This is a cheat recipe using a packet of shop-bought stuffed pasta. It makes a delicious lunch!
Lazy mantí – serves 2
300g pack of shop-bought stuffed pasta
50g butter
1 tsp pul biber chilli flakes
150g natural yoghurt
1 scant tsp dried mint
Cook the pasta in lots of salty boiling water according to the timings on the pack, then drain into a sieve.
Return the pasta pan to the heat and add the butter. When the butter has melted, stir in the pul biber, then remove from the heat.
Season the yoghurt with salt and pepper and loosen with a little water – you’re looking for double cream consistency.
Divide the pasta between warm bowls and pour over the yoghurt, then drizzle over the pul biber butter, sprinkle with dried mint and season generously with black pepper.
(Original recipe from Persiana Everyday by Sabrina Ghayour, Aster, 2022.)
It hasn’t been the best of summers in Ireland so far but we’re barbecuing at every opportunity nonetheless. This marinated chicken is very tasty. We’ve given instructions for cooking on a charcoal barbecue but it will of course work just as well on a gas barbecue too.
Wine Suggestion: Choose a Mediterranean inspired, fruity, medium bodied red or white to pair with this. For a red something like a youthful Montepulciano would be great, but for tonight we chose the Edetana via Edetaria Grenacha Blanca from Terra Alta in Spain. A spot truly blessed with an amazing terroir for Grenache of both colours, and this version is bursting with flowers and fruit aromas and a core of citrus on the palate. It really complimented the char from the barbecue and the subtle spicing on the marinade.
Chicken kebabs – serves 6
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tsp black peppercorns
6 cardamom pods
½ cinnamon steak
4 cloves
35g cashews
½ tsp ground turmeric
a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
800g chicken thigh fillets, diced
150g Greek yoghurt
juice of 1 lemon
50g ginger, grated
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 green chillies, finely chopped
1 tsp salt
50g butter
a small handful of mint leaves, chopped, to serve
FOR THE SALAD:
200g cherry tomatoes, halved
1 small red onion, sliced
a small handful of coriander, chopped
juice of ½ lemon
Warm a small frying pan over a medium heat, then add the cumin seeds, peppercorns, cardamom, crumbled cinnamon stick and cloves. Toast for a minute until fragrant, then tip them into a spice grinder or pestle and mortar and grind to a powder.
Tip the cashews into the frying pan and roast for a couple of minutes, then add these to the freshly ground spices along with the turmeric and the nutmeg. Grind again, then transfer to a large bowl.
Add the chicken, yoghurt, lemon juice, ginger, garlic, chillies and salt to the bowl and mix well. Cover and put in the fridge for up to 24 hours.
When you’re ready to cook get your charcoal barbecue going with charcoal on one side only.
Thread the chicken, not too tightly, onto metal skewers.
Put the skewers onto the barbecue, on the opposite side to the coals so the heat isn’t too high. Cook with the lid on, turning regularly, until the temperature inside reaches 74C or for about 20 minutes.
Put the butter into a small frying pan on the hob to melt. When the chicken is almost cooked, move them over the heat to crisp them up and start brushing all over with the melted butter. Keep an eye on them as they’ll start to flare up a bit.
Toss the salad ingredients together and serve the kebabs with the salad on the side.
(Original recipe from Seared by Genevieve Taylor, Quadrille, 2022.)
This is good to serve with drinks for a crowd. You will need some flatbreads or pitta for dipping.
Wine Suggestion: An aperitivo type of drink; Negroni’s if you like, or for us Jérémie Huchet’s Muscadet Les Montys le Parc. A special “lieu-dit”, a vineyard recognised as something special and unique that allows a longer growing season than surrounding vineyards due to the aspect and soils. More depth and roundness than their classic Muscadet, but still with a lovely minerailty and mouthfeel and great length. Serious, and yet still with a sense of playful fun.
