SATURDAY MORNING

Perfect for a Saturday brunch the Shuk Shakshuka with Challah toast is a great way to set you
up for the day. Remember to take your eggs out of the fridge about an hour before you need
them so they come up to room temperature!

SATURDAY AFTERNOON

Make the babka kit in the afternoon so that it is ready for dessert when you have your feast. As it’s a little colder outside it may need a little longer to prove, aim for 1 or 2 hours in a warm spot near a radiator, or in the oven on the lowest setting

SATURDAY NIGHT

It’s time for EPIC lamb pita. Its super easy to put together and more importantly unbelievably delicious! It takes around 30-40 mins to prepare

SUNDAY FEAST

Take the lamb neck out of the fridge two hours before you put it in the oven to come up to temperature. The lamb takes around 90 mins in a pre heated oven, during that time you can get all the other elements ready and still have time to enjoy a glass of wine or a lovely gin & tonic! 

About 30 minutes before dinner assemble the three salad dishes – these salads are best served room temperature so are totally fine to plate up and leave out of the fridge until dinner. You will need an large oven proof dish for the lamb, three serving plates for the salads, a shallow bowl for hummus, some little bowls for all the condiments and a board or bowl for the pita!

Don’t forget your Babka for dessert! It is best served slightly warm with a large scoop of ice cream (not included) – we love pistachio

1. Remove your eggs from the fridge an hour before using so they are at room temperature and gather the other components and place your challah on a chopping board

2. Put a wide, heavy based pan with a lid onto the stove and pour in your shakshuka sauce. Bring up to a simmer and cook for a few minutes to reduce a little

3. Once you have a good thick consistency, turn off your heat. Give your pan a shake so that the sauce is spread evenly. Make 4 wells in the sauce and crack your eggs into each one. Spread out the white a little so that it is more even. This way It will cook better

4. Bring up to a gentle simmer. Put the lid on and leave for 3 minutes

5. Cut 4 thick slices of challah and lightly toast if you like. Either works well

6. Check back on the eggs. They should now be cooking nicely. Keep on a low/medium heat and return the lid for another 3 minutes

7. After 3 mins your eggs should be well cooked with soft runny yolks and a set white. If the white is still looking a touch runny then give them another minute with the lid on and the heat off

8. Once cooked, transfer your pan to a cooling rack or trivet. Place your bread onto a plate and scoop out the eggs with a spatula and place onto the challah. Make sure you get lots of sauce and finish with a drizzle of schug and harissa oil with some chopped parsley!

1. Heat the meatballs at 170c in the oven for 30-40 minutes or until piping hot in a covered oven proof dish

2. Once the meatballs are piping hot turn off the oven, place a small pan or ovenproof bowl of boiling water in the oven (you can use the kettle). Put the pita in the oven on a rack above the hot water and leave for a few minutes – this will make them soft

3. Slice the pita in half and open up into a pocket. Spoon some chilli yoghurt into the pita and spread around to get an even layer.

4. Mix the coriander, mint and pickled red cabbage in a salad bowl

5. Place a layer of the pickled red cabbage and herb mix on one side of the pita

6. Spoon three pieces of meatball and some sauce into the other side of the half pita. Add a few drops of the chilli yoghurt on top of the meatballs and sprinkle a few more herbs to decorate

8. Devour!

PS. It is easier to fill a half than a whole pita hence doing it this way – you can build them as you eat them so they stay fresh and delicious. You will have 8 x half pitas with three half meatballs in each.

1. Pre heat the oven to 150C

2. Transfer the lamb neck to an ovenproof dish just big enough to hold it and spoon over the sauce. Cover with some baking parchment and then a double layer of foil. Make sure the foil is very tight around the dish to prevent it from drying out

3. Heat in the oven for about 90 minutes or until piping hot - you can test by inserting a pointed knife into the centre of the meat and leaving it there for about ten seconds. Touch the tip carefully to see if it is totally hot. It won’t overcook so if it has become very hot in advance of you eating you can turn the oven down to 100C and leave in there until you are ready to eat

4. Place all of the condiments into small bowls – chilli yoghurt, amba tahini, mint & coriander, pickled red cabbage and Shug

5. When you are ready to sit down, remove the lamb from the oven, scatter with come coriander and drizzle with some olive oil

6. Serve with the warm pita and challah. It is nice to stuff a small pocket of pita with some pickles, herbs and some of the amba tahini or chilli yoghurt.

Sweet potato, chilli yoghurt, radish, spring onions, coriander & olive oil

1. Spread the sweet potato slices into an even layer on a serving plate

2. Add a layer of chilli yoghurt about a third as thick as the sweet potato (the rest of the chilli yoghurt is to serve with the lamb neck)

3. Scatter the coriander, the spring onions and then the radish on top of the yoghurt and finish with a drizzle of olive oil

Tenderstem broccoli, mushroom vinaigrette, labane tahini, dried tomatoes and olive oil

1. Spread the labane tahini in the centre of a serving plate with the back of a spoon

2. Coat the broccoli in a little olive oil by tossing in a bowl. Heat a large frying pan or griddle pan until it is quite hot. Place the broccoli into the pan in an even layer and do not move. Allow it to ‘grill’ in the pan until the side that is touching the pan had a deep golden colour

3. Take the broccoli out of the pan and put it back into the bowl. Add the mushroom vinaigrette and toss until evenly coated. Place the grilled broccoli in a pile on top of the labane tahini and drizzle any remaining dressing on top of the broccoli from the bowl

4. Scatter the dried tomatoes on top of the broccoli

5. Drizzle with a little olive oil and scatter with chives

Wood grilled aubergine, smokey tomato, coriander, yoghurt & toasted pumpkin seeds

1. Arrange the aubergine in an even layer on a serving dish

2. Spread a layer of smokey tomato compote over the whole surface of the aubergine

3. Cut the yoghurt piping bag 1 cm from the tip and pipe dots of yoghurt all over the surface of the tomato

4. Slice & scatter the coriander over the whole surface

5. Slice & scatter the mint over the whole surface

6. Scatter surface with pumpkin seeds & sumac

1. Roll dough with some plain flour on the workbench to about 3mm thickness into a big rectangle

2. Spread the chocolate & hazelnut paste over the whole surface of the dough (leave one cm on each edge)

3. Spread an even layer of cookie crumbs and chocolate drops on top of the chocolate & hazelnut paste

4. Start to roll the pastry from the side closest to you away from you in a spiral keeping it quite tight.

5. Cut the roll lengthways and separate the two pieces - cross over on one end and twist. Then twist all the way along to the other end (check out the video for how to do this bit!)

6. Place in the babka mould - you don’t need to grease the mould. Let it prove in a warm place for about an hour until it starts to swell and become puffy.

7. Lightly brush the surface of the babka with eggwash. 

8. Set the oven to 170c and cook the babka for 30/35 mins.

9. As soon as the babka is out use a pastry brush to generously cover the babka repeatedly with the vanilla syrup – start from one end and move back and forth until it is all used up – it seems like a lot but it absorbs into the dough and keeps it soft and delicious.