Showing posts with label Middle Eastern. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Middle Eastern. Show all posts

Saturday, 15 June 2024

Exploring Middle Eastern Flavours: A Culinary Journey

The Middle Eastern culinary tradition is a treasure trove of vibrant and aromatic flavours, embodying centuries of cultural exchanges and historical richness. 

This region, which includes countries such as Lebanon, Iran, Turkey, and Egypt, boasts a diverse palette of spices, herbs, and ingredients that create unique and unforgettable dishes.

In this blog post, we'll delve into some of the quintessential elements that define Middle Eastern cuisine, and explore a few must-try dishes that you can easily recreate at home.

The Spice Route: Essential Spices and Herbs

Middle Eastern cuisine is renowned for its liberal use of spices and herbs, which not only enhance the flavour but also add a healthful dimension to the food.

Cumin: A staple in Middle Eastern cooking, cumin has a warm, earthy flavour that's slightly bitter and peppery. It's often used in spice blends such as za'atar and baharat.

Sumac: This tangy, lemony spice is made from dried sumac berries. It's a key ingredient in fattoush salad and is often sprinkled over hummus for an extra zest.

Cinnamon: Used in both sweet and savoury dishes, cinnamon adds a sweet warmth to foods like Moroccan tagines and Lebanese desserts.

Cardamom: This aromatic spice, with its complex flavour profile, is used in a variety of dishes from Persian stews to Turkish coffee.

Mint and Parsley: Fresh herbs like mint and parsley are ubiquitous in Middle Eastern cuisine, lending freshness to salads like tabbouleh and garnishing a myriad of dishes.

The Ingredients: Staples of Middle Eastern Cuisine

The heart of Middle Eastern food lies in its simplicity and the use of fresh, wholesome ingredients.

Olive Oil: A cornerstone of the Mediterranean diet, olive oil is used generously in cooking and as a dressing.

Chickpeas: This versatile legume is the base for popular dishes like hummus and falafel.

Yoghurt: Often used to temper spicy dishes or as a base for sauces, yoghurt is a cooling and creamy addition to many meals.

Lamb: A preferred meat in many Middle Eastern countries, lamb is often marinated with spices and cooked to tender perfection in dishes like kebabs and koftas.

Iconic Dishes to Try

Hummus

A creamy dip made from blended chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, and garlic, hummus is a beloved staple. Serve it with warm pita bread or fresh vegetables for a delicious appetiser or snack.

Falafel

These crispy, deep-fried balls of chickpea or fava bean mixture are flavoured with garlic, parsley, and coriander. Perfect in a pita sandwich with tahini sauce, lettuce, and tomatoes.

Shawarma

A popular street food, shawarma is made by marinating meat (often chicken, beef, or lamb) in a blend of spices, then slow-cooking it on a rotating spit. The meat is sliced thin and served in flatbread with a variety of toppings.

Fattoush

This refreshing salad combines mixed greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, and toasted pieces of pita bread, all tossed in a tangy sumac dressing. It's a perfect side dish for any Middle Eastern meal.

Cooking at Home: Tips and Techniques

Marinate Your Meats: Middle Eastern cuisine often involves marinating meats in a mixture of spices, yoghurt, and citrus juices to infuse them with flavour and tenderise them.

Use Fresh Ingredients: Whenever possible, use fresh herbs, vegetables, and high-quality olive oil to ensure your dishes are as flavourful and authentic as possible.

Balance Flavours: Middle Eastern cooking is all about balancing sweet, sour, salty, and spicy elements. Don't be afraid to taste and adjust your seasonings as you cook.

Conclusion

Middle Eastern cuisine offers a delightful culinary adventure, with its rich tapestry of flavours and ingredients. By incorporating some of these spices and dishes into your cooking repertoire, you can bring a taste of this vibrant region into your own kitchen. Whether you're preparing a feast for friends or a simple family dinner, the warmth and richness of Middle Eastern flavours are sure to make any meal special.

Monday, 9 October 2023

Launch of New Exclusive Sabrina Ghayour Spice Blends

Steenbergs, the leading sustainable spice company, is delighted to announce it's teamed up with award-winning Middle Eastern chef Sabrina Ghayour to produce three unique spice blends to complement her delicious recipes and add a little Middle Eastern magic into your everyday cooking.

The launch of the new spice blends coordinates nicely with the publication of Sabrina’s seventh cookbook, FLAVOUR, which is published by Aster on October 12th. It's a brand-new collection of simple, delicious, crowd-pleasing recipes which can be tailored to suit all tastes and budgets.

“Flavour is such an important element of my cooking. No matter what food I make, or where or what I eat, taste is everything. To me, flavour is comfort, satisfaction and even nostalgia, but importantly, it never has to be complicated, heavy-handed or extreme. Life is too short to eat bland food; sometimes a little seasoning, a flourish of herbs or a squeeze of lemon or drizzle of honey is all it takes to really elevate an otherwise simple dish into something that suddenly bursts with big, bold flavour” said Sabrina Ghayour.

The three new spice blends encapsulate Sabrina’s passion for flavour. They are exclusive to Steenbergs and are all carefully hand blended to Sabrina’s own recipes.

Flavour Blend is a mix of cumin, coriander, cinnamon, turmeric, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne, lime powder and cracked black pepper. “This earthy blend of spices is simply perfect for roasted meats, root vegetables and squashes,” says Sabrina, “and not forgetting, the perfect combination for kebabs like shawarmas, koftas and red meat kebabs.”

Persiana Blend is the very same blend that adorns the cover of Sabrina’s now iconic debut cookbook Persiana, released back in 2014, and was originally created for one of Sabrina’s signature dishes from the book, the slow-roasted spice-perfumed lamb. 

The fragrant blend of rose petals, sumac, lime powder, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, garlic powder and cayenne is perfect for roasted meats, grills, root vegetables and squashes but also great with game, poultry and oily fish and seafood too.

Bazaar blend is a wonderfully versatile blend of oregano, paprika, Spanish citrus pepper, ginger and garlic powder which can be used in a wide variety of ways from simply coating meat and fish for roasting or pan-frying to salads, rice dishes, hummus and even flatbreads.

Top tips, recipe ideas and inspiration for using the spice blends will be featuring on both Steenbergs and Sabrina Ghayour socials and on the Steenbergs website. The spice jars will be available for sale individually but also as a complete set of three, beautifully packaged in a jute bag with a card and ribbon, all ready for Christmas gifting.

Flavour by Sabrina Ghayour is published by Aster (£26) with cover photography by Kris Kirkham

The Amazon page for the book is: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Flavour-recipe-collection-SUNDAY-bestseller/dp/1783255102