Spiced beetroot yoghurt – serves 6
500g cooked beetroot (not in vinegar)
3 tbsp ground coriander
20g mint, leaves finely chopped
500g Greek yoghurt
1 tsp nigella seeds
olive oil, for drizzling
Drain any juice off the beetroot, then whizz with a hand-blender to get a coarse-textured purée. Add the ground coriander, lots of salt and pepper and the mint (keep a little to garnish) and mix together well. Stir in the Greek yoghurt.
Season again to taste, then serve sprinkled with nigella seeds, the rest of the chopped mint and a drizzle of good olive oil. Serve with pitta, flatbreads or toast.
(Original recipe from Sirocco by Sabrina Ghayour, Mitchell Beazley, 2016.)
Every year we get a Christmas gift of a cookbook, well we demand it really. This year’s was Med by Claudia Roden and we made this soup as soon as we got home. The flavours are unusual and very delicate but it’s really lovely.
Yoghurt soup with orzo & chickpeas – serves 4
50g orzo
700ml chicken stock (or you can use veg stock)
1 tbsp cornflour
1 egg yolk
250g Greek-styke yoghurt
1 tbsp dried mint
a good pinch of saffron threads
120g tinned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
extra virgin olive oil, sumac & chilli powder (to garnish)
Cook the orzo in salty boiling water according to the pack instructions, then drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, bring the stock to the boil in another saucepan.
Put the egg yolk and cornflour into a bowl and whisk with a fork until smooth. Put a large spoonful of the yoghurt into the bowl and beat to combine, then beat in the rest of the yoghurt. Stir in the mint, saffron and some black pepper.
Remove the stock from the heat and add the yoghurt mixture, whisking continuously. Stir over a very low heat until beginning to simmer, then cook for 3-5 minutes or until slightly thickened. Add the chickpeas and heat through and season with salt to taste.
Mix the orzo into the soup just before serving.
Divide between warm bowls and garnish with the sumac, chilli powder and olive oil.
(Original recipe from Med A Cookbook by Claudia Roden, Ebury Press, 2021.)
This is such a handy yoghurt number. Serve with barbecues, roasts, with flatbreads, as a side, for a starter – it’s an all rounder and it keeps for a couple of days in the fridge.
250g full fat Greek-style yoghurt
30g scallions, green parts only, finely chopped (keep the white parts for something else)
about 10g of dill, chopped
1 clove of garlic, peeled and grated
zest and juice of 1 lime
200g cucumber, coarsely grated
3 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp sea salt flakes, crumbled
Put the grated cucumber into a clean tea towel and squeeze tightly to get rid of the excess liquid.
Tip the cucumber into a bowl and mix with all of the other ingredients.
(Original recipe from Chasing Smoke: Cooking over Fire Around the Levant by Sarit Packer and Itamar Srulovich, Pavilion, 2021)
We love this Turkish yoghurt dish with cucumber, yoghurt, garlic and dill. We served with barbecued lamb one night and salmon the next. It’s a good one.
Cacik – serves 4 as a side
1 large cucumber, coarsely grated
300ml Greek yoghurt
1 fat clove of garlic, crushed
20g dill, stalks and leaves finely chopped
extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Wrap the grated cucumber in a clean teatowel and squeeze out as much water as possible.
Put the cucumber into a large bowl and mix in the yoghurt.
Add the garlic and dill, mix and season well with sea salt and black pepper. Decant into a serving dish and drizzle with your best olive oil.
(Original recipe from Persiana by Sabrina Ghayour, Mitchell Beazley, 2014.)
PSB is our veg saviour early in the year when winter is lingering and spring still seems too far away. We loved this roasted version with a tangy lemon dressing.
Roasted PSB with feta & preserved lemons – serves 4 to 6 as a side
500g purple sprouting broccoli
2 tbsp olive oil
1 red chilli, chopped
1 preserved lemon, flesh and rind chopped, plus 1 tbsp juice from the jar
80g yoghurt
1 garlic cloves, grated
30g feta
Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
Put the PSB into large roasting tin, add the olive oil and red chilli, season with salt and pepper, then toss with your hands.
Roast for 15 minutes, turning halfway, until tender and starting to char.
