I have a new tagine. It’s a fancy one – Staub. It cost way too much, but it’s the first tagine I’ve had that does the full job – it works on the stovetop, and in the oven. Until now, I’ve used a 45 year old enamel pot that came to me through my mother…
Sugar Free Garam Masala Muffins
I was invited to go and have a chat with some lovely people on Dubai Eye Radio today (about food blogs), and realised with an hour before leaving time that I probably shouldn’t turn up empty handed. So, I grabbed a ramshackle bunch of ingredients out of the cupboard and threw them together. The recipe…
Lamb Mansaf
I’ve just returned from Jordan, inspired. Some people think all Arabic food is the same, and living in Dubai, I can tell you I’ve had tabouleh and hummus up to here (imagine me gesturing at my larynx).However, I’ve recently been delving into the different cuisines of the area, and have also been treated to an…
Petra – Ancient and pretty darn awesome
The walk is long, there’s no denying.The path is texturally treacherous rather than difficult. I find my feet slipping over ancient cobble slabs, polished with the feet and rain of hundreds of years. The soles of my shoes trap wicked prickly pebbles and my toes are covered in dust, powdered into monochrome. Wet and dark…
Night Treasure at Petra
I’m in a womb, with three hundred siblings. It’s dim, warm, quiet. All I can hear is the rebab, as its melancholy wail reverberates off the walls surrounding us, and the occasional murmur of one of my twins. I can see just the golden pinpoints on the cool sandy floor, and diamond shards in the…
Honey Bundt
My kids have colds again. My granny knew the cure for the common cold a long, long time ago. So did her granny, and her granny’s granny. Honey, citrus, and love. Now we have scientific proof – honey not only soothes a sore throat, it also aids in controlling bacteria and supports the immune system.…
Orvieto – a castle on the clouds
I’d seen Orvieto in my dreams before. Floating, a castle village resting on stormclouds. Close up it was a town of gallant knights and minstrels, pomp and power, madness and frivolity, a big bite of full-flavoured life. In reality, the clouds are stone, but it rests on its pedestal no less grandly than I had…