“I love to serve whole burnt aubergines in this way, where the punchy sauce is spooned over them, covering them generously like sauce blankets. This is quite a substantial vegetarian main so I would serve it with something light, like the Herby Leafy Salad.” – Noor Murad

"This recipe came from our neighbour Mona, who grew up in Hama in Syria, her childhood home built along the river. A wonderful cook, she would make this layered dish whenever she came to one of our gatherings. It has lived on in our spreads ever since." - Karima Hazim Chatila & Siline Tabbouch

"Mum’s tarator has a large handful of finely chopped parsley tossed through it, which gives it a freshness and a rustic texture that works so well against the fried cauliflower. Although traditionally the tarator is served in a small bowl beside the cauliflower; we like to drizzle it all over the pile of golden fried florets and scatter with a generous pinch of Aleppo pepper for an extra smoky crunch." - Karima Hazim Chatila & Siline Tabbouch

We’re on a bit of a mezze kick this week, if you hadn’t noted. Full disclosure; we were hopeful of nicer weather to be able to take a light dinner outside but we should have known better. We’ve only lived here for most of our lives. Sigh. But when things do perk up in the warmth and sunshine department...

It’s time to give silverbeet some love. It’s such a healthy veg but the flavour can be quite full-on without something else to mellow it and if you just boil it (eww), it’s really not that interesting. Or nice. Well we don’t think it is and are always keen for new takes on it. As major fans of Middle Eastern cooking…

Bonus recipe, people! As you can see, we really got into semolina this week. There are tons of version of this Middle Eastern/Turkish/Greek-style cake, some use coarse semolina, some a finer one or even a mixture of the two; others include some wheat flour in the mix…

“We use aubergine (eggplant) in all manner of recipes. It is a wonderful vegetable when it’s roasted, charred, and smoky, and we all know how fantastic baba ghanouj is. This recipe works as a starter or as part of a shared table and it screams summer…

Just in time for some Sunday baking, these ridiculously rich buns are exactly what the doctor ordered for a leisurely long weekend breakfast. Scrub that - they’re probably not. Because they’re chockers with chocolate, sugar, various fats and evil white flour. YUM! Please, please PLEASE don’t be terrified of yeast…