Meanwhile stir the preserved lemon, juice and garlic into the yoghurt.
Crumble the feta over the roasted broccoli and drizzle with yoghurt dressing and your best olive oil.
These are great for midweek, quite big, so they filled us up and tasted really good with the spicy yoghurt dip, some salad leaves and lemon. They are quite therapeutic to make too, or at least we thought so.
Wine Suggestion: A classic dish like fish cakes needs a classic match and Domaine de la Chauviniere’s Muscadet Sevre et Maine sur lie was our choice.
Fishcakes with ras el hanout and dill – serves 4
600g floury potatoes, cut into even chunks
300g skinless and boneless white fish
300ml milk
2½ tsp ras el hanout
zest of 2 lemons, plus 2 tbsp juice, and wedges to serve
small packet of dill, leaves finely chopped
1 large egg, beaten
85g dried breadcrumbs, we used Panko
4 tbsp sunflower oil
300g natural yoghurt
100g bag of salad leaves, to serve
Put the potatoes into a large saucepan, cover with cold salty water, bring to the boil, and cook for 18-20 minutes until cooked. Drain and leave to steam-dry in the pot, then mash.
Meanwhile, put the fish in another saucepan and pour over the milk and about 100ml of water, just to cover. Cover with a lid, bring to a simmer, then turn off the heat and leave aside with the lid on to finish cooking. Remove the fish with a slotted spoon and flake into large chunks with your hands.
Mix 2 tbsp of the poaching liquid into the mashed potatoes with 2 tsp of ras el hanout, the zest of 1 lemon, dill and seasoning. Carefully mix in the fish, trying not to let it break up too much further, you want nice chunks. Shape the potato mixture into 8 large fishcakes, keep them quite flat so they’re easy to brown. Dip each fishcake into the beaten egg, then the dried breadcrumbs to coat.
Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6.
Heat the oil in a large non-stick ovenproof frying pan over a medium heat. Add the fishcakes and fry on each side for about 5 minutes over a medium heat. Keep an eye on them to make sure they don’t brown too much. Transfer the frying pan to the oven and cook for 8-10 minutes until piping hot.
Meanwhile, mix the yoghurt with the rest of the lemon zest, 2 tbsp lemon juice, ½ tsp ras el hanout and seasoning. Serve the fishcakes with salad, spiced yoghurt and lemon wedges.
(Original recipe by Katy Gilhooly in Good Food Magazine, December 2015.)
This is a delicious Persian accompaniment that goes with almost anything. We know that as we initially served it as a starter with pitta breads, then proceeded to have it on the side with the main course, and for lunch the following day with something else. It’s hard to describe how good it is.
Spinach & yoghurt with walnuts – Maast-o-esfenaj – serves 6 to 8
250g spinach leaves (cut off any chunky stalks)
500g thick Greek yoghurt
1 large clove of garlic, crushed
2 big handfuls of walnuts, roughly chopped
2 tsp sumac, plus a bit extra to garnish
best olive oil, for drizzling
flatbread, to serve
Simmer the spinach in a saucepan of boiling water for 2-3 minutes until wilted. Drain and immediately transfer to a bowl of iced water to stop the cooking. When cooled, drain well and chop finely.
Put the spinach into a large bowl with the yoghurt, garlic and walnuts (keep a few for decorating), sumac, a small drizzle of olive oil and plenty of sea salt and black pepper. Mix well.
Serve the mixture on a flat plate, drizzle with more olive oil and sprinkle over some extra sumac and the reserved walnuts.
(Original recipe from Simply by Sabrina Ghayour, Mitchell Beazley, 2020)
Such a simple dish for a weeknight but full of lovely flavours. We found this recipe when needing to use up the glut of radishes from our garden and it was perfect.
Wine Suggestion: A fuller-bodied Alvarinho we found was a good match here. Quinta Soalheiro’s Alvarinho had the right weight, textures and flavour to match the warm spices, cooling Raita, earthy radishes and the salmon.
