Notes about Recipes in this book

• Muhamra

  • Fiona on January 12, 2016

    This has some very strong flavors - some were a bit too overpowering. It was very sweet, so would reduce the pomegranate molasses a bit - worth tasting before you add it all. I probably overdid the vegetables I won't blacken them quite so much. I'll do again, as wonderful combination of ingredients.

  • MmeFleiss on March 09, 2017

    I cut the pomegranate molasses amount down to 2 tablespoons and it was much better than when I made it the first time as written. This was a huge hit at last night's party.

  • raybun on April 01, 2017

    My guests and I absolutely loved this! A fabulous combination of flavours, and I followed the recommendations and reduced the pomegranate molasses to 2 tbsps. I also used pecans instead of walnuts due to preference. The recipe made twice the amount you see in the photo.

• Feta & spring onion bouikos

  • Fiona on January 12, 2016

    I did make a double batch intending to freeze some - but ended up cooking them all, which is just as well as they all went. Had them with drinks, everyone loved them. Very easy to make - I made exactly as recipe.

  • rosyannposy on October 17, 2016

    These are delicious! Made the version with smoked paprika and left out nigella seeds as I did not have any on hand. Next will make a double batch as they were eaten up in no time.

  • Yildiz100 on October 27, 2017

    Used a U.S. version of the book while baking in Sweden, so it was converted from Celsius to Fahrenheit, and I had to convert it back to C. Anyway, rounding became an issue and the end result was I baked these at a temp that was a bit too low. They turned out ok but needed more time and didn't brown. I will make again but they are rich and easy to eat too many of, so I will probably wait for a special occasion brunch or at least for some time that there are guests in the house. They are a bit greasy when first out of the oven. Let them cool a bit and then the problem disappears. Definitely make a double batch. This doesn't make all that much.

  • stockholm28 on January 15, 2017

    Delicious. Buttery, flaky, cheesy, and they come together quite quickly. I should have made a double batch and frozen some. Nigella seeds are Kalonji. 220C = 428F, 200C = 392F.

  • lhudson on September 29, 2015

    Should have made a double batch of these. My son and his family showed up at our door as soon as these came out of the oven. Everybody liked them including the 2 year old Grandson. I did substitute the nigella seeds with celery seeds and that worked fine. The feta cheese does something magical to these little buns.

• Mint and lemon chicken with apricots & potatoes

  • TrishaCP on July 23, 2018

    We loved the flavor of this tray bake (especially the salsa, which seems like it has too much preserved lemon but I thought was perfect). However, I had some execution issues. I marinated the chicken for about 4 hours. I used boneless skinless thighs and they were cooked through in about 35 minutes. However, the potatoes were nowhere near done by that point. I had cut them as specified but I think they just need to be thinly sliced or cut in smaller pieces. It took another 30 minutes (more than one hour roasting) to cook them through. I will figure out a solution though because this dish is really excellent!

  • Jesmondgirl on July 09, 2021

    I cooked this as suggested and the chicken was cooked through well before the potatoes but still looked underdone and not golden. This took twice as long as stated. The apricots were mush by this time. I popped under the grill for a few minutes and then it looked lovely. My guest requested the recipe so it went down well.

• Cherry, pistachio & coconut cake

  • TrishaCP on July 09, 2017

    This is a great tasting cake- the mahlab is very intoxicating and it is different (in a good way) in flavor profiles I usually use in baking. I had a really bad bake with it however, most likely due to changes I made since I didn't have the right pan. (I also used a 9 inch round cake pan.). As mentioned below, I did need to bake it longer to get it cooked in the middle (probably 10 minutes more), and this is what caused the problem. By the time it was baked through in the middle, the cake had gotten really hard and firm on the edges- very close to being burned- which made it impossible to turn out of the pan. Although I had greased the pan well, the edges were simply stuck to the pan. If you don't have a ring cake pan, I would definitely consider a spring-form pan lined with parchment paper on the bottom, which would make it easier if you get the tough edges that I got.

  • TrishaCP on July 09, 2017

    Hi, yes I did use a dark-colored pan, so a lower cooking time would likely help (at least for part of the bake). Definitely worth tinkering with, the cake is delicious! Thanks for your note.

  • Miquette on July 10, 2020

    I thought this was fantastic! My MIL gave me a jar of ground mahleb and this was the first time I've used it. I baked mine in a 9-inch springform lined with parchment. My springform has a ceramic base and silicone sides, so I did not have any problems with overbaking along the edges. Took it out of the oven at 38 minutes as per the recipe instructions once the cake was golden brown between the cherries. I was concerned that it may need to bake longer based on previous comments, but was perfectly moist and set in the center after cooling.

