Tahini? Flatbreads? Harissa? The explosion of Middle Eastern food over the past decade has had us lapping up Israeli, Lebanese and Palestinian cuisine. Along with Ottolenghi, there are Layo and Zoe Paskin, the siblings behind the Palomar (Jerusalem-inspired food) and the Barbary (think the tastes of the Levant and northern Africa) in London. Their new launch, the Barbary Next Door, serves food influenced by Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria. “It’s a menu that takes you on a fascinating journey,” says Layo.
Courgettes, tahini and almonds
Serves 6
Ingredients
100g tahini
2 tsp lemon juice
Salt and pepper
3 medium courgettes
2 garlic cloves, crushed
60ml olive oil
40g roasted whole almonds, skin on
Half a bunch of dill
Sea salt
Extra virgin olive oil
Juice of half a lemon
Method
1. Mix the tahini and lemon juice with 90ml water in a bowl until smooth. Season to taste, then set aside.
2. Trim the courgettes and cut them lengthwise into quarters. Mix the garlic into the olive oil and pour over the courgettes, mixing them well to coat. Leave them to marinate for an hour.
3. Season the courgettes with salt and pepper and grill on a griddle pan, cut sides down, or under a hot grill until browned, about 12 minutes.
4. To serve, spread the tahini sauce on a platter and place the courgettes on top. Sprinkle over the almonds and dill and finish with sea salt, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice.
Cauliflower with tahini dressing
Serves 4
Ingredients
100g raw tahini
2 tsp lemon juice
Salt and pepper
1 head of cauliflower
1 tbsp olive oil or 60g butter
2 tbsp almond flakes (optional)
For the parsley dressing
1 bunch of parsley
1 garlic clove
1 green chilli
Juice of half a lemon
50ml olive oil
Method
1. First make the parsley dressing. Chop all the ingredients as finely as you can or mix together in a blender. Keep in the fridge but bring to room temperature before using.
2. Mix the tahini and lemon juice with 90ml water in a bowl until smooth. Season to taste, then set aside.
3. Break the cauliflower into florets. Blanch in salted boiling water for 4 minutes and strain.
4. Heat a large pan on a medium-high heat and add the olive oil or butter. Brown the florets for 3-6 minutes, in batches if necessary.
5. To serve, spread the tahini on a serving plate and place the cauliflower florets straight onto the tahini brown-side up. Drizzle over the parsley dressing and garnish with almond flakes, if you like.
Roasted beetroot and beluga lentil salad
This salad has earthy notes from the lentils and beetroot, which are nicely balanced out by the freshness from the herbs. We like to use larger beluga lentils because they keep their shape during cooking.
Serves 6
Ingredients
8 medium-sized beetroot
250g black beluga lentils, cooked
2 garlic cloves
2 bay leaves
1 red onion, peeled and sliced into rings
1 bag of rocket
Juice of half a lemon
50ml extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 bunch of mint leaves
1 bunch of dill, leaves only, coarsely chopped
Method
1. Wrap the beetroot in foil, place on a roasting tray and cook at 200C (220C non-fan) for about 50 minutes, or until easily pierced with a knife. Once cool enough to handle, peel and store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
2. Place the lentils in a saucepan with the garlic and bay leaves. Cover with water, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Cook until tender, about 30 minutes, topping up with more water if needed.
3. Strain the lentils and leave to cool. Dice the beetroot into bite-size pieces and add to the lentils with the onion and rocket. Season with lemon juice, olive oil and salt and pepper. Let it sit for 20 minutes to absorb the flavours before garnishing with the mint and dill just before serving.
Green bean makdous with giant couscous
Traditionally an Arabian dish made with baby aubergines, this is a salad that we have adapted over the years using green beans.
Serves 6
Ingredients
2-3 packs of trimmed fine green beans
Salt and pepper
2 garlic cloves
1-3 red chillies, to taste
1 red pepper, deseeded
1 tsp coriander seeds
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
50g toasted walnuts, chopped
3 tsp coarse sea salt
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup giant couscous or orzo
100g tahini
10ml lemon juice
Method
1. Blanch the green beans for 4 minutes in boiling salted water. Drain, cool and cut into 5cm pieces.
2. In a food processor blitz the garlic, chillies and red pepper. Combine this paste with the coriander seeds, olive oil, walnuts, sea salt and the drained green beans.
3. Heat the vegetable oil and couscous in a pan over a high heat. When hot to touch, pour over a cup of boiling water and season with salt. Cover with a lid and reduce the heat to minimum. Cook for 5 minutes, then remove from the heat and allow to rest, covered, for 5 more minutes. Stir the couscous with a fork and mix into the green beans.
4. Mix the tahini and lemon juice with 90ml water in a bowl until smooth. Season to taste.
5. To serve, spread most of the tahini sauce on a platter and top with the couscous. Finish with more tahini sauce.
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Roasted red peppers with zhoug, feta and pine nuts
Zhoug is one of my favourite condiments. It is both spicy and sour, so naturally pairs well with the roasted sweet red peppers, feta cheese and pine nuts.
Serves 6
Ingredients
3 garlic cloves
1 green chilli
1 large bunch of coriander
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
Juice of half a lemon
50ml extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
4-6 whole red peppers
40g pine nuts
1 pack of feta, crumbled
Method
1. Make the zhoug. In a food processor, blitz the garlic, chilli and coriander to a coarse paste. Add the salt, cumin and lemon juice and, with the motor still running, add the olive oil little by little until you get an almost smooth texture.
