Which countries are part of the Middle East varies depending on who you ask. From a food perspective, the flavours of Turkey, Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, Palestine (the Levant), Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, The UAE, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar (the countries of the Arabian Gulf), Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt (North Africa) all have a lot in common. The influences crosses borders to neighbouring Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Xinjjiang in China, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia, Sudan, Somalia, Zanzibar and Greece too; as well as the Middle Eastern/Arabic influence on Malaysian and Indonesian cuisines.
Orange & Date Salad Like this orange and date salad? You’ll love my online Middle Eastern cooking class inspired by Michael Rantissi! Once you discover how easy it is to segment an orange, you’ll be making this simple salad all the time. I like the crunch of toasted almonds or vivid Persian pistachio slivers, but […]
Olive, Feta or Anchovy Filo Fingers Like this recipe? You’ll love my online Greek cooking class Inspired by Janni Kyritsis! Just about everything I’ve ever cooked has been inspired by something I’ve eaten before and these filo fingers are no exception. My friend Janni usually whips up phyllo fingers to serve with drinks when friends […]
Pita Chips Like this recipe? You’ll love my online Lebanese cooking class! With this not-even-really-a-recipe, you’ll never buy pita chips (also called pitta crisps) again, nor will you ever waste a piece of leftover Lebanese bread! Pitta chips are perfect with any dips including hummus, tzatziki, babaganoush and labneh. They’re also great crumbled over salads, alongside […]
Shish Kebab Like this recipe? You’ll love my online Middle Eastern cooking class inspired by Michael Rantissi! Grilling meat on a skewer over coals is one of the most basic forms of cooking. So kebabs, in their many forms, are popular throughout a huge area covering the Eastern Mediterranean, North Africa, the Caucasus and on […]
Kisir (Turkish Tabouli) Like this recipe? You’ll love my online Turkish cooking class inspired by Somer Sivrioglu! I’m a fan of traditional recipes but every now and then I prefer to do things my way. And I’ve always made tabouli with far more cracked wheat than any Lebanese cook ever would. Then I realised I […]
Hummus Like this recipe? You’ll love my online Lebanese cooking class! I was taught to make hummus by a Cypriot friend’s grandmother and her recipe produces a wonderfully creamy result; she insisted we remove the skins from the chickpeas to make a really smooth hummus. I find it quite therapeutic popping them out of their […]
Bresaola, Watercress & Egg Salad Like this recipe? You’ll love my online Middle Eastern cooking class inspired by Michael Rantissi! I fell in love with bresaola when I was researching A Lombardian Cookbook in Italy with Alessandro Pavoni. A specialty of Lombardy, bresaola is salt-cured beef eye round that’s dried in the crisp Alpine air. […]
Baked Vegetarian Kibbeh Like this recipe? You’ll love my online Lebanese cooking class! I love the classic torpedo-shaped kibbeh that often appear as part of Lebanese meze, but baked kibbeh (bil sanieh means ‘in the pan’) is much quicker to make and more popular as a family meal. Lakteen means ‘trick’ in Arabic and the […]
Chopped Salad Like this recipe? You’ll love my online Middle Eastern cooking class inspired by Michael Rantissi! Of course we all love to cook – but occasionally, there just isn’t time. That’s when I whip up a big bowl of this delicious chopped salad which keeps well for days in the fridge. Found all over […]
Turkish Lentil Soup Like this recipe? You’ll love my online Turkish cooking class inspired by Somer Sivrioglu! I lived on this delicious lentil soup when I was in Türkiye for three months in 1988. My recipe is adapted from one that I had on the Black Sea coast made by a young lady called Zerrin. […]