Jazmaz (4)

A Syrian version of the simple and popular middle eastern dish of eggs with spicy tomatoes known as Shakshuka. Its’s from ” Sumac” by Anas Atassi. It can be served at any time of day and is good accompanied by flatbread, baguette or oven chips.

Lentil Salad with Soft Boiled Eggs and Tapenade Toasts (4)

A very good lentil salad from ” The Really Helpful Cookbook” by Ruth Watson. The salad will benefit from being made ahead and sitting in the dressing for a day or two.The tapenade in this recipe does not include any anchovies so it is suitable for vegetarians. You could use ready made tapenade if you like or put anchoiade on the toast instead. Any leftover tapenade can be kept in the fridge for up to a week to serve with drinks .

Cauliflower and Pear Bake (4-6)

A recipe from Israel to serve as a main with salad or to accompany roasts or kebabs. In 1980 I spent four months volunteering on Kibbutz Eynat in Petah Tikva near Tel Aviv. I mostly worked in the restaurant ( three shifts…) or bakery( nights) but they also grew cotton besides the runway at Tel Aviv airport. Volunteers were not meant to work there but we did, and it was my favourite job as we completed work by late morning leaving the rest of the day free. It involved a 5 am start and drive to the airport , then after a couple of hours we would take a breakfast break. We would finish by 11am because after that it was to too hot. Back to the kibbutz for lunch and an afternoon spent lounging by the pool.

The recipe is from ” Vegetarian Dishes from the Middle East” by Arto Der Haroutunian.

Pastel de Choclo (6)

Some years ago i spent a few weeks in Chile with a friend and this meat pie with a corn topping was often on the menu. It quickly became a favourite and I cooked it a couple of times on my return but had forgotten all about it until i saw this recipe by Raul Diaz.