISP BREAD & TAHINA

MY MUM ZOHRA’S FRIED SARDINES

CUTTLEFISH WITH GARLIC, LEMON & CORIANDER

SEA BASS WITH SPICED RICE

SAUTÉED PRAWNS WITH SPICED BRAISED FENNEL

MONKFISH & ROASTED PEPPER KEBAB

SOUPS & STEWS

LENTIL SOUP WITH LEMON

ARTICHOKE & TAHINA SOUP

PUMPKIN & SAFFRON SOUP

TOMATO & MINT SOUP

LEBANESE CHICKEN SOUP

LAMB & ARTICHOKE STEW

SPICED LAMB KOFTAS WITH POTATOES & TOMATOES

BABY AUBERGINES WITH SPICED MINCED LAMB & TAHINA

STUFFED COURGETTES IN A YOGHURT SAUCE

CHICKPEAS WITH YOGHURT & TAHINA SAUCE

CHICKEN & CHICKPEA STEW

POTATO & SPICED MINCED LAMB PIE

GRAINS & PULSES

STUFFED PEPPERS WITH SPICED RICE & LAMB

PALESTINIAN SPICED RICE WITH CHICKEN

GREEN LENTIL & RICE SALAD

BULGAR WHEAT WITH CHICKEN

BULGAR WHEAT & SPICED MINCED LAMB PIE

STUFFED SWISS CHARD WITH SPICED RICE & VEGETABLES

FREEKEH WITH CHICKEN

BULGAR WHEAT & TOMATO SALAD

STUFFED CABBAGE LEAVES WITH SPICED MINCED LAMB & RICE

GIANT COUSCOUS WITH CHICKEN

DESSERTS & DRINKS

SHREDDED FILO & CHEESE PUDDING WITH A ROSE–HONEY SYRUP

TAHINA, CHOCOLATE & PISTACHIO CHEESECAKE

POMEGRANATE & PISTACHIO CHEESECAKE

ROSE MOUHALABIAH WITH SUMMER FRUIT COMPOTE

SWEET POTATO & TAHINA PUDDING

SEMOLINA, ALMOND & ORANGE BLOSSOM HONEY CAKE

CRISP FILO PARCELS WITH CREAM & ROSE WATER

ZALLABIA

FIG, HALLOUMI & PISTACHIO TART

WALNUT & CINNAMON HONEY CIGARS

GLUTEN-FREE ORANGE & ALMOND CAKE

MY ROASTED AUBERGINE, ROSE, HONEY & LABNEH TART

FRESH MINT & ORANGE BLOSSOM TEA

CAFÉ BLANC

SAHLAB

COMPTOIR SPICED HOT CHOCOLATE WITH TAHINA & HALVA

DATE, ALMOND, ORANGE BLOSSOM & LABNEH SMOOTHIE

WATERMELON LEMONADE

FROZEN MINT LEMONADE

VANILLA CITRONNADE

LEBANESE LEMONADE

FEAST MENUS

LIST OF SEARCHABLE TERMS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

ABOUT THE PUBLISHER

I like food – in fact, I love food. I love absolutely everything about food: the smells, the tastes, the colours, the way it makes people happy. A simple smell can take me back to the markets I used to go to with my dad and grandad to buy ingredients for my mum. Or it can transport me back to walking home from school, smelling the food in the air when I was close to home. I remember men walking the streets with their carts of sardines shouting, ‘Yalla sardine!’ and everybody going out to buy them. Every family cooked and flavoured them differently. We’d eat at home and then take the leftovers outside to swap with our friends. I can recall the aroma of fruit ripening on the trees, too. To this day, no matter where I am, a new-season fig will make me close my eyes to savour that first bite, longing to be six years old again, back in Tizi Ouzou, Algeria.

Since I was little it has always been the same. I ate so much so that my mum used to hide food because otherwise it would be gone! Always, always eating. I learned about the joys of food from my mum, Zohra. She is my inspiration, my motivation in everything I do and my biggest influence. She taught me the joy of eating, of feeding people and of learning about new foods. My mother was the heart of the home, cooking for hours every day. She was very creative when meat or fish were scarce or there were lots of people to feed (I’m the oldest of seven). I also came to realise that no matter how simple, food can always be delicious when it’s made with love and with fresh, seasonal ingredients.

As food was such a big part of everyday life when I was growing up, it wasn’t long before I started to think, dream and talk about food. I was brought up in both a Berber and Arab culture and have embraced both my whole life. The Middle East and North Africa are lands of generous hospitality, and people often don’t see the inclusive nature of Arab culture, with eating at the heart of it. Food is an integral part of my roots; food is everything because you give it and share it and you make it with love. Eating it offers a chance to be with friends and family, to talk and laugh and celebrate and share the latest news. Food brings us together.