Salmon Tikka with Radish Raita – serves 2
8 tbsp natural yoghurt
2 tsp grated ginger
1 clove of garlic, crushed
2 tsp tandoori masala (you can buy this or use the recipe here)
1 tsp ground cumin
2 skinless salmon fillets
lemon wedges, to serve
FOR THE RAITA
½ cucumber, seeded and grated
1 tbsp chopped mint
a bunch of radishes, sliced
Heat your grill to high.
Put the grate cucumber into a sieve and squeeze out as much water as possible, then leave to drain.
Mix 2 tbsp of the yoghurt with the ginger, garlic, spices and season with salt and pepper. Rub this mixture all over your salmon fillets, then place onto a lightly oiled baking tray and grill for 4 to 6 minutes or until cooked through and starting to char at the edges.
Mix the raita ingredients together with the rest of the yoghurt (6 tbsp) and season. Serve with the salmon and lemon wedges to squeeze over.
(Original recipe by Anna Glover in Olive Magazine, July 2015)
The radishes growing in the garden are all ready at the same time and we’ve been looking for recipes to use them. This is Ukranian salad from Olia Hercules’ book – Mamushka. Olia suggests you need bread alongside to mop up the dressing at the end and we couldn’t agree more. Crusty and white we think works best. Nice as a side dish or as a light lunch.
Spring radish & tomato salad – serves 4
4 small cucumbers, or 1 large (we used baby cucumbers)
2 beef tomatoes
½ a bunch of radishes, sliced
½ a bunch of dill, chopped
100ml natural yoghurt, diluted with ½ tbsp water
sea salt flakes and black pepper
Slice the cucumber and tomatoes directly into the bowl, so that you catch all the juice. Add the radishes and dill and mix well.
Season the yoghurt really well with the salt and pepper, then stir through the salad. When you’ve finished the salad you will be left with a puddle of pale pink dressing which should be mopped up with some bread.
(Original recipe from Mamushka by Olia Hercules, Mitchell Beazley, 2015.)
Roast the cumin seeds in a dry frying pan for a few minutes, then put into a pestle and mortar and coarsely grind.
Spoon the yoghurt into a dish, then mix the cumin, salt, sugar, mint and pomegranate seeds. Keep a few pomegranate seeds and mint leaves aside aside to garnish.
(Original recipe from Made in India by Meera Sodha, Fig Tree, 2014.)
We loved this! Something a bit different when we’re all fed up with our usual pasta staples. Also perfect for using leftover coriander, which seems to be an almost permanent feature in our veg drawer. Of course you can use whatever pasta you happen to have. The original recipe suggested fettuccine, we used trofie – no matter.
Wine Suggestion: a simple white that veers towards texture rather than ripe fruit is your match for this. We had a La Piuma (meaning feather) Pecorino Terre di Chieti from the western coat of central Italy. Pecorino was an obscure local variety of grape, but one we increasingly suggest and drink and think it has a great future; a charmer.
Lentil & lemon fettuccine – serves 4
140g Puy lentils or brown lentils
300g dried pasta
50g butter
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
zest and juice of 1 lemon
large handful of coriander, leaves and stems roughly chopped
150g Greek yoghurt
Rinse the lentils in a sieve, then put into a medium saucepan and cover with plenty of cold water. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 20-30 minutes or until tender (careful not to overcook as we did). Add plenty of salt about 10 minutes into the cooking time. Drain and keep warm.
Cook the pasta, then drain and return to the pan. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a frying pan over a medium heat. Fry the onion until lightly golden, then stir in the garlic and cook for another couple of minutes. Stir the lentils, onion and garlic, lemon zest and juice, coriander and yoghurt into the cooked pasta. Finish with plenty of black pepper.
(Original recipe by Celia Brooks Brown in BBC Good Food Magazine, May 2010.)
A salad of long, thin baby carrots with a herby yoghurt dressing. This is a great side dish for a barbecue and the portions are huge! It’s served at room temperature so the carrots can be cooked and dressed earlier in the day and mixed with the yoghurt before serving.
