Food & Drink
Sami Tamimi and Tara Wigley have written a book which celebrates the food, history, produce and people of Palestine
Sami Tamimi and Tara Wigley share recipes from Palestine, plus Rose Murray Brown on the best wine from the French Alps
This is a book about Palestine – its food, its produce, its history, its future, its people and their voices. It is a book about the common themes that all these elements share, and how Palestine weaves narrative and cooking into the fabric of its identity. The two go hand-in-hand. Recipes are like stories: events brought to life and shared in the making and telling. Where stories and recipes intersect is the nexus, the point, of this book. Rather than telling ‘a’ story or ‘the’ story of Palestine, then, we’re telling lots of stories. ■ @sami_tamimi; @Wigleytara
Extracted from Falastin: A Cookbook by Sami Tamimi and Tara Wigley (Ebury, £27). Photography by Jenny Zarins.
Roasted cauliflower and burnt aubergine with tomato salsa
We spent three nights in Haifa on one of our trips and spent two of those eating supper at the same restaurant, Fattoush, in town. The reason we went back two nights in a row was because we ate a version of this salad the first night and then went to bed dreaming about it.
Serves four generously 4 large aubergines, pricked with a small, sharp knife (1kg)
1 garlic clove, crushed
1½ tsp lemon juice
2 tbsp cider vinegar
1 large cauliflower (or 2 medium), cut into roughly 3cm florets (800g) 3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp coriander seeds
¾ tsp ground turmeric tomato salsa: 3 large tomatoes, cut into ½cm dice (240g)
10g parsley, roughly chopped
1 tbsp oregano leaves, roughly chopped
2 tbsp olive oil 2 tbsp lemon juice salt and black pepper
To serve 5g picked mint leaves and 5g picked parsley leaves, roughly chopped
1 There are two ways to char your aubergines: either directly on the flame of your stove top or in a hot oven. The oven takes longer – 55-60 minutes (rather than 15-20 minutes on the stove).
2 Once the flesh has been scooped out of the burnt aubergines it should weigh about 500g. Place in a colander set over a bowl and leave for at least an hour (or overnight, in the fridge), to drain. Once drained, put the aubergine flesh into a medium mixing bowl and, using your hands, pull it apart to create long, thin strands. Add the garlic, lemon, vinegar and 1 teaspoon of salt. Mix to combine and set aside (in the fridge if you are making this a day ahead). Preheat the oven to 200C/gas Mark 6.
3 Put the cauliflower into a large bowl along with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, coriander seeds, turmeric,
¾ teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper. Mix well to combine, then spread out on a parchment-lined baking tray. Roast for 30 minutes, until the cauliflower is golden and tender. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool to room temperature.
4 While the cauliflower is roasting, place the tomatoes, parsley, oregano, lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a bowl with ½ teaspoon of salt. Mix to combine.
5 To assemble the dish, spread the aubergine on a serving plate which has a lip and arrange the cauliflower on top. Spoon over the salsa, sprinkle over the mint and parsley and serve.
Chicken musakhan
Traditionally, musakhan was made around the olive oil pressing season in October or November. The taboon bread would be cooked in a hot oven lined with smooth round stones, to create small craters in the bread in which the meat juices, onion and olive oil all happily pool.
Serves four
1 chicken (about 1.7kg), divided into 4 pieces or 1kg chicken supremes (between 4 and 6, depending on size), skin on, if you prefer
120ml olive oil, plus 2-3 tbsp extra, to finish
1 tbsp ground cumin
3 tbsp sumac
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground allspice
30g pine nuts
3 large red onions, thinly sliced 4 taboon breads, or any flatbread 5g parsley leaves, roughly chopped salt and black pepper
To serve: 300g Greek-style yogurt 1 lemon, quartered
1 Preheat the oven to 200C fan/gas Mark 7.
2 Place the chicken in a large mixing bowl with 2 tablespoons of oil, 1 teaspoon of cumin, 1½ teaspoons of sumac, the cinnamon, allspice, 1 teaspoon of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Mix well to combine, then spread out on a parchment-lined baking tray. Roast until the chicken is cooked through. This will take about 30 minutes for the supremes and up to 45 minutes for the quartered chicken. Remove from the oven and set aside. Don’t discard any juices which have collected in the tray.
