Hestia...and Jerusalem!

Lordy, I could just go a chunk of this RIGHT NOW

In some other life, I am sitting in a white-washed cafe on a hillside in Lebanon looking out over the scrubby countryside and tucking into a golden swirl of freshly made hummus, the lemon sauce glittering beneath the hot noonday sun....

Quite how I reconcile that imaginary life with the one that I lead here in darkest Scotland is entirely down to Yotam Ottolenghi and his partner in culinary crime, Sami Tamimi.  I've already written about their divine cauliflower fritters here.




It's not that I can actually COOK what they write about - Middle Eastern spices are not easily acquired here on the island, but Joy of JOYS, the Ottolenghi chaps have now opened an on-line shop!

No more shall I stand in Tescos trying to remember whether I'm looking for Sumac or  Za'atar...only to bring the Za'atar home to discover that I've already bought it.  Twice.

No sireee!  I'll be able to order directly from the Ottolenghi shop!

Here's the link: http://webstore.ottolenghi.co.uk/

Of course, the first thing that I bought wasn't herbs, spices or even the damned tasty looking lollipops but ANOTHER COOKERY BOOK

This time it's 'Jerusalem', home of the artichokes.  That's a joke by the way.  A cookery and vegetable-themed joke.  I'm trying to move up from the usual toilet humour, you'll notice.

Aaaanyway, I ordered Jerusalem YESTERDAY from the on-line shop and lo! it arrived on my doorstep TODAY!  Hats off to the boys and girls who handle the on-line orders at Ottolenghi as well as the Royal Mail!

Jerusalem arrived signed by both Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi along with a neat little bag that will allow me to advertise their new book all over the island - look!

Cannot WAIT to get started!!

The book is a fusion of the Muslim and Jewish food traditions that Ottolenghi and Tamimi grew up with in their respective quarters of the city.  From dishes where pulses and grains are the star attractions, right through to sweets and desserts, Jerusalem is bursting with exotic recipes and gorgeous photography.

Now, while I say that the recipes are exotic, the test of this book, as with so many others, is whether it passes the Random Ingredients Test..... you don't know what that is? Why you can check it out here.

So let's give it a try.....

Conchiglie with yoghurt, peas and chilli ......greek yoghurt,  fresh or frozen peas, conchiglie pasta.....chilli flakes.... feta.  Yes, this one gets a big tick, I can lay my hands on ALL of this stuff.

What about Stuffed Aubergine with lamb and pine nuts?   Aubergines, cumin, paprika, cinnamon, onions lamb, pine nts, tomato puree, tamarind paste.  The tamarind paste might be tricky to get - but hey, I can just buy it from THEM on-line!!!

Last try at the Random Ingredients Test....Turkey and courgette burgers with spring onion and cumin...... minced turkey, courgette, spring onions, coriander, cumin....YES!

I honestly cannot WAIT to get started cooking from this book.  And furst up will be the stuffed aubergines because I've got three in the fridge.

Why?

I told you.  Inside my head, I live another life on a hot hillside in the Lebanon.....