Serves 6

4 courgettes 

4 sticks celery 

1 large onion

2 carrots 

4 cloves garlic 

3 tbsp olive oil

knob of cold butter (optional)

2 pints water

2 tsp veg boullion

1 tbsp dried oregano

1 dried red chilli

1 bay leaf

black pepper

Finely chop the onion,celery and carrot. heat the olive oil in a pan and add the chopped vegetables.

Fry until soft and golden then add the garlic, chilli, chopped courgettes, oregano and bay leaf

and continue to cook for a few more minutes. Add the boullion,  water and let it lightly cook for 20 -

30 mins, meanwhile…….

Deep Fried Courgettes

2 courgettes

200g cornflour

150 ml water

1/2 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp salt

Oil for deep frying

Heat the oil until it shimmers. Cut the courgettes into 2 inch batons, mix the rest of the ingredients in a bowl. Your looking for a thick batter so add more flour or water if necessary. Add the batons to the batter then fry in small batches till golden then strain on kitchen paper.

Finally remove the bay leaf from the soup and blitz it up, season to taste and stir in the cold butter to 

give it a bit more depth. 

Serve in warm bowls and top with a few of the crispy courgettes and some finely chopped and fried garlic.

Combine the flour and other dry ingredients. 
Beat the eggs. Add the carrots and oil. 
Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients. 
Mix thoroughly, adding more flour if the mixture is too runny. 
Half fill a loaf tin and cook at 180ºC for 45 - 55 minutes.

A vegetarian Pate to rival any meat pate !

3 Medium Aubergines

3 Red Peppers (Capiscum)

4 Garlic Cloves, crushed

6 tblsp Olive oil

Sea salt and pepper

2 tblsp lemon juice

3 tblsp smooth Peanut butter

½ tsp cayenne pepper

Handful of flat leaf parsley

Put the (Eggplant) Aubergine and Peppers into a hot oven until the skin is blackening. The aubergine should take 45 minutes and the peppers a littel less. Let cool and the skin them, don’t worry if a little blackened skin is left. Mix all the ingredients in a blender or with a hand mixer until you have a smooth consistency. Chill in ramekins and garnish with paprika and parsley.

The growing and making of this dish is portrayed in Pharaonic Tomb Paintings and is still one of Egypt’s National Dishes. Molokhia is traditionally made with Lamb, Chicken or Rabbit but in ancient times was made with vegetable stock. This is my vegetarian version. Serve with festive rice or brown basmati rice.

Enjoy, Kritz 

Serves 4

Molokia

1 pkt frozen Molokia. This is available in Taj Supermarket, Brighton or any good middle eastern deli.

2 onions very finely chopped

4 garlic cloves very finely chopped

2 green chillies very finely chopped

6 plum tomatoes, peeled, deseeded and chopped

1 tblsp of marigold vegetable bullion

1 tsp cumin powder

½ tsp cayenne pepper

¼ tsp sea salt

2 tblsp of olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper to taste.

handful of chopped flat leaf parsley

handful of chopped coriander leaf

Juice of 1 lemon

Put olive oil into a medium sized pan. Fry onion until soft and then add the garlic, continue to fry until golden, add the cumin and cayenne pepper and cook for 1 minute. Add the chillies and tomatoes and cook for a further 5 minutes. Dissolve the buillion in ½ a pint of boiling water and add. Now place the frozen Melokhia in the simmering liquid, stir till dissolved. Do not bring to the boil. Add parsley, corriander and lemon juice and simmer for a further 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve in small bowls to be spooned onto rice.

The Pharaohs hot dip is a great accompaniment with caramalised onion as a garnish.

OKRA (BAMIA) IN SPICED TOMATO SAUCE

This is a popular dish in the Arab world and can be served as a main dish or on the side to accompany meat or chicken. Great with rice. If you never liked Okra, try this, it could change your mind.

Serves 4

1 kilo of fresh young Okra, again this is available in the most Greek, Indian and Middle Eastern shops. Wash and scrub Okra with a rough sponge to remove any spiky hairs. Cut off the hard stem in a Pyramid shape and dry on a clean towel, set aside.

½ kilo of small button onions, halved.

4 tabls of olive oil

4 cloves of garlic chopped

½ kilo tomatoes skinned and chopped

½ tsp cayenne pepper

1 ½ tsp cumin powder

1 medium cinnamon stick

Juice of 1 lemon

Salt and pepper to taste

Handful of chopped fresh coriander (optional)

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and fry the onions and garlic until transparent and golden, add the Okra and continue to fry until soft then add the tomatoes, sauté for a few minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper. In a separate pan sauté the cumin, cayenne pepper in a little oil and add to the Okra then add the cinnamon stick, lemon juice and cover with a little water, bring to simmering point for a further 35 minutes or until the Okra is tender. Add the coriander leaf and a drizzle of lemon juice, stir and remove the cinnamon stick then serve. 

Serves 2 persons 

1 Large aubergine

1 Medium onion, peeled and chopped

2 tblsp good olive oil

2 Garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

2 Medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped

50g/2oz Walnuts

 1 tsp cumin powder

2 tblsp whole meal or gluten free Breadcrumbs

1tblsp chopped fresh thyme

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to season

Flat leaf parsley to decorate 

Bake the aubergine whole in the oven, gas mark 6, 200 degrees Celsius or 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 35 minutes until tender. Bring out to cool then cut the aubergine in half horizontally to scoop out the inside and set aside with a squeeze of lemon, keeping the skins in tact.

Heat oil in a pan and sauté the onion and garlic until soft then add the tomato and the Aubergine pulp chopped roughly for another five minutes.

Chop the walnuts by hand or crush in a clean tea towel with a rolling pin. Alternatively put all ingredients for stuffing in a food processor and whiz till you have a chunky puree.

