herbs, garlic, chilli, cumin, 1 tsp
salt and ¼ tsp ground black
pepper, and mix until combined.
Sprinkle flour over the egg and
whisk until incorporated.
2 Heat a generous amount of
oil in a frying pan over medium-
high heat; use one very large
pan or a small one and work in
batches. I prefer using a smaller
pan and making several really
thin frittatas (they come out
crisper this way) adding more
oil to the pan after each frittata.
3 Once oil is hot, pour egg
mixture into pan, tilting it to get
an even layer of eggs. Cook
until the edges start to curl and
the top is starting to solidify,
periodically lifting with a spatula
to make sure the bottom is not
burning. When the frittata is noLentil, garlic and pasta soup
SERVES 4 // PREP TIME 5 MINS // COOK 45-50 MINUTES
“This is a peasant dish from a time when people needed to create hearty, yet
afordable meals,” says Kassis. “In the Middle East, beans and legumes were
often the protein of choice over expensive and harder to source meat. Ample
flavour made up for the lack of meat, and the flavours here are very satisfying.
Top it with parsley and sumac or lemon juice to make it more flavourful.”
Palestinian frittata
SERVES 4 // PREP TIME 15 MINS // COOK 5 MINS
“Palestinians often make frittatas for weekend breakfasts or
supper,” says Kassis. “My uncle’s wife, Ameera, is famous for her
ijjeh – the perfect mix of crisp and flufy, spicy and smooth. This is
her recipe – it’s generous with herbs, but adjust to your taste.”
125 ml (½ cup) olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
225 gm lentils (green or brown),
picked over and rinsed
1 tsp ground cumin
200 gm dried tagliatelle or
linguine, broken into
3-5cm lengths (see note)
5-6 garlic cloves, crushed
Chopped flat-leaf parsley
and sumac or lemon juice
(optional), to serve
1 Pour half the olive oil into a
casserole, add onion and cook
over medium-high heat, stirring
regularly, until onions have
softened and are starting to
crisp at the edges (6-8 minutes).
2 Add lentils, cumin, and
¼ tsp black pepper and toss to
combine. Pour in 1.5L water, add
1 tsp salt and bring to a boil,
8 eggs
4 spring onions, finely
chopped, plus extra to serve
25 gm (½ cup) flat-leaf parsley,
finely chopped
25 gm (½ cup) mint,
finely chopped
1 large garlic clove, crushed
1 long green chilli (optional),
seeds removed, finely
chopped
½ tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp plain flour
Olive oil, for frying
Olives, mint and chopped
tomato, to serve
Store-bought labne and
pita bread, to serve
1 Break eggs into a large bowl
and whisk until pale yellow and
starting to froth. Add onion,
then partially cover pan and
reduce heat to maintain a
gentle simmer. Cook until lentils
are tender but still hold their
shape (20-30 minutes,
depending on variety).
3 Once lentils are cooked,
add pasta, increasing the heat
to reach a vigorous simmer,
and cook, covered until pasta
is al dente (10-15 minutes).
4 Meanwhile, heat remaining
olive oil in a small frying pan,
add garlic and stir until fragrant
and light golden, taking care not
to burn it because it will make
it bitter (about 3 minutes). Stir
garlic and oil into soup.
5 If the consistency is too
thick, add 1 cup water and bring
to a boil. If it’s too thin, cook
the soup until some liquid
evaporates. You want aconsistency similar to bean
soup – not so thin it falls of
the spoon but not so thick it
feels like pudding.
6 Serve soup sprinkled with
parsley and topped with sumac
or lemon juice.
NoteTraditionally this dish is
made with a dough of flour,
water and salt rolled out thinly
then rolled onto itself and sliced
into short fettuccine or linguine-
like strips. I substitute dried
linguine (any small pasta shape
will work), which I break into
short pieces. I also use fresh
pasta for an almost identical
result to the original version,
chopping it into strips and
throwing it in, keeping in mind
it requires less cooking, about
3 minutes.➤longer runny on top, flip it to
brown the other side. Continue
to cook for another minute or
2 until done, then slide onto
a plate. If using a small pan,
repeat, adding more oil, until
the egg mixture is all used
up. Serve hot olives,
mint, tomato, pita
and labne.