1 kg long, thin baby carrots, scrubbed and stalks trimmed
3 tbsp olive oil
1½ tbsp cider vinegar
1 tsp honey
1 garlic clove, crushed
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
120g Greek-style yoghurt
60g crème fraîche
5g dill, roughly chopped
10g coriander, roughly chopped
Steam the carrots for 8-12 minutes or until cooked through but retaining a bite.
Meanwhile, whisk the olive oil, vinegar, honey, garlic, cinnamon, ½ tsp salt and plenty of black pepper together in a large bowl. Add the carrots to the dressing as soon as they are cooked, then mix well and set aside to cool.
Mix the yoghurt and crème fraîche in a medium bowl with a ¼ tsp of salt. Add this to the carrots, along with the fresh herbs. Stir gently to mix roughly together, then serve.
(Original recipe from Ottolenghi Simple by Yotam Ottolenghi with Tara Wigley and Esme Howarth, Ebury Press, 2018.)
This is barely a recipe, more a quick assembly of things that happen to be lying around. Typical of the sort of meal we have near the end of the week, when ingredients are running low. The paneer cheese bulks out the rice and the cool yoghurt negates the need for a sauce.
Spiced paneer and pea rice – serves 2
200g pack of paneer (Indian cheese), diced
2 tbsp curry paste (we like Patak’s Madras)
a pouch of ready-to-eat brown basmati (or use can cook your own)
100g frozen peas, defrosted
4 tbsp natural yoghrut
a handful of mint, chopped
naan breads and lemon wedges to serve
Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a pan, then fry the paneer until golden.
Add the curry paste and fry.
Heat the rice in a microwave according to the pack instructions, then tip into the pan with the peas and toss together.
Mix the yoghurt with the mint and season.
Serve the rice with the yoghurt, naan bread and lemon wedges.
(Original recipe by Janine Ratcliffe in Olive Magazine, September 2017.)
We are always on the look out for cooling dips to serve with spicer dishes. This one would be good with any middle eastern-style meal that warrants something cool on the side. Or you could have it on its own with some toasted pittas. Another great recipe from Feasts by Sabrina Ghayour.
Pomegranate, cucumber & pistachio yoghurt – serves 6 to 8
500ml thick Greek yoghurt
1 large banana shallot or 2 small round shallots, finely chopped
1 large cucumber, cut into 1cm dice
150g pomegranate seeds, rinsed to remove the juice
100g pistachio nuts
30g of mint, leaves stripped and roughly chopped
toasted pitta bread to serve
Pour the yoghurt into a large bowl and mix in the shallot. Add the cucumber, pomegranate seeds and pistachios (keep some of each to sprinkle over before serving). Add the mint, then fold everything gently through the yoghurt. Season generously with sea salt and black pepper.
To serve drizzle with some good olive oil and scatter over the reserved cucumber, pomegranate seeds and pistachios.
Serve as a dip with toasted pittas or as a cooling side dish.
(Original recipe from Feasts by Sabrina Ghayour, Mitchell Beazley, 2017.)
A perfect cooling accompaniment for barbecued lamb kebabs and Persian rice dishes. The fresh mint can be replaced with fresh dill.
Yoghurt with Cucumber & Mint – serves 4-6
200g cucumber
500g Greek yoghurt
½ garlic clove, crushed
2 tsp dried mint
1 tsp chopped fresh mint
1 tbsp sultanas
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
Cut the cucumber in half and scoop out the watery middle and seeds with a teaspoon. Grate the cucumber and squeeze out the excess water over a bowl using your hands.
Mix the cucumber into the yoghurt, along with the garlic, dried mint, fresh mint, dill, sultanas, salt and pepper. Stir well before serving.
(Original recipe from The Saffron Tales by Yasmin Khan, Bloomsbury, 2016.)
Our local butcher, Brady’s, stocks excellent free-range chickens which are juicier and have more flavour than most super-market offerings. Being a very cheap meat overall we think it is worth spending a bit more as the benefits far outweigh the cost difference.
