INGREDIENTS:
300g green beans
1/4 cup walnuts
1 tablespoon fresh parsley (chopped)
1 tablespoon fresh coriander (chopped)
1 garlic clove (chopped)
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
salt & pepper

2 duck breasts
2 teaspoons Baharat spice mix*

*Baharat spice mix (makes more than you need but will keep for months in a sealed container)
2 tablespoons cumin seeds
1 tablespoon whole cloves
7 whole cardamom
2 tablespoons black peppercorns
1 cinnamon quill (crumbled roughly)
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 whole nutmeg (grated)
2 tablespoons sweet paprika

To make spice mix:
Heat a small frying pan until hot then add the cumin, cloves, cardamom, peppercorns, cinnamon and coriander seeds and dry fry for 1-2 minutes until aromatic and lightly browned. Grind together in a spice grinder or pestle & mortar until you have a fine powder. Stir in the grated nutmeg and paprika. Place in a small sealable container it’ll be fine for months!

To make the puree:
Cook the beans in a little water for 10 minutes until soft. Drain, then cool slightly. Whiz the walnuts in a food processor until fine and crumb like. Add the garlic, coriander and parsley and whiz again. Add the beans and whiz again until you have a smooth puree add a tablespoon or two of water until you have a mayonnaise like consistency. Stir in the red wine vinegar and add a little salt and pepper to taste. If you want a super smooth puree, then pass it through a fine sieve. Serve at room temperature.

To cook the duck:
Trim the excess fat from the breasts and then score the skin crossways with a sharp knife. Rub each duck breast with a little salt and 1 teaspoon of the Baharat spice mix. Set aside for about 20 minutes.

Heat a small frying pan without any oil till hot, add the duck, skin side down and cook for 6-7 minutes. Turn over and cook for a further 3-4 minutes, basting the skin with the oil that has come out. Rest for 3-4 minutes before slicing and serving.

SERVING:
Serve the duck with a little puree. I served mine with a lovely buttery Persian style rice with sultanas, spinach and apricots.

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This is a sensational vegetarian feast. It uses 3 sauces combined with a hearty slice of eggplant to create something totally unlike any other dish I’d tried. It’s got influences from India and Afghanistan which makes it a very interesting blend of flavours.

RECIPE:

INGREDIENTS:
2 large eggplants
3 tablespoons salt
peanut oil (for frying)
small bunch of fresh coriander

Chickpea sauce:
400g can chickpeas
400g can chopped tomatoes
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
3 dried red chillies
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
salt & pepper
10 curry leaves (fresh)

Yoghurt sauce:
10 tablespoons natural yoghurt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt

Tamarind Sauce:
2 tablespoons tamarind paste
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon water

DIRECTIONS:
Cut off the top and bottom off the eggplants and peel them. Cut them into rings about 3cm wide. Fill a large pan with about 3 litres of water and add the salt. Put the eggplant in and weigh it down with a plate and something heavy on top. Leave for about 3 hours. Then remove and pat dry with paper towels. While the eggplants are soaking, make the sauces:

Yoghurt Sauce:
Simply combine all the ingredients.

Tamarind Sauce:
Again, combine all the ingredients

Chickpea Sauce:
Heat the oil in a pan over a hot heat, add the chillies and the mustard seeds when they start to pop, add the garlic, stir once then add the curry leaves, cumin, coriander, turmeric salt, tomatoes then chickpeas. Stir well, reduce to low then simmer gently for about 20 minutes. Remove the chillies before serving.

To complete the dish, heat a large deep frying pan with about 2cm of peanut oil until hot. Slide in as many slices of eggplant as you can on a single layer. Cook each for about 2-3 minutes on each side until reddish golden and tender. Place on a tray with paper towels and drain off any excess oil. Turn over and drain more. Change the paper if necessary. Repeat this process with all the remaining eggplant. You can prepare these in advance and leave for up to 3 hours.

Arrange the slices in a single layer on a large platter and lightly season with salt and pepper. If you prepared them earlier, heat in a preheated oven of 150ºc for 15 minutes (pour off any excess oil that gathers. Reheat the chick pea mixture and spoon over a heaped tablespoon onto each eggplant slice. Then add a little of the yoghurt sauce, and finally dot the top of each with the tamarind mix. Sprinkle with plenty of fresh coriander.

SERVING:
This can be served as a main course, or alongside some meat or fish.

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This is the easiest thing to make. It’s perfect for the BBQ as the statchcock doesn’t take an eternity to cook. It’s pretty spectacular looking too. If you don’t manage to hunt out za’atar from your supermarket, then try a middle easter specialist. They’ll be sure to have it.

RECIPE:

INGREDIENTS:
4 spatchcock chickens or 2 medium chickens
1 cup za’atar
1 cup olive oil
1 lemon (juice of)
salt & pepper

DIRECTIONS:
You can buy chickens already spatchcocked (essentially backbone removed, flatened out and skewered to keep flat. It’s easy to do yourself. Just cut with scissors, each side of the back bone to remove it, then turn over and flatten out with your hands. Using 2 skewers, pierce diagonally through the thighs up through the wings on each side to form a cross. That’s it!
To make the marinade, simply comnine all the ingredients and rub it all over the chicken. Leave for an hour or so, then grill on a hot BBQ until the chicken is cooked. The skin should be charred and the flesh inside lovely and juicy.

SERVING:
Serve with salad bread with some yoghurt & mint dressing sauce.

It’s Friday night, the telly’s good, what more could you ask for? A bit of humus is what! Together with an entire loaf of bread, it’s the perfect night in.

INGREDIENTS:
1 can of chickpeas
3 lemons (juice only)
1/2 cup tahini paste
1/2 cup olive oil
4 garlic cloves (minced with 1 teaspoon salt)
pepper

DIRECTIONS:
Put all ingredients (except the olive oil) into food processor or blender and whizz up to a smooth paste. Then gradually stir in the olive oil.

SERVING:
With fresh cut bread – toasted.