  • stockholm28 on July 04, 2018

    This is a delicious cake, but I used the wrong pan and it was overbaked along the edges. It calls for a ring pan. I used a springform pan lined with parchment. I had to cook it an additional 15 minutes so that the center was not raw, but the edges ended up really dark. The flavors are fantastic; the coconut, almond flour, pistachios, cherries, and mahlab result in an addictive flavor. It is primarily made with almond flour and there is a small amount of self-raising flour. I subbed A.P. and a 1/2 tsp of baking powder. It could easily be adapted to be gluten free. It only takes one bowl (plus something to melt the butter and grind pistachios). I had never cooked with mahlab and the house smelled wonderful while it was baking. I used sour cherries.

  • a2cook on June 19, 2016

    This is a fantastic cake with a very unique combination of flavors! It tasted even better the next day! This is the first time I used mahlab, and it lends such an enticing, intoxicating scent throughout the house while the cake is baking. I used a 9 inch round cake pan, instead of the ring cake pan recommended in the book, so I needed a few extra minutes to get the middle baked (around 43 minutes total) I can see this cake working well with coconut oil or even a mild olive oil as a substitute for the melted butter.

  • a2cook on July 09, 2017

    TrishaCP: Did you use a dark colored pan by any chance? I used a Williams Sonoma gold touch 9-inch round pan and didn't have any issues after making the timing adjustments mentioned in my original note. Perhaps try decreasing the temperature to 350 or 325 and increasing the baking time.

  • metacritic on November 03, 2020

    Very easy and totally satisfying. I made with plum but will look forward to trying with other stone fruits - esp cherries - in months ahead.

  • Sparkles75 on July 26, 2019

    Love this cake! So simple and the payoff is fantastic. I didn't have mahleb so used cardamom instead. Excited to see what it would taste like with the mahleb

• Tomato & pomegranate tabule for high summer

  • TrishaCP on July 26, 2015

    This turned out really well, and made a nice side for kabobs. The recipe calls for following the book's basic bulgar cooking method, which worked beautifully and I would use it again. (Use some olive oil to coat each grain, pour boiling water over the bulgar, and then let steam for 5 minutes.) Once the bulgar has cooled, you add in the other ingredients, including green chiles (I couldn't taste it at all), tomatoes, pomegranate seeds, parsley, celery, lemon juice, and mint. Because the pomegranate seeds are so sweet, it is really critical to season to taste- mine needed more lemon juice. But this was a light summery dish and I really liked the combination of tomato and pomegranates.

• Peaches & goats' cheese with roasted almonds

  • TrishaCP on August 18, 2016

    Delicious! I didn't have cilantro but had basil, so used that instead and I would do so again. The flavors are nicely balanced-the goat cheese really helps to offset the sweetness of the peaches and the floral notes of the orange blossom water.

• Pomegranate molasses chicken with bulgar wheat salad

  • TrishaCP on December 13, 2015

    What a great dinner- by far the best meal I've cooked in a while. Company worthy but easy enough to treat yourself too. The bulgar salad is delicious-filled with bright flavors from the herbs and pomegranate seeds. I needed a bit more water and a bit more time for my bulgar to soften, but otherwise steaming it worked perfectly. The chicken is really the star though-I only had time for it to marinade about 6 hours but it picked up good flavor and the molasses allowed it to brown deeply. Tasted so good with the salad.

  • Yildiz100 on November 02, 2017

    Made the chicken only and only cooked on stovetop. Good, but needs something. Maybe more garlic or more chili. Maybe mint or cumin. Add a bit of lime at the end. Dont cut pieces too small bc pomegranate molasses needs plenty of time to carmelize.

  • stockholm28 on November 15, 2017

    I liked this a lot. If you marinate the chicken the night before, this is a very weeknight friendly dish. It is also pretty healthy. I would have liked a bit more heat in the chicken so I might try a bit of cayenne next time. The sliced jalapeno that I added to the marinade was barely noticeable. I'm not usually a bulgar fan, but I loved this salad with the chicken. My chicken is not as photogenic as in the book, but it tasted good. This will be repeated. 200C = 392F, 180C = 356F

  • MmeFleiss on February 23, 2017

    I didn't even bother browning these on the stovetop and just put them straight on the sheet pan. Delicious and easy! I did sub golden raisins for currants because I was all out, and that worked out fine.

