They

They
may have met in London but the pair grew up in Jerusalem,
meaning they are no strangers to the variations in Middle Eastern
flavours: “This is the food which bookends everything we do. The
food of Syria is similar to the food of Palestine and Lebanon – the
food that we grew up with. There are regional variations, of
course, but this food forms a great part of our cooking.”

The first recipe they donated is a traditional dip, perfect for
sharing: “Muhammara is a classic Levantine dip made with red
peppers and chopped walnuts, spiced with aleppo chili – you can eat
it by the spoonful, it’s so good. Scoop it up with pitta or it’s a
lovely addition to a table full of food.” They suggest using a
pestle and mortar to maintain the texture and leaving it to improve
one day in the fridge – but don’t serve it fridge-cold.

Their next dish is an unusual mix of lentils and pasta with
tamarind sumac and pomegranate: “We’re cooking a dish called harak
osbao which directly translates to mean ‘he burnt his finger’ – a
reference to it being so irresistible that you can’t help but get
stuck in. It’s a mix of lentils and pasta with lots of flavour
injected in with the tamarind water, chicken stock and pomegranate
molasses in which it’s cooked. Fresh herbs, sharp sumac, refreshing
pomegranate seeds – it’s beautiful comfort food fit for a
feast.”

Recipes donated by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi and others
can be found in the #CookForSyria Recipe Book, available for
purchase on amazon.co.uk. All profits will be donated to
aid children affected by the crisis in Syria.