Yasmin Khan's new book Zaitoun is stunning. Like, it's the sort of book you'll "accidentally" leave out when people come over because it looks so good on your coffee table.
But it's not just a recipe book. Exploring the food of Palestine, it is also a love letter to the Palestinian people she travelled amongst many times whilst working as a human rights campaigner, gathering stories and recipes.
"Some are classic dishes taught to me by Palestinian grandmothers; others are my interpretations of meals I ate in restaurants or at the homes of my friends," she writes. "What unites them all is a celebration of the flavours rooted in the rich tradition of Palestinian cookery." Most of them, she notes are brought together by the olive or "zaitoun" – hence the name of the book.
FYI, the recipes here are all vegan so hopefully everyone can enjoy them, but there are plenty of non-vegan choices in the book as well.
Donyana salad
Serves 4 as a side dish
Ingredients
2 fennel bulbs (about 300g in total)
1 Granny Smith apple, or other tart apple
15g dill, coarse stalks removed, finely chopped
15g parsley leaves, finely chopped
30g sweetened dried cranberries or sour cherries
50g blanched almonds, roughly chopped
Juice of 1/2 orange, or to taste
Juice of 1/2 lemon, or to taste
Zest of 1 organic or unwaxed orange, removed with a zester
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
1. Core the fennel and apple and, using a sharp knife or mandolin, finely cut both into very thin slices, saving any fennel fronds. Place in a bowl with the herbs and cranberries or cherries.
2. Toast the almonds in a dry pan over a medium heat until they turn golden brown, then add them to the salad.
3. Pour over the orange and lemon juices, orange zest and extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss gently and taste; you may want to add a squeeze more lemon or orange juice to adjust the acidity or sweetness to your liking. Scatter with the reserved fennel fronds, if you have them.
4. This salad can happily sit for 1 hour or so before serving; in fact it even improves, as the flavours have a chance to harmonise.
Photographed by Matt Russell
Roast aubergines with spiced chickpeas and tomatoes
Serves 4 as part of a spread
Ingredients
600g aubergines (about 2 large ones)
2 tbsp light olive oil, plus more for the aubergines
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
400g can of plum tomatoes
400g can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 tsp sugar (any type)
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp ground cumin
Extra virgin olive oil, to serve
Chopped coriander, to serve
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/Gas 6.
2. Cut the aubergines in half, then into quarters and finally slice them into 2.5cm chunks. Place in a baking tray, drizzle with some light olive oil, sprinkle over a pinch of salt and then toss the aubergines to coat. Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes, or until soft.
3. Meanwhile, fry the onion in a large saucepan in 2 tablespoons light olive oil until soft and golden (this will take about 15 minutes). Add the garlic and fry for a few minutes before adding the tomatoes, chickpeas, sugar, spices and some salt and pepper. Fill the tomato can up with just-boiled water and add that to the pot, too. Cover and cook for 30 minutes, until the chickpeas are very soft.
4. Add the aubergines and cook for a final 10 minutes, splashing in more hot water if the dish looks dry.
5. Leave to cool to room temperature before drizzling over plenty of extra virgin olive oil and scattering with coriander.
Photographed by Matt Russell
Roast okra with spicy tomatoes
Serves 4–6 as part of a spread
Ingredients
500g okra
4 tbsp light olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 onion, finely sliced
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp ground allspice
3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
1/4 tsp chilli flakes
400g can of plum tomatoes
2 tsp caster sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
Extra virgin olive oil, to serve
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/Gas 6.
2. Trim the okra by cutting off the stalks, but do so carefully by not slicing too close to the main pod: you want to keep each pod sealed so the seeds don’t spill out, as this way the okra will remain firm while cooking.
3. Place the okra on a large baking tray, drizzle over 2 tablespoons light olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Roast for 15–20 minutes until the okra is tender but still firm.
4. Meanwhile, make the tomato sauce. Place the remaining 2 tablespoons light olive oil in a frying pan and gently fry the onion over a medium heat for 10 minutes, until it is soft.
5. Toast the coriander and cumin seeds by placing them in a dry pan over a low heat and stirring for a minute or so, until their aromas are released. Then crush in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder and add them to the onion with the allspice, garlic and chilli flakes. Fry for 2 minutes.
6. Add the tomatoes, sugar, lemon juice, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Once the okra is out of the oven, add it to the tomato sauce and cook for a further 5 minutes, splashing in a little hot water if the sauce looks a bit dry. Taste, adjust the seasoning and drizzle with a generous glug of extra virgin olive oil just before serving.
Photographed by Matt Russell
Extract taken from Zaitoun by Yasmin Khan (Bloomsbury, £26) is out 12 July
Photography © Matt Russell
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