  • a2cook on June 19, 2016

    This is a relatively simple recipe to make, and yields delicious, restaurant-quality results! The chefs/authors are Ottolenghi protégés, and it shows (their recipes are a lot less fussy, though). The marinade makes for a delicious sauce, but there isn't enough of it, so will double the marinade next time.

  • Tealismyname on April 19, 2016

    - I made this vegetarian by using quorn instead of chicken. Unfortunately it didn't brown as much and I was tempted to add a bit of sugar to help with the caramelisation. I used pieces and should probably have used the filets. I also only marinated it for 2 hours so will try again with an overnight marination. - Also, to cut down on carbs I actually used cauliflower instead of bulgar wheat (cut it up and core it and put in in the food processor until the texture of bulgur. Then i just sautéed it a bit and added the rest of the ingredients). Was delicious but am also eager to try it with bulgar as well. (wow i definitely changed this one up quite a bit!)

  • ChelseaP on August 05, 2021

    This is such low effort for how much flavour you get! Have made it so many times. It's easy to scale up and such a crowd pleaser.

  • Jardimc on March 28, 2023

    Great flavours, and easy to put together with a little forethought to marinate the chicken overnight. Will definitely make this again, especially for company.

  • Longtallfran on April 09, 2023

    Made the bulgar wheat salad only as an accompaniment to a lamb dish. Was delicious and well received by my guests. Great simple salad.

• Prawns in orange, tomato & cardamom

  • TrishaCP on January 28, 2017

    I really loved the tomato and orange flavor together. The cardamom was very subtle, especially with the chile.

  • L.Nightshade on November 12, 2017

    I had humungous prawns, so just cooked six and they didn’t all get eaten. No bread for me, but a spoon worked just fine. This is easy and delicious; I’d definitely make it again! A little side salad of radishes, garbanzos, scallions, carrots, olives, mint, and cilantro made for a complete dinner.

  • WandaA on February 26, 2016

    This was so good! Spicy and hot. Enjoyed every single bit of it. Absolutely worth trying.

• Lamb salad with Georgian plum sauce

  • TrishaCP on September 29, 2018

    Delicious. I used a lamb leg instead of a lamb leg steak, so roasted it a few hours in the oven with the spice blend on. The combination of the plums, fennel, and tarragon was very appealing, and I will definitely make this again.

• Fresh vegetable mezze - kohlrabi with chive sour cream

  • TrishaCP on June 01, 2017

    Really easy to make and very light and fresh tasting.

• Gundi

  • L.Nightshade on November 04, 2017

    Thanks to stockholm, both for alerting me to this dish, and for the caution about the unlisted accoutrements. Thankfully I had pretty much all of the ingredients on hand, because I certainly wouldn’t be able to find dried limes around here! However, there was no straight garbanzo flour to be found, so I subbed my garbanzo-fava flour. That’s the only change I made. All my dumplings didn’t hold together perfectly, but I doubt that was responsible. No big deal, I just had to handle them carefully. It reminded me of cooking matzoh balls, in the way they fluff up during the poaching period, and it made me wonder if adding egg might have helped them retain their structure a bit better.

  • stockholm28 on November 13, 2016

    Delicious. I had this in the restaurant a couple of weeks ago and have been dreaming about it ever since. I bought the cookbook hoping I could recreate the dish and it worked. The broth with the herbs and spices and the dumplings of chicken and chickpea flour are fantastic. Instead of purchasing ground chicken, I ground thighs in a food processor. I cut up chicken thighs into small pieces and then put in freezer for 30 minutes before chopping in food processor. This technique worked well.

• Savoury aubergine cheesecake

  • L.Nightshade on November 11, 2017

    Actually on page 232. The Eggplant Rendition. This was fun! (And easy.) Cream cheese, feta, and soft goat cheese are whirred together with eggs and plopped into a buttered baking dish. There are three options for additions, I chose eggplant because I was overrun with Chinese eggplants the size of baseball bats. I sliced and roasted them, along with a few cherry tomatoes, and dropped them into the pan. When done, I topped it with olives and a few fresh cherry tomatoes. I made a little green salad to accompany, but it really could be a one-dish meal, depending upon your choice of vegetable additions. I will definitely do this again, trying different additions. I think it would also make an unusual first course, baked in individual ramekins.

• Lamb & aubergine stew (Patlican)

  • Melanie on October 05, 2015

    As per recipe introduction, this isn't a dinner party dish, but tastes great.

  • Frogcake on June 06, 2018

    Yum, this is delicious! It’s not an ugly stew like everyone says it is! I will definitely keep this in my back pocket for those occasions when I have vegetable and lamb scraps. It’s glorious with homemade flat bread sprinkled with thyme and sea salt.

