There is something to be said for timing in life. Just when you think you have it all figured out, you get thrown a curve ball – that’s what the Americans say, right? Something about baseball?
In our case, this time last year we were packing up our house in Howth and preparing for a move to America. With work all lined up, it sort of happened, and it sort of didn't. This left myself, and my wife Sofie, in a temporary limbo land for 12 months, jumping from familiar life back home to searching for houses across Los Angeles, figuring out social security numbers and other such fun.
In October, we found the perfect house, only to be drawn back to Ireland for work and for Christmas.
New home
Bleary eyed, jet lagged and laden down with suitcases, we recently arrived in our new home, closely followed by our dog, Max. As we get settled, our kitchen has only a handful of equipment, and I’ve been making great use of our new oven. It’s one of those ridiculously over-sized ones you see cooks shovelling feasts into on American cooking shows. One-tray roast meats, caramelised vegetables and even an ambitious orange polenta cake have all made a welcome appearance in our new home. Two recipes I intend to become a regular part of my repertoire I share with you today.
Taghourt, a simple concoction of yoghurt and creamy, nutty tahini is unashamedly borrowed from the brilliant Tomer Amedi, from London’s popular Palomar restaurant.
Tomer uses this mixture spread on a plate as the base for his Shakshukit, a deconstructed kebab fired up with earthy spices and perked up with preserved lemon.
I use it as the base for a Middle Eastern inspired roast carrot dish, which could quite happily make a vegetarian supper or be served as a side dish with my ras-el-hanout chicken.
Spice blend
Ras-el-hanout, a North African spice blend, in Arabic means “head of the shop” in reference to the extensive and sometimes expensive spices used to make it. A flurry of spices such as coriander, cumin, cardamom, ginger and turmeric are blended to create a multi-use mixture that can be used as a seasoning for stews or as a spice rub for meat.
You could make it yourself and there are plenty of recipes available, but seek out a high quality blend in Asian markets or gourmet food stores and you will save yourself time and money. Both recipes are admittedly easy, but rely on strong flavours and interesting textures to create beautifully simple dishes.
