Middle Eastern Extravaganza!

Recipe Serves 4

Middle Eastern cooking always packs a punch with Arabic ‘baharat’ differentiating the offering from any other non-Western cuisine. This dish aimed to provide richness with the spices, freshness with the fruit and a zing with the chilli and lemon.

My decision to create this selection of dishes was inspired by a trip to Liverpool Albert Dock whereby I visited the restaurant Maray. I ordered their masterpiece ‘Disco cauliflower’ on multiple occasions. They served middle eastern tapas with plenty of fantastic vegan options as well as meat and fish. I highly recommend the visit if you’re ever in the UK!

Spiced Cauliflower

1 large cauliflower (and the leaves)

3 tbsp chermoula

6 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp tahini

1 tbsp turmeric

1 tbsp paprika

1 tbsp cumin

1 tbsp ground coriander

1 tbsp harissa paste

2 tbsp lemon juice

3 gloves of garlic crushed

Handful of pomegranate seeds

Handful of fresh coriander

1. Preheat the oven to 200C
2. Place the cauliflower on a large baking tray with the leaves cut off and situated around the edges
3. Mix together all the spices, lemon juice, garlic, harissa, tahini and olive oil
4. Drizzle the mix all over the leaves and the cauliflower until completely coated
5. Place dollops of the chermoula over the cauliflower, spreading it as evenly as possible
6. Place in the oven for 1 hour and then at 40 minutes reduce to 180C
7. Serve with the pomegranate seeds and coriander

For the Potatoes

3 medium-large potatoes

2 vegetarian stock cubes

1.5 cups of hot water

4 cloves of garlic

3 tbsp vegetable oil

3 tbsp vegan butter

1. Preheat the oven to 180C
2. Chop the potatoes into the chunks and bring to the boil
3. Place the potatoes onto a tray with the oil, garlic and butter coating them all evenly
4. Place the potatoes in the oven for 40 minutes, basting them every 10 minutes to ensure they are crispy!
5. Boil the kettle and mix the hot water with the 2 stock cubes until dissolved
6. Pour the stock mix into the baking tray of potatoes and cook for a further 20-25 minutes until all the stock is absorbed

Pea Salad

3 cups of peas

5 tbsp coconut yoghurt

2 tbsp pomegranate seeds

3 tbsp lemon juice (and zest)

2 tbsp water

1 tsp tahini

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp nutmeg

1. Boil the peas until tender (usually around 5-7 minutes on a medium heat)
2. Whilst boiling the peas, add the lemon juice, tahini and water together
3. Fold in the spices and yoghurt into the lemon juice mix
4. Drain the peas and toss them together with the dressing mix and then fold in the pomegranate seeds
5. Voila! Feel free to add any fresh coriander tossed through too

Chilli and coriander hummus

1 chilli grated without the seeds

5 cloves of garlic crushed

1 tsp salt

1 can of chickpeas

2 tbsp of bicarbonate of soda

3 tbsp of tahini

6 tbsp of olive oil

Handful of chopped fresh coriander

Paprika to serve

1. Drain the chickpeas and place in a saucepan of cold water and the bicarbonate of soda
2. Bring the chickpeas to the boil until foam starts to appear on the surface of the water
3. In the meantime, add the oil, garlic and chilli into a sauceplan on a medium-low heat until the garlic looks crispy
4. Drain the cooked chickpeas and place in a blender with the oil mix, coriander, tahini and lemon juice
5. Blend until smooth and topped with olive oil, paprika and coriander to serve

Harrisa yoghurt

6 tsbp of coconut yoghurt

2 tbsp of harissa spice

1 tsp of harissa paste

Juice of one lime and the zest!

A handful of fresh coriander

1. Mix together the yoghurt, lime juice, harissa paste and spice
2. Top with the coriander and lime zest

Overall this is a brilliant dish to wow a dinner party of guests as the flavours are super exotic yet the steps are very doable! I think it is crucial when cooking middle eastern to have variety, the intensity of the hummus coupled with the spices works particularly well with the cool harissa yoghurt. Good luck!

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