2. Place the red peppers on a baking tray and roast in the oven at 180C (200C non-fan) for 15 minutes. Once blistered and soft, place the peppers in a sealed plastic container or bowl covered tightly with clingfilm and leave to cool. This will prevent the skin from drying out and make it easier to peel off.
3. Turn down the oven to 150C (170C non-fan) and toast the pine nuts for a few minutes until slightly coloured. Keep a careful eye on them because they can quickly burn.
4. To serve, peel and deseed the peppers, preserving their juices. Spread the peppers on a large plate and drizzle generously with the zhoug. Garnish with the crumbled feta and pine nuts and drizzle with a little more olive oil just before serving.
Roasted spiced pumpkin with yoghurt dressing
A lovely north African dish. You can use sweet potato as an alternative to pumpkin.
Serves 6
Ingredients
3 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ground cloves
Half a whole nutmeg, grated or ground
1½ tsp ginger powder
1½ tbsp brown sugar
½ tsp garlic powder
50ml olive oil
1 pumpkin, skin and seeds removed and cut into wedges
Salt and pepper
Honey or maple syrup (optional)
250g Greek yoghurt
Zest of 1 orange
Method
1. Combine the spices, brown sugar and garlic powder. Reserve 1 tsp and mix the rest with the olive oil.
2. Season the pumpkin wedges with salt and pepper, place in a bowl and cover with the spice marinade.
3. Once evenly coated, place the pumpkin on a baking tray and bake at 200C (220C non-fan) for 15-20 minutes or until cooked thoroughly (a toothpick should go through without any resistance). You can drizzle over some honey or maple syrup as they come out of the oven for some extra flavour, if you like.
4. While the pumpkin is cooking, mix together the yoghurt, the reserved 1 tsp spice mix and orange zest. Season to taste and drizzle over the cooked pumpkin.
Three dips with khobz
Serves 6
Aubergine
A Moroccan classic.
Ingredients
2 aubergines
Olive oil, for frying
5-10 garlic cloves
2 green chillies, thinly sliced
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp sweet paprika
400g ripe tomatoes on the vine, diced
30ml extra virgin olive oil
Lemon juice, to taste
Quarter of a bunch of coriander, chopped
Salt and pepper
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 200C (non-fan 220C) and bake the aubergines for 30 minutes or until soft. Once cooked, chill and peel and add the flesh to a blender until pureed. Set aside.
2. Add a splash of olive oil to a frying pan, place on a medium heat and add the garlic and chillies. Fry until the garlic starts to brown slightly, then add the spices and immediately the tomatoes. Reduce the heat and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Combine the tomatoes with the aubergine, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice and coriander and season to taste.
Tomato and red pepper
Every country on the Barbary Coast has its own take on this traditional dip, so the recipes vary slightly depending on where you are.
Ingredients
3 garlic cloves, crushed
12 ripe plum tomatoes, cut into 2cm cubes
50g red chillies, deseeded
2 red peppers, deseeded
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp salt
2 tsp olive oil
Method
1. Place the garlic in a heavy-bottomed pan with the tomatoes. Put on a high heat and cook for 1 hour, stirring every 10 minutes.
2. Blend the chillies and peppers in a food processor and add them to the pan, cooking through for another hour.
3. Add the sugar, salt and oil. Reduce the heat to minimum and cook for 30 minutes or more if there is still a lot of liquid.
Pumpkin and harissa
Tirshi is a spiced butternut squash dish well known across north Africa.
Ingredients
2 butternut squashes
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground toasted caraway seeds
1 tsp ground chilli flakes
1½ tsp sweet paprika
100ml extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp harissa
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp skin cut from a preserved lemon
Salt
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180C (200C non-fan). Put the whole squashes in the oven and roast for 40 minutes or until completely soft.
2. Once cooked, cut them open, scoop out the seeds and discard them. Then scoop out the flesh into a large mixing bowl.
3. While still hot, mix in the garlic, cumin, caraway seeds, chilli flakes, paprika, olive oil, harissa, lemon juice and preserved lemon. Once cool, season with salt to taste and serve.
Khobz
Makes 2 loaves
Ingredients
500g plain flour, sifted
10g fresh yeast
10g sugar
10g salt
Olive oil, to grease
2 tsp sesame seeds
1 tsp nigella seeds
Method
1. Combine the flour, yeast, sugar and salt in a bowl. Make a well in the centre, then add 375ml warm water. Use a wooden spoon to stir until combined, then use your hands to bring the dough together in the bowl.
2. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 15 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Brush a bowl with oil. Place the dough in the bowl and lightly coat with oil. Cover with a damp tea towel. Leave in a warm, draught-free place for 1-1½ hours or until the dough has doubled in size.
3. Place a baking tray on the middle shelf of the oven. Preheat the oven to 210C (230C non-fan). Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and cut in half. Flatten slightly with your hands. Place each half on separate pieces of floured, nonstick baking paper. Cover with a damp tea towel and set aside in a warm, draught-free place for 15 minutes.
4. With floured hands, stretch each piece of dough into an 18cm x 40cm rectangle. Leave on nonstick baking paper. Cover with a damp tea towel and set aside in a warm, draught-free place for 10 minutes. Combine the sesame and nigella seeds.
5. Brush each khobz with olive oil. Use your fingers to make indentations on top and sprinkle with seeds. Remove the tray from the oven and slide one piece of dough onto it. Cook for 8-10 minutes or until golden. Cool on a wire rack. Repeat with the second piece.
The Barbary Next Door, 16a Neal’s Yard, London WC2 (thebarbarynextdoor.co.uk)
