This weekend, now that the clocks have gone back and the nights are drawing in, we can't think of anything more comforting than snuggling up under a duvet with one of Joudie Kalla's home-cooked dishes. The Palestinian-British chef has gathered together her family's tried and tested recipes in her new book Palestine On A Plate. Imbued with nostalgia for the food of her childhood, Kalla's authentic cuisine brings the warmth of the Middle East to even the coldest winter day.
This new breed of comfort food couldn't be further from traditional stodge and is stuffed with nourishing ingredients and fresh flavours. Click through to see doughnuts transformed into fragrant treats, the roast reborn with hand-rolled Palestinian pearl cous cous, a vegan's dream dish studded with jewel-like pomegranate and your new favourite brunch recipe.
Ijeh
Fluffy Egg Fritters with Tomato Salsa
We're done with scrambled, fried and poached – this recipe is officially our new favourite egg dish. A childhood favourite of Kalla's, these light and fluffy fritters, served hot from the pan and topped with a perfectly piquant tomato salsa, are guaranteed to get us out of bed on a cold winter morning.
Serves 4
Ingredients
For the ijeh:
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 green chilli, chopped
8 eggs, beaten
1–2 garlic cloves, finely chopped or grated (I use 2 for an added kick)
1 1/2 tbsp plain flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp dried mint
1 tomato, deseeded and cubed
a bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
a small bunch of fresh chives, chopped
a few leaves of fresh mint, chopped
sea salt and black pepper
vegetable or sunflower oil, for frying
For the salsa:
2 large tomatoes, finely chopped
juice of 2 lemons
200ml olive oil
1 garlic clove, grated
a sprinkle of dried mint
a small bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Instructions
To make the salsa, mix all the ingredients together with a pinch of salt and set aside until needed.
Mix all the ijeh ingredients, except the oil, together in a bowl to make a batter.
Heat a teaspoon of oil in a frying pan over a high heat until it's very hot. Drop ladlefuls of the batter into the hot pan in batches (adding more oil for each fritter) and cook for about 2 minutes until they are lightly browned. Turn the fritters over to cook the other side for another 2 minutes, then lay them on a plate and keep warm while you continue cooking – or serve to whoever is waiting for them so they can eat as you cook.
Serve the fritters with the salsa.
Tip: You should use the batter straightaway as it contains baking powder – the fritters will not get the desired fluffy effect if the batter is kept standing for long.
Rummaniyeh
Lentil & Aubergine Stew with Pomegranate Molasses
Inspired by her grandmother's upbringing, Kalla's warming vegetable dip brings together three regions of Palestine in one dish. Rummaniyeh means 'pomegranatey', so prepare for a double whammy of pomegranate tang and crunch! (As exotic an ingredient as it may seem, pomegranate molasses is actually highly concentrated pomegranate juice and can be found in major supermarkets as well as on your local high street.) Serve this heady mix of lentils and aubergine with hot bread on a cold, wintry night and let it warm you from within.
Serves 4
Ingredients
250g brown lentils
1 heaped tablespoon ground cumin
600ml water
1 aubergine, peeled and cubed into small pieces
1 tbsp sea salt
50ml olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
4–6 large garlic cloves, crushed
150ml pomegranate molasses
juice of 2 lemons
1 pomegranate, seeded
fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped, to garnish
Pita or taboon bread, to serve
Instructions
Put the lentils, cumin and water in a saucepan, bring to the boil and then continue to boil for 10 minutes. Add the aubergine, salt and leave to simmer while you cook the garlic.
Set another pan over a medium heat. Add the olive oil and the crushed garlic and cook for a few minutes until they turn golden.
When the lentils and aubergine have been cooking for about 25 minutes, add the fried garlic and the pomegranate molasses and mix together. Cook for another 5 minutes, then stir through the lemon juice.
Place in a serving bowl, drizzle with a little olive oil, scatter the pomegranate seeds over the top and finish with some parsley. Enjoy with hot taboon bread (see below) or pita bread.
Tip: Taboon bread is a type of flat bread traditionally baked in a tabun oven and is soft, slightly chewy and doesn't tear easily. It is sold as street food, stuffed with hummus, falafel or shaved meat and is a staple bread in Middle Eastern cuisine.
Maftoul
Palestinian Pearl Cous Cous with Caraway, Chicken, Onions & Parsley
Nothing beats the winter blues like a roast chicken and the mix of rich flavours, textures and delicious aromas in this dish will send them packing for good. Maftoul is derived from the Arabic word 'to roll', as Palestinian cous cous is hand-rolled rather than mass-produced. Palestinian home cooking is all about sharing, so gather together your favourite people and get stuck in.
Serves 2–4
Ingredients
1 whole spatchcocked chicken or 2–4 spatchcocked poussin
olive oil
3 tbsp ground caraway
3 onions, 2 quartered and 1 chopped
300g maftoul (Palestinian pearl cous cous)
650ml chicken stock
1 tbsp caraway seeds
1 x 400g tin of chickpeas
a bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
sea salt and black pepper
Greek yogurt, to serve
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 190°C fan (210°C/415°F/Gas 6–7).
Rub the chicken or poussin with olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the ground caraway so that it is evenly coated. Put in a roasting dish with the quartered onions and season all over with salt and pepper. Bake for 45–60 minutes if using chicken, or 35–40 minutes if using poussin.
Put the maftoul in a saucepan with the chicken stock and 1 tablespoon salt. Bring to the boil over a high heat and cook for 20 minutes. Drain, reserving the stock, then transfer to a bowl and set aside.
Heat some olive oil in the same pan and fry the chopped onion with the remaining ground caraway and the caraway seeds until the onion has softened. Tip in the maftoul and the chickpeas and add about 150ml of the reserved chicken stock. Cook for 5 minutes to heat everything through.
Spoon onto a serving plate or bowl and top with the chicken and some parsley. Serve with yogurt.
Tip: You may need to increase the quantity of spices depending on the size of your chicken or poussin.
Lemon & Rose Doughnuts
Doughnuts, but not as you know them. Packed with tangy lemon, glazed with shining rosewater and studded with crushed rosebuds, this delicious treat melds the flavours of Kalla's favourite Middle Eastern desserts and the comfort of traditional British cake. These doughnuts typically keep for two days, though we will be very impressed if you can keep your hands off them for that long.
Makes 18–24
Ingredients
320g plain flour
250g golden caster sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp sea salt
2 eggs
180g Greek yogurt
2 tbsp vanilla bean paste
115g melted salted butter (or vegetable oil to make it a chiffon cake texture), plus extra for greasing
1 tsp grated lemon zest
For the icing:
250g icing sugar
2 tbsp rosewater
2 tbsp lemon juice
a handful of edible dried rosebuds
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan (200°C/400°F/Gas 6).
Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl to create a smooth batter.
Lightly grease a 6-hole (8cm/3 1/4inch) doughnut tin with some melted butter or vegetable oil. Fill the holes in the tin with batter to about one-third full and bake for about 12 minutes until risen and slightly browned.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool while you cook the rest of the doughnuts. It should result in about 18–24 doughnuts depending on how much batter you use.
To make the icing, mix the sugar with the rosewater and lemon juice in a bowl until it is a thick white paste.
Dip the doughnuts into the icing or drizzle it over the tops and then immediately scatter the rose petals from the dried rosebuds over them so that they stick to the icing.
These doughnuts will keep for 2 days in an airtight container.
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