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.

• Share on Facebook • Add to Del.icio.us • Digg It!

This is a middle eastern inspired way to eat delicious sardines. I bought a bagfull at the Sydney Markets today and wanted to use them right away. Buy them fresh and gut and fillet them yourself, it’s the easiest thing to do in the world. If you’re not up for that then buy them pre-filleted, but be sure to use fresh, not tinned. They’re good hot or cold, so if you want a stress free dinner party then prepeare in advance and serve at room temperature.

RECIPE:

INGREDIENTS:
350g sardine fillets
1x400g tin plum tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1/2 large onion (finely chopped)
1 tablespoon fresh mint
1 tablespoon fresh parsley (plus more for garnish)
3 tablespoons pitted black olives (chopped)
1 teaspoon za’atar (optional)*
1/2 lemon (juice of)
1 teaspoon sugar
salt & pepper

*Za’atar is an arabic spice & herb mix typically a combination of thyme, sesame seeds, cumin, oregano and fennel. You can buy it at middle eastern stores or sometimes under ‘gourmet’ at supermarkets. You could always make your own if you have all the ingredients.

DIRECTIONS:
Heat the oil in a pan over a medium heat and gently fry the onions for 3-4 minutes with a little salt until they brown. Add the garlic and fry for 1 minute more. Add the cumin and za’atar (if using) and stir briefly, then add the tomatoes, breaking them up on the side of the pan with a wooden spoon. Fill your tomato tin with water and add this to the mix, stir well and bring to a simmer, reduce the heat and simmer gently for 20-30 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the olives, parsley and mint. Add more salt if needed and plenty of black pepper. Squeeze over the lemon juice and stir well.
Heat another pan with a little olive oil until hot then add some sardine fillets and fry for about 30 seconds on each side. Make a single layer of sardines on a serving plate then spoon over the tomato sauce evenly. Sprinkle with more parlsey before serving.

SERVING:
Serve with fresh crusty bread to mop up the sauce.

This is a middle eastern dish which hails from Yemen but it is cooked all over the middle east in some shape of form.

RECIPE:

INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cups water
4 cups tomato passata
1 tablespoon fish spice, or to taste (see below)
1 tablespoon hawaij (see below)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 spring onion with stalk, chopped
1kg firm white fish fillets cut into 3-inch pieces

Fish Spice Powder
3 tablespoons black peppercorns
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons cumin
8 whole cloves
8 cardamom pods

Hawaij Powder
3 tablespoons cumin
4 tablespoons black peppercorns
4 tablespoons turmeric
6 whole cloves
7 cardamom pods

To make each of the powders, dry roast in a pan for 1 minute until aromatic, then grind into a fine powder in a spice grinder. You’ll make excess powder so store in airtight containers until you’re ready to eat again.
Mix the oil, water, tomato sauce, fish spice and hawaij in a large pan and simmer over a low heat for 15 minutes.
Add the spring onion to the pan. Slide fish pieces carefully into pan, making sure not to break them up. Simmer gently for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool. Very carefully remove the fish pieces to a serving dish and pour the sauce on top. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

SERVING:
Serve warm or at room temperature with some steamed beans and carrot.