3 Meanwhile, put 2 tablespoons of oil into a large sauté pan and place on a medium heat. Add the pine nuts and cook for about 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly, until the nuts are golden brown. Transfer to a bowl lined with kitchen paper (leaving the oil behind in the pan) and set aside. Add the remaining 60ml of oil to the pan, along with the onions and ¾ teaspoon of salt. Return to a medium heat for about 15 minutes, stirring from time to time, until the onions are completely soft, golden but not caramelised. Add 2 tablespoons of sumac, the remaining 2 teaspoons of cumin and a grind of black pepper and mix through, until the onions are completely coated. Remove from the heat and set aside.
4 When ready to assemble the dish, set the oven to a grill setting and slice or tear the bread into quarters or sixths. Place them under the grill for about 2-3 minutes, to crisp up, then arrange them on a large platter. Top the bread with half the onions, followed by all the chicken and any chicken juices left in the tray.
5 Spoon the remaining onions over the top and sprinkle with the pine nuts, parsley, 1½ teaspoons of sumac and a final drizzle of olive oil. Serve at once, with the yogurt and a wedge of lemon alongside.
Sweet tahini rolls Kubez el tahineh
These rolls are simple to make, impressive to look at and loved by all. They also freeze well.
Makes 10 rolls
dough: 1½ tsp fast-action dried yeast 100g and a further 1 tsp caster sugar 110ml whole milk, lukewarm 300g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
75g unsalted butter, melted
1 egg, lightly beaten, and a further egg yolk, beaten
1 tsp ground cinnamon
120g tahini topping: 1 egg yolk, beaten
1 tbsp white sesame seeds olive oil, for greasing salt
1 First make the dough. Put the yeast, teaspoon of sugar and milk into a small bowl and mix to combine. Set aside for 5 minutes, until it starts to get frothy.
2 Meanwhile, put the flour and ½ teaspoon of salt into the bowl of a free-standing mixer, with the dough hook in place. Mix on a low speed, then slowly pour in the yeast mixture. Add the melted butter and continue to mix for about a minute.
3 Add the egg, then increase the speed to medium and leave for 5 minutes, for the dough to get well kneaded. Using your hands, scrape the dough into a ball: it will be slightly sticky and elastic. Place it in a lightly oiled bowl, turning it a couple of times so that the dough gets well greased. Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and leave to rest in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until almost doubled in size.
4 Put the 100g of sugar and cinnamon for the filling into a small bowl. Mix well to combine, then set aside.
5 On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a large rectangle, about 35 x 50cm. Drizzle the tahini over the dough, then, using the back of a spoon spread it out evenly, leaving 1cm clear at both the shorter ends. Sprinkle the sugar mixture evenly over the tahini and leave for 10 minutes, until the sugar looks all wet.
6 Starting from one of the long sides, roll the dough inwards to form a long, thin sausage. Trim away about 2cm from each end, then slice the dough into 10 equal pieces: they should each be just over 4½ cm long. Sit each piece upright, so that its cut side is facing upwards, then, using your hands, gently flatten out to form an 8cm-wide circle. Cover with a damp tea towel and leave to rest for 15 minutes.
7 Preheat the oven to 160C fan/gas Mark 3. Transfer each roll to a large parchment-lined baking tray, spaced 2-3cm apart. Brush the top and sides with the egg yolk, sprinkle with sesame seeds, and bake on the middle shelf of the oven for 18 minutes, or until cooked through and golden. Remove from the oven and set aside for about 20 minutes – you don’t want them to be piping hot – then serve.