Review: Middle Eastern cookbook by London restaurant Honey & Co
Susan Jung
I've not eaten at Honey & Co, the London restaurant run by Sarit Packer and her husband, Itamar Srulovich. But after reading their cookbook, it's near the top of my must-try list.
It's easy to guess what's going to be in a book on Middle Eastern food. Dips such as hummus and babaganoush, couscous, tagine, lots of lamb, eggplant and vegetable dishes. So far, so predictable. But if you examine the recipes closely, you'll find the unexpected. Yes, there's raw lamb kibbe (which they spell "kubbe"), but there's also a variety of that dish using raw sea bream.
There's a whole chapter on raw and cured dishes, with recipes for sardines cured in vine leaves, mackerel cured in oil, and cured sea bream with pomegranate juice and cumin.
The bread section, too, has some interesting offerings - not just pita, but also bukhari bread (it's topped with nigella or sesame seeds), potato bread and griddle bread. The couple's disagreement about which shop in Israel makes the best falafel means there are three versions: one for her, one for him and one to honour their family roots.
Other tempting recipes include lamb siniya (a casserole with cauliflower, minced lamb and a topping of yogurt and tahini); pomegranate molasses chicken with bulgur wheat salad; pan-fried chicken livers with grapes on griddle bread; whole stuffed chicken with freekeh, almonds and pine nuts; cauliflower shawarma; and saffron and lemon syrup cake.
