1 In a bowl, thoroughly whisk together the tahini, water, lemon juice, garlic, and salt. The mixture should be creamy and smooth. If it is too thick, add more water. Stir in the chopped parsley, then taste and add more salt if needed.

2 If using a food processor or a blender, process together all the ingredients except the parsley until smooth. Add more water if needed. Add the parsley and turn the machine on again for a second or two. Taste for seasoning.

Labneh

Labneh is an Arab cheese made by draining yogurt so it loses most of its liquid. Use natural goat’s milk yogurt or, if unavailable, natural full-fat cow’s milk yogurt, but not the Greek varieties.

This recipe takes at least 48 hours to make. If this is all too much, you can buy labneh from Middle Eastern grocery stores. Store the labneh in the fridge to use as a spread, like any cream cheese. A more labor-intensive option is to roll it into balls and then preserve them in a jar of oil. The jar will look beautiful, the cheese keeps for weeks at room temperature, and the balls will create a special visual effect when used, as they are, in salads and legume dishes (Couscous and mograbiah with oven-dried tomatoes).

makes 1 pint / 600 ml

4½ cups / 1 liter natural goat’s milk yogurt (or full-fat cow’s milk yogurt)

¾ tsp salt

1 to 1¼ cups / 200 to 300 ml olive oil

⅓ to ½ cup / 10 to 15 g dried mint

good grind of black pepper

1 Line a large bowl with a piece of cheesecloth or other fine cloth. In another bowl, mix the yogurt and salt well. Transfer the yogurt to the cheesecloth, pick up the edges of the cloth, and tie them together well to form a bundle. Hang this over your sink or over a large bowl and leave for 48 hours. By this time the yogurt will have lost most of its liquid and be ready to use as a spread.

2 To go the whole hog, leave it hanging for a day longer. Remove the cheese from the cloth and place in a sealed container in the fridge. Once it is thoroughly chilled, preferably after 24 hours, roll the cheese into balls, somewhere between the size of an olive and a walnut.

3 Take a sterilized jar about 2½ cups / 600 ml in capacity (see Preserved lemons, for how to sterilize jars). Pour some of the oil inside and gently lay the balls in the oil. Add some more oil and continue with the balls until all the cheese is in the jar and immersed in oil. Seal the jar and keep until needed.

4 Before serving, scatter the mint and pepper on a flat plate and roll the balls in it.

Preserved lemons

The preserving process will take a few weeks, starting with just the lemon and salt and later adding the rest. The same method can be used with limes.

makes 6

6 unwaxed lemons

6 tbsp coarse sea salt

1 Before starting, get a jar just large enough to accommodate all the lemons tightly. To sterilize it, fill it with boiling water, leave for a minute, and then empty it. Allow it to dry out naturally without wiping it so it remains sterilized.

2 Wash the lemons and cut a deep cross all the way from the top to within ¾ inch / 2 cm from the base, so you are left with 4 quarters attached. Stuff each lemon with a spoonful of salt and place in the jar. Push the lemons in tightly so they are all squeezed together well. Seal the jar and leave for at least a week.

3 After this initial period, remove the lid and press the lemons as hard as you can to squeeze as much of the juice out of them as possible. Add the rosemary, chile, and lemon juice and cover with a thin layer of olive oil. Seal the jar and leave in a cool place for at least 4 weeks. The longer you leave them, the better the flavor.

Ruth’s mayonnaise

This recipe has almost reached the sphere of mythology, due to the anticipation involved every time Yotam goes to Israel, before he comes back with a bag full of jars containing his mother’s famous mayonnaise. Well here it is, the legendary recipe, and it makes the best addition to a grilled chicken and tomato sandwich.

makes about 3 cups / 650 g

1 free-range egg

2½ tsp Dijon mustard

2 tsp superfine sugar

½ tsp salt

3 cloves garlic, peeled

2 tbsp cider vinegar

2 cups / 500 ml sunflower oil

½ oz / 15 g fresh cilantro, leaves and stems

1 The best way to make this mayonnaise is by using an immersion blender. You could also use a food processor or stand blender, or make it by hand, using a whisk. If doing it by hand, you need to crush the garlic and chop the cilantro finely before you start.

