Fattoush is a salad. And this salad tastes like home. As a child I would finish the dinner on my plate and then finish the rest of this salad straight out of the serving bowl. I still serve it in the same old cracked bowl my Mama used to, which she handed down to me when my husband and I bought our first home.
Organic Walnut & Chili Labaneh Dip
Labaneh is a real favourite in Palestine. It is traditionally a breakfast dish, but is eaten throughout the day as a snack or as part of an evening meal of mezze. As I explained in a previous post, It comes in a few different textures; creamy and smooth like a dip, thick and textured like a spread or hard and dry like a cheese. You can make all three varieties very easily at home and the only thing that differentiates them is the number of hours you strain the yogurt for (12 hours for the dip, 19 hours for the spread, 24 hours for the cheese).
Fig, Honey & Pinenut Salad
Growing up I always knew that autumn was around the corner when Mama used to bring figs home from the market, and their deep purple colouring and cherry red interior still reminds me of autumn today. Figs are in season right now (september), so they are at their sweetest and cheapest.
Brunch Foul
Foul is a breakfast dish, served in a large communal bowl for the whole family to dip into and scoop from using warm bread. My Mama always made it for brunch at the weekends, and in fact she still does when we are all home together. I usually make it as a light weekend lunch.
Brave Baklawa
Do you remember my brother, Ewan, who made me a lunchtime falafel wrap? Remember how I told you he was a really good in the kitchen? Well, he made me Baklawa last week, so naturally I photographed him and pinched his recipe to post here for all you wonderful people. These aren’t my Mother’s recipe. When I told her we had made them, she said we were very ‘brave’. She normally gets them from a Middle Eastern bakery, or her local Waitrose. But, I encourage you to be brave and make them.
Tomato and Pickle Salad
The tomato salad is an essential part of every Palestinian meal; breakfast, lunch and dinner. served along side falafels, halloumi, hummus, warm bread, lentils or rice and chicken is it a great addition to any meal. In its purest form, it only consists of bright red and sweet tomatoes, top quality extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt. However, many things can be added from onions, cucumber or parsley to add flavour and nutrition and complement the overall meal.
The Olive Tree Kitchen 