• Bukhari bread

  • Melanie on October 05, 2015

    Enjoyed this bread, I thought the texture was interesting. Reheats well from freezer.

  • Suemal on May 04, 2016

    Froze what was left over from a dinner party. Delicious toasted - used nigella and the flavour is great

  • patioweather on November 13, 2017

    Excellent bread that is very easy to make. Not recommended for bread novices as the instructions can be a bit vague and rely on using your judgement and experience.

• Sweet beetroot pickle

  • pomona on August 15, 2020

    The best beetroot pickle. The best. I used the cider vinegar from a batch of cocktail sour cherries instead of red wine vinegar. Planning on trying it with Banyule vinegar next.

• Celeriac purée with burnt yogurt

  • pomona on November 04, 2023

    Bit of a misleading title as it’s burnt butter, and the yoghurt is added after everything else is cooked. But regardless of that, this is really tasty, and really quick. I had some raw celeriac left from another dish, so I made a third size of the recipe, mashed it with a fork to save cleaning another thing.

• Haifa-style falafel (one for Sarit)

  • annapanna on November 22, 2015

    Great recipe! The falafel turned out perfect. Fried them for about 3 minutes at 170 C. All ingredients were just like in the recipe. We made them together with the pitta bread, tahini sauce (also from the same book) and a chopped salad.

• Carrot & butternut fritters

  • annapanna on May 07, 2015

    I first read about these on Nigella's cookbook corner. http://www.nigella.com/cookbook-corner/view/honey-co-130 They are fabulous, try them!

  • lhudson on September 24, 2015

    I checked out this cookbook from the library, here in the US and only found about 4-5 recipes that I wanted to try. I am so glad this was one of them. Not being a Vegetable loving family this worked perfect for us. I would even serve this on Game Day (college football Sunday). The only change I made was to add a handful of Panko Breadcrumbs. I did not think the vegetables dried out as much as they should have so I wanted something to absorb the liquid. Great recipe.

• Courgette & herb fritters

  • annapanna on May 07, 2015

    These were ok but not as good at the Carrot and Butternut fritters.

  • joanhuguet on July 07, 2016

    I loved these! The addition of a small grated potato added structure and prevented sogginess - a problem with other zucchini fritters I've tried - and the garlic yogurt sauce is simple and delicious. Will repeat often during zucchini season.

  • joanhuguet on August 05, 2019

    Such a good lunch recipe for when drowning in zucchini! Up the herbs and cut the eggs and flour by half for a lighter fritter. The garlic yogurt is perfection

• Mujadra with salad & tahini

  • annapanna on May 07, 2015

    I was not very impressed with this recipe...it just tasted like rice with lentils. I am going to try the one from Jerusalem one of these days, it has lots of different spices, hopefully it will be more flavorful.

  • Yildiz100 on November 08, 2017

    A lot of rice and not so many lentils compared to other recipes. More of a side. I love tahini, but didn't love it here. The technique for making crispy shallots, however, is super easy, delicious and much faster than the usual caramelizing. Will make the shallots again.

  • Tealismyname on April 19, 2016

    I quite liked this. I would have doubled the onions. I also added a bit more onions and added some mint and parsley as I did think something was a bit lacking. It was really great with the salad on top and tahini on the side. If you just had the mujadra I think it wouldn't have worked quite as well.

• Green tabule salad for spring

  • tui on November 14, 2022

    This is a lovely recipe.

• Tomato & za'atar fatoush

  • Yildiz100 on October 26, 2017

    The flavor profile is more Greek salad than fatoush, but it is a great Greek salad. From now on, I will make Greek dressing using the dressing from this salad plus za'atar instead of plain old oregano. Also, I will add pomegranate to my Greek salad from now on! This was the first time I tried pomegranate and tomatoes together and it was a delicious combo. Made me think of the alchemy that beets and oranges have for each other.

  • meginyeg on March 07, 2022

    I only thought this was ok. A good salad but not amazing.

• Milk bun

  • Yildiz100 on November 07, 2017

    Very nice. Next time, knead for a moment after first rise before rolling into log.

• Cucumber pickle

  • eeeve on July 05, 2015

    This was fantastic on day one with a lovely crunch. But on day three it tasted so funky that we found it a chore to finish the dish. The instructions said that the look and flavour would change (i.e. improve) dramatically over the course of a week, but we thought it tasted awful. Won't repeat.