2 If using an immersion blender, put the egg, mustard, sugar, salt, garlic, and vinegar in a large mixing bowl. Process a little and then start adding the oil in a slow trickle. Keep the machine working as you pour in the oil in a very light stream. Once the mayonnaise starts to thicken, you can increase the stream until all the oil is fully incorporated. Now add the cilantro and continue processing until all of it is chopped and properly mixed in. Transfer to a clean jar and chill. The mayonnaise will keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Passion fruit jam

This is extremely useful for pouring over cakes, fruit salads, Pavlovas—anything sweet, really. Only use passion fruits that are nice and ripe—that is, when their skin turns dark brown and starts to shrivel.

makes about 1⅓ cups / 350 g

10½ oz / 300 g passion fruit pulp (roughly 10 passion fruit)

¾ cup / 150 g superfine sugar

1 Halve the passion fruit and use a spoon to scoop out the pulp straight into a small saucepan. Add the sugar, stir well with a wooden spoon, and put over low heat. Bring to a slow simmer and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently and taking great care that it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. When ready, it should be as thick as honey. To make sure, chill a little bit of the jam in a bowl in the fridge and check its consistency.

2 Once ready, pour into a clean jar, leave to cool completely, then seal and store in the fridge. The jam will keep for at least 2 weeks.

Raspberry jam

Not quite a jam but somewhere in between a jam and a coulis, this is extremely handy in many cakes and sweets. The tartness of the raspberry cuts the sweetness and balances it. The raspberry seeds add fruitiness and freshness.

You can flavor the jam with vanilla or star anise. Just add ½ vanilla bean or 2 star anise while cooking, then strain out.

makes about 1½ cups / 400 g

2½ cups / 300 g raspberries

½ cup / 100 g superfine sugar

Put the raspberries and sugar in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan and stir them together. Put over low heat, bring to a light simmer, and cook for 7 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat, transfer to a bowl, cover the surface with plastic wrap, leave to cool, and then refrigerate.

Lemon curd

makes about 3½ cups / 850 g

½ cup plus 1 tbsp / 200 ml lemon juice (4 to 6 lemons)

grated zest of 4 lemons

1 cup / 200 g superfine sugar

4 free-range eggs

4 free-range egg yolks

¾ cup / 180 g unsalted butter, cut into cubes

1 Put all the ingredients in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, leaving out about half the butter. Place over medium heat and, using a hand whisk, whisk constantly while you cook the curd. Lower the heat if it starts sticking to the bottom of the pan. Once the curd reaches the boiling point, you will notice large bubbles coming to the surface. Continue whisking vigorously for another minute and then remove from the heat.

2 Off the heat, add the remaining butter and whisk until it has melted. Pass the curd through a sieve and into a plastic container. Cover the surface with plastic wrap, allow it to come to room temperature, and then chill for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight, for it to firm up well. It will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Vanilla extract

Use a small, sharp knife to slit the vanilla beans open along their length, then scrape the seeds out with the tip of the knife. Place the seeds and pods in a medium saucepan, cover with the water and sugar, and bring to a boil. Boil rapidly for about 15 minutes, until the mixture has reduced to one-third of its original volume. Pour into a jar and leave to cool, then seal with a tight-fitting lid. Keep refrigerated for up to 1 month.

makes 1 cup / 250 ml

4 vanilla beans

2 cups / 500 ml water

½ cup plus 1½ tbsp / 120 g superfine sugar

Mascarpone cream

This cream makes a very versatile condiment. It is heavenly with fresh berries or roasted fruits and goes incredibly well with a cake just out of the oven (try it with Peach and raspberry teacakes). If you have a spice grinder, consider substituting ¼ teaspoon ground star anise for the vanilla.

makes 1⅓ cups / 250 g

4 oz / 110 g mascarpone cheese

scant ½ cup / 110 ml crème fraîche

¼ tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp / 25 g confectioners’ sugar

Put the mascarpone in a mixing bowl and loosen it up with a whisk. Add the rest of the ingredients and continue whisking until the cream thickens up again. It should hold its shape when lifted with a spoon. Chill until ready to use.