Comfort from Palestine
Middle Eastern recipes are hearty, homey
Cut into a hefty slab of meaty halibut, scoop up a mixture of vegetables and even a reluctant fish eater will be satisfied with this meal-in-one dish.
A thick piece of cod may be substituted in this lusty Middle Eastern recipe, which pairs well with a crisp green salad. It’s one of more than 100 homey dishes from the family of Palestinian caterer and writer Joudie Kalla in her beautiful book Palestine on a Plate: Memories From My Mother’s Kitchen (Interlink Publishing/ Canadian Manda Group, $49.95, $34.95 paperback). Sixty per cent of the dishes are vegetarian, but there are plenty of meat recipes, especially for what Kalla calls “the mighty lamb and chicken.” Middle Eastern staples such as wheat, rice and legumes are plentiful in this book.
Kalla, who trained in London at the celebrated Leiths School of Food and Wine, has been a chef in top restaurants and ran a Middle Eastern deli and restaurant.
Comfort food abounds in her book of Palestinian family cuisine, with tempting photographs by Ria Osborne.
HALIBUT BAKED OVER SPICY POTATOES
Serves: 4
■ 2 large potatoes, skin on, finely sliced
■ 3 garlic cloves, crushed
■ 1 red chili, chopped
■ 3/4 cup (175 ml) olive oil
■ 2 medium ripe tomatoes, diced
■ Small bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped Juice of 1 lemon
■ 1 tsp (5 ml) salt or to taste
■ 1 large or 4 medium halibut fillets
1. Preheat oven to 425 F (220 C). Oil or grease a wide ovenproof frying pan or casserole dish and spread with the potato slices.
2. In a bowl, combine garlic, chili, oil, tomatoes, parsley and lemon juice. Pour about three-quarters of this mixture evenly over the potatoes. Sprinkle with salt.
3. Bake for about 20 minutes, uncovered, in preheated oven, then remove from oven.
4. Arrange halibut on vegetables and drizzle with the remaining garlic mixture so fish is lightly coated, adding a little more oil if necessary.
5. Return to oven for another 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven, season with a little more salt and serve hot.