Wouldn’t it be lovely to have a cook book that celebrates the vibrant flavours of the Eastern Mediterranean – whisking you on a culinary journey through the fertile valleys, mountain villages, coastal towns, and vibrant cities of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Turkey?

Well, there is, and it’s called Arabica, and with all our gorgeous Mediterranean food shops springing up, you’ll be able to buy the ingredients easily. But if you don’t have a store handy, you can visit the Arabica website, where a host of wonderful ingredients awaits. 

Back to the book, author and founder of Arabica restaurants, James Walters draws inspiration from his extensive travels across the Eastern Mediterranean to create a cookbook brimming with colourful meze and small plates from one of the world’s most exciting food cultures. 

About James Walters

James Walters, a self-taught chef and the visionary behind the Arabica restaurants, started his culinary journey with an 8-foot stall at Borough Market, quickly gaining a loyal following. Today, Arabica provides fresh meze, spices, baklava, and specialty ingredients to a wide range of food businesses, from local delis to luxury hotels. Following his market success, James opened Arabica Bar & Kitchen at Borough Market in 2014, and expanded with Arabica Kings Cross in 2019.

Arabica

Published by Carnival at £28 for a lavishly illustrated hardback, and photography by Joe Woodhouse, the book contains recipes like Grilled halloumi with black honey, Spinach & feta gül böreği, Chicken & pistachio shish, Baked chermoula cod with sweet potato, Lebanese meatballs, Lamb with pea tahini.

Treat yourself to Turkish-style künefe, Chocolate halva mousse with sesame brittle, and cool off with cocktails and sodas, such as the Pomegranate margarita and Batroun lemonade.

Here are some recipes to persuade to buy a copy of the book:

MUHAMMARA

Serves 4 | Vegan

A vibrant Levantine-style romesco hailing from Aleppo, Syria, that combines sweet, smoky peppers, toasted walnuts and tangy pomegranate molasses with a hint of spice. Traditionally savoured as a dense, rich dip, it truly excels as a condiment when thinned slightly with a few tablespoons of water. Ideal for spooning over

roasted vegetables, chicken thighs, grilled prawns, lamb chops, or roasted scallops. Alternatively, spread it inside a Khobez flatbread (see page 206), brush with oil and crisp it up over hot embers for the ultimate vegan arayes, which is a classic Middle Eastern street food!

 

200g (7oz) walnuts
3 red bell peppers
40g (1½oz) harissa
40g (1½oz) tomato purée
4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
2 tsp Maldon sea salt
Pinch of Urfa chilli flakes

Toast the walnuts: Preheat the oven to 180°C/Fan 160°C/350°F. Spread the walnuts on a baking tray in a single layer and toast lightly in the preheated oven for 8 minutes.

Grill the peppers: Preheat the grill to its hottest setting.

Blacken the peppers approximately 5cm (2in) below the grill. Turn them regularly until the skin is fully charred and starting to collapse. Transfer the peppers to a bowl, cover with cling film and leave to sit for 20 minutes until cool enough to handle. Peel away the skin and discard the stem, seeds and white membrane.

Blend the muhammara: Combine the peeled roasted peppers with the harissa, tomato purée, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, 1 tablespoon of the pomegranate molasses and the salt in a tall beaker. Reserve a tablespoon of the walnuts to garnish and add the remaining nuts to the beaker. Blend to a fine purée using a stick blender.

Plating up: Spoon the dip into a shallow bowl or onto a plate. Use the back of a spoon to create a textured pattern. Drizzle the remaining olive oil and pomegranate molasses over the top. Finely chop the reserved walnuts,

retaining some coarser chunks for crunch and contrast, then sprinkle them over the muhammara with the Urfa chilli flakes, and serve at room temperature.

Storage: Muhammara improves with time and will keep for up to 5 days in the fridge. Just remember to take it out an hour before serving to allow it to reach room temperature.

MUSSELS WITH RAKI

Serves 2

1kg (2lb 4oz) mussels
25g (1oz) butter
25g (1oz) extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, sliced
½ small fennel, finely shaved, fronds reserved
3 celery sticks, thinly cut on the diagonal
4 garlic cloves, finely diced
3 sprigs of thyme, leaves picked
100g (3¾oz) white wine
75g (3oz) raki
1 whole lemon, roughly chopped
2 sprigs of tarragon, leaves picked
75g (3oz) double cream
20g (¾oz) flat-leaf parsley, leaves roughly chopped
Freshly milled black pepper

Prepare the mussels: Scrub the mussels clean with a stiff-bristle brush, discarding any cracked shells or mussels with large chips. Tap open ones to see if they close, to check they’re alive. Discard any that fail to open.

Cook the mussels: In a large, heavy-bottomed pan (with a lid), melt the butter and add the olive oil over a medium heat. Add the onion, fennel shavings, celery, garlic and thyme, and sauté for 5 minutes, to soften them slightly, without colouring.

Turn up the heat and add the wine, raki, lemon, tarragon and a few grinds of freshly milled black pepper. Bring the broth to a boil for a minute, then tip in the mussels and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Steam the mussels for 3–5 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally until the mussels are all open. Discard any mussels that fail to open.

Remove from the heat, stir in the cream, parsley and sprinkle with the reserved fennel fronds. Serve immediately

LEBANESE LEMONADE

Makes 4–5 Batroun-style lemonades or 8–10 fizzy Lebanese lemonades | Vegan

5 unwaxed lemons, sliced
1 unwaxed orange, sliced
200g (7oz) sugar
1–2 tbsp orange blossom water, to taste
Plenty of ice
A few sprigs of mint

Make the lemonade: In a large mixing bowl, combine the lemon and orange slices with the sugar, ensuring an even coating on all the slices.

Using your hands, mash, muddle and squeeze the lemon and orange slices to release their oils and juices, while also dissolving the sugar. This step is crucial for extracting maximum flavour from the citrus fruits.

Cover the bowl and leave to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to allow the flavours to meld together and the sugar to dissolve fully.

Stir the thick citrus syrup to ensure all the sugar is dissolved, then strain through a fine mesh strainer into a jug. Return the fruit to the bowl, add 450g (1lb) water and mash everything gently to release the remaining juices. Strain again into the jug with the citrus syrup.

Top up the jug with another 450g (1lb) water and stir in the orange blossom water to perfume the lemonade. Place in the fridge until ready to use.

To make a zesty Batroun-style lemonade: Fill each glass with ice cubes, then pour the lemonade over the ice. Garnish with a mint sprig by gently smacking the sprig in your hand to release its aroma before placing it in the lemonade.

To make a refreshing fizzy Lebanese lemonade: Fill each glass with equal parts lemonade and soda water.