Season with cumin, salt and pepper.

Put the Aubergine skins in a shallow oiled casserole dish and fill them with the pure mixture equally.

Mix the breadcrumbs and thyme with a little olive oil and sprinkle over the aubergine and bake again for 15 – 20 minutes at gas mark 6.

Serve with brown rice and sprinkle with parsley or a Fanny Craddock style 70’s stuffed tomato if your feeling a little retro ! 

A great summer lunch or garden party dish 

2 Onions peeled & grated 

500g Potato peeled & grated

2 tblsp Olive Oil

2 tblsp Butter

120g Pain flour, Corn flour or Rice flour

6 Eggs (freerange) separated

120g Feta cheese

1 tblsp each of flat leaf parsley, mint chives dill and coriander

Sea salt & fresh Ground Black pepper to season

1 tsp Sweet paprika

Place the Onion and Potato in a clean tea towel and twist to squeeze out all the moisture.

Put 1tblsp of oil in a pan and sauté till golden, add butter. Place in a bowl to cool.

 Preheat the oven to gas mark 6, 200degrees Celsius or 400f

Add the flour, egg yolk, feta, herbs and seasoning to the potato and onion and mix well.

Whisk the egg whites till frothy and fold into the mix.

Oil a cake tin or casserole dish and pour in the mixture.

Bake for 20 minutes until golden.

Serve hot or cold.

Serve with a fresh mixed salad, roasted vegtables or with Romesco Sauce. 

This really is the ultimate breakfast and a slightly more healthy slant on your standard fry up.

Serves 2

1 pot of ” The Moorish”
12 chesnut mushrooms quatered
2 eggs
1 clove garlic

To serve

sprinkle of fresh coriander
sprinkle of crumbled feta cheese
1 chopped vine tomato
drizzle of olive oil
salt/pepper
a few green olives (optional, depending on what time of day!)
2 pitta breads

saute the mushrooms/garlic in a little oil or butter or both
gently warm the moorish
fry the eggs
chargrill the pittas
Place on a plate and garnish with the
rest of the ingredients.

A traditional Middle Eastern breakfast.

2 medium aubergines
400g pasta (penne, swirls etc)
1 quantity “this is not dolmio”
150g ricotta cheese
100g parmesan
handful fresh basil
salt
pepper
olive oil

Slice the aubergine lenghtways in 1cm slices.
Dry fry in a griddle pan then cross them over to get
the charred effect. leave to one side.

Cook the pasta to so its slightly undercooked somewhere
between almost edible and Mr Alan dente. Then refresh in
cold water.
Mix the pasta in the tomato sauce, crumbled ricotta cheese, seasoning and a
drizzle of olive oi.
Preheat the oven to 180c
Lay a small layer of the pasta mix into a baking dish then cover
with a layer of the grilled aubergine. Repeat the process again
so you finish with aubergine on top.
Cover with the grated parmesan cheese and pour about 100ml
of water over the top to stop it getting too dry.

Bake in the oven for 20 mins or until golden.

Seve with torn basil leaves and a drizzle of olive oil.

Starter - Super easy herby lentil salad

600g dried puy lentils
2 garlic cloves chopped finely
handful of fresh mint to serve
handful of fresh coriander or parsley (and some to serve)
hanful of fresh chives snipped
4 hard boiled eggs quatered
12 anchovy fillets (optional)
small quantity of light olive oil for frying
cos lettuce to serve

dressing

1 tbsp red wine vinegar
3 tbsp exta virgin olive oil
1tsp mustard powder
1 tsp brown sugar
sea salt
black pepper

Cook lentils in boiling water for 25 mins and drain
Cover the base of a saucepan with olive oil, add garlic
and cook on a gentle heat till golden. Add lentils give it a mix
and leave to cool.
Make the dressing by putting ingredients in a screw top jar
and shake well.
chop mint, coriander and add to the lentils with chives and
dressing, mix well.
arrange the lettuce leaves on a serving platter, spoon over
the lentils and garnish with the egg, herbs and anchovy fillets.
Serve warm

Braised Thumb Aubergines with an Arabian Flavour

600g of small thumb aubergines cut
lenghtways in half
2 onions diced finely
4 garlic cloves crushed
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp allspice
2 tsp harissa paste
3 tbsp pomegranate syrup
Juice of 1 lemon
300ml water
seeds of half a pomegranate
salt

Aubergine is considered a fruit but is actually a berry related to the tomato and is
helpful in lowering cholestrol, it is also one of my favourites.

Warm half the oil in a large frying pan, add aubergine
and fry for 3-4 mins on each side.
Set aside on kitchen paper to absorb exess oil.
Heat remaining oil in pan add onion and garlic cook
until golden, add the coriander, allspice, cumin, tomatoes and
harissa and cook for 2 mins.
Stir in the pomegranate syrup, lemon juice and water and bring
to the boil.
return aubergine to the pan, lower heat and simmer for about
20 mins or until the sauce is thick and the aubergine is tender,
season with salt to taste.
Scatter the pomegranate seed over the dish and serve with some
buttery cous cous, plain basmati rice or better still the orange grove rice!

Kritz x

400g fresh young broad bean, shelled
mixed lettuce and herb leaf (enough for 6)
3 oranges segmented
1tsp Fresh orange zest
4 tbsp fresh orange juice
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup sultanas (optional)
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
salt and pepper

Mix lettuce and herb leaf in a bowl
In a separate bowl mix the orange juice,
vinegar, oil, salt, pepper and sultanas then
let stand for 10 mins.
Gently toss the broad beans, leaves and dressing
together then garnish with the orange segments,
sultanas and pine nuts then serve.