• Stuffed (wedded) sardines

  • marry_bellows on March 06, 2015

    Can also substitute sardines with fresh herring

• Mushroom & cumin sfiha

  • lhudson on September 25, 2015

    I had such high hopes for this recipe. The crust was soggy in the middle and the filling was bland.

  • stepharama1 on January 14, 2022

    Everyone loved this. I made sure to cook the mushroom until really dry, used fresh ground cumin and used homemade curd cheese (from the recipe in this book but drained longer than specified in the recipe). This recipe may have an error. It specifies 1 tablespoon of dried yeast which seemed too much. I used 1.5 teaspoons and it turned out nicely. I would make this again.

• Stuffed peppers with beef & rice (Makshi)

  • e_ballad on January 30, 2020

    Cooked for 2 hours, rather than the 40 mins stated in the recipe. The rice remained uncooked. Terrible recipe.

• Aubergine & tahini dip (Baba ganoush)

  • meginyeg on March 07, 2022

    This was good. Simple and tasty.

• Tahini

  • Tealismyname on April 19, 2016

    Such a delicious and easy tahini dressing. I used the tahini paste they suggested (stumbled upon it at a Lebanese grocery) and it was absolutely delicious. Try and find a tahini paste that doesn't have the bitterness that they sometimes can have. I bet it would last longer if you don't add the garlic.

• Cauliflower 'shawarma'

  • metacritic on October 17, 2022

    Very good. I overcooked the cauliflower, as I do whenever I try to make a whole one. My instinct is that the dish should still have a little bite, like pasta al dente. This version, with caramelized onions, tahini sauce, pine nuts, and a fabulous spiced crust, is delicious. That said, every version I've made has been, too.

• Marzipan & almond cakes with roasted plums

  • lizabetina on January 01, 2018

    Really good! Used star anise instead of vanilla and wasn’t too aniseedy. Easy to make in advance and then just warm just before serving. The cooking times did seem a bit short - the cake definitely needed more like 20 mins.

• Fig, goats' cheese & honey salad

  • patioweather on November 17, 2017

    This was everything I could want in a salad. It's perfectly balanced, easy to make, and delicious. I would recommend dressing the greens with the dressing before plating so that it can look as beautiful as it does in the book.

  • ellwell on March 24, 2023

    This was really delicious! I couldn’t find Thyme honey but regular honey was a good substitute. I am putting this one in the permanent file!

• Aubergine sabich

  • patioweather on November 17, 2017

    This sandwich is amazing and each component was easy to make. If you leave the egg yolk slightly runny, it will mix with the tahini to create an all new brilliant sauce. The chili sauce is very spicy, so I recommend letting each person spoon it on themselves to their liking.

• Apricot & pistachio tabule with orange blossom

  • LadyCJKT on November 20, 2018

    I made this for dinner recently (halving the recipe) but using cous cous instead of bulghar wheat as I couldn't get any. At first I wasn't sure what I thought about it as it's not a flavour combination I've had before and was worried it'd be too sweet. However, I really enjoyed it; particularly the following day even after it'd been in the fridge. I will definitely make this again.

• Chocolate, cardamom & bitter orange

  • ChelseaP on May 21, 2021

    Really nice, especially the drizzle that goes on the chocolate mousse.

• Beetroot & plums in a rose & walnut dressing

  • foodgloriousfood on May 22, 2022

    I didn't have any rosewater so I crushed dried rose petals into the dressing. Rose, beet, plums, mint and walnut - a lovely combination!

• Sweet spice mix

  • Cvtbird on March 22, 2021

    Makes about 4tbsps

• Savoury spice mix [aka 'Sarit spice' at Honey & Co] (Baharat)

  • Cvtbird on March 22, 2021

    Makes about 4 tbsps

• Whole stuffed chicken with freekeh, almonds & pine nuts

  • Cvtbird on October 07, 2021

    A whole chicken takes a lot longer to cook than 30 mins. I had to double the cooking time.

• Savoury roasted peppers, Kalamata olives and oregano cheesecake

  • Cvtbird on March 26, 2021

    Page 232 in my book

• Lamb siniya

  • ellwell on March 24, 2023

    This was a good weeknight meal. If I made it again, I would add more spice and heat for longer.— 15 minutes was way too short to get the casserole hot. This was the first time I have used this cookbook and there are many other dishes I would try before repeating this one.

  • ellwell on March 24, 2023

    Update to previous note: I had the leftovers for lunch today and it was much better than last night (also added salt). This would be a good meal to prep ahead - in fact the recipe states you can make most of it ahead and add the topping before baking. It really benefited from time, a little more salt, and getting it really hot.