We never tire of roast chicken recipes as they’re usually straight forward and provide lots of leftovers. We challenge you to resist the skin on this one!
Wine Suggestion: we felt like a red so went for the Chateau de Beauregard Fleurie as it has a lighter body and a lower acidity than a Pinot Noir which matched this dish really well. The chicken was moist, but not fatty so the medium acidity was a perfect foil and neither wine nor food overwhelmed the other.
Spiced-yoghurt Roast Chicken with Potatoes – serves 4
1 whole chicken, approximately 1.5kg
salad potatoes e.g. Charlotte
1 tsp cumin seeds
a pinch of chilli flakes
2 tbsp olive oil
For the marinade:
small chunk of ginger, finely grated
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 green chilli, finely chopped
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 lemon, zested and juiced, keep the squeezed out halves to put inside the chicken
100g natural yoghurt
Heat the oven to 190C/Fan 170C/Gas 5.
Mix all of the marinade ingredients together and season with some salt and pepper.
Put the chicken into a large roasting tray and rub the marinade all over the skin with your hands. Put the squeezed lemon halves inside the cavity and roast for 1 hour 30 minutes, then rest for 20 minutes under some foil before carving.
Cut the potatoes in half and toss with the cumin seeds, chilli flakes, 2 tbsp olive oil and plenty of salt and pepper. Tip into a shallow roasting tray and put in the oven above the chicken for the last 20 minutes. Turn over once during cooking and continue to cook for a further 20 minutes while the chicken is resting.
Delicious served with some coleslaw on the side.
(Original recipe from BBC Olive Magazine, December 2016.)
Big pieces of fish are particularly well suited to the large cooking space you’ve got on the barbecue. We’ve invested in a fish basket for the barbecue but when we cooked this we didn’t have one and it was tricky to turn. If you don’t have a fish basket you might find it easier to cut the side of salmon in half.
We also really like this without the cucumber yoghurt and served with some champ (mashed potatoes with scallions and loads of butter for any of you non-Irish readers).
Wine suggestion: White and fresh, but also with a full body and a good texture. Out of fashion somewhat we tried a Chablis … a 1er Cru Montmains from Domaine Bois d’Yver that we had lying around. It was a couple of years old but the extra age added extra layers of depth to a wine that was still fresh and dynamic. If you’d prefer a red then lightly chill a young Pinot Noir for 20-30 minutes and you’ll also have a treat.
Barbecued Side of Salmon with Cucumber Yoghurt – serves 4-6
1.5kg side of salmon, scaled and pinboned (order this from your fishmonger)
zest and juice of 1 lemon
large bunch of basil/fennel tops, finely chopped
1 cucumber, peeled lengthwise at intervals to make stripes
300ml natural yoghurt
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
small bunch of mint/oregano, leaves picked and chopped
Brush the bars of the barbecue clean or your fish will stick (the fish basket will help with this), then light it and get it nice and hot.
Put the salmon skin-side down on a board and slash the flesh side with a sharp knife, about 1cm deep. Scatter the lemon zest and most of the fennel tops/basil over the salmon, then push into the cuts that you made with your fingers. Rub the fish lightly all over with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper.
Put the salmon on the barbecue, skin-side down. Check it after about 4 minutes by which time the skin should have got nice and crispy. Turn the fish carefully and cook on the other side for 2-3 minutes. You can carefully take the skin off the salmon at this stage and place it back on the heat to get really crispy.
Cut the cucumber in half lengthways and remove the seeds. Chop the seedless cucumber and mix with the yoghurt. Add some lemon juice, half the chopped chilli, and half the mint/oregano. Drizzle over some good olive oil and season well.
Break the salmon into portions with a fork and serve with the cucumber yoghurt, sprinkled with the remaining chilli and herbs. Drizzle with a little more olive oil and serve with a piece of the crispy skin if you like.
(Original recipe from Jamie at Home by Jamie Oliver, Michael Joseph, 2007.)
Serve this with
Jono & Jules do food & wine 