Sami Tamimi's courgette and leek ijeh – Arabic frittata
'What better way to welcome the weekend than with the smell and sound of frying herb-loaded ijeh? This is a thick, delicious frittata-like mixture of courgettes, leeks, peas, herbs and eggs,' explains chef Sami Tamimi.
'In Palestine, it's often made with finely chopped herbs and onions. I like the addition of fresh mint, dried mint and dill or fennel seeds.'
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Courgette and leek ijeh (Ijehet Kousa w Kurrath)
Ingredients
(Serves 4-6)
250g frozen peas, defrosted
2 courgettes (300g)
1 small onion (150g)
1 large leek, finely chopped (175g)
50g plain flour
15g fresh parsley, finely chopped
10g fresh mint leaves, thinly shredded
1¼tsp dried mint
1tsp Aleppo chilli flakes (or regular chilli flakes)
½tsp ground turmeric
1tsp dill or fennel seeds, slightly crushed
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
Salt and black pepper
3tbsp olive oil
To serve:
lemon wedges
sour cream
(Ola O. Smit/PA)
Method
1. Put the peas into a food processor and blitz for a few seconds – you want them to be slightly crushed but not mushy. Place in a mixing bowl and leave aside.
2. Trim the courgettes and peel the onion, then, using the coarse side of a box grater, grate them on to a clean tea towel or muslin. Gather the ends of the tea towel and twist hard over a bowl to squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Add the grated courgette and onion to the peas, along with the leek, flour, herbs, spices, eggs, 1¾ teaspoons of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Mix well to form a uniform batter.
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3. Place a large (28cm) shallow non-stick pan (with a lid) on a medium heat and add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the ijeh mixture, smoothing it down to make an even patty. Partly cover the pan and cook for about 17 minutes on a low heat, shaking the pan a few times to make sure it doesn't stick at the bottom, and running a rubber spatula around the sides, until the edges start to get golden brown. Get a large flat plate and it place over the pan.
4. Carefully invert the pan, plate and all, so that the ijeh ends up on the plate. Slide it back into the pan to cook uncovered for 15 minutes, until it is firm and cooked through. When ready to serve, slide the ijeh on to a serving plate, squeeze over a little lemon juice and serve with lemon wedges and sour cream on the side.
(Ebury/PA)
Boustany by Sami Tamimi is published in hardback by Ebury. Photography by Ola O Smit. Available now
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Daily Mail
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NOW BUY THE BOOK Our recipes are from Foolproof Traybakes by Katie Marshall, with photographs by Rita Platts (Quadrille, £14). To order a copy for £11.90 until 13 July, go to or call 020 3176 2937. Free UK delivery on orders over £25.
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The conditions in Gaza have worsened significantly since he made that drawing and posted it on Instagram. 'We don't even have a single loaf of bread at home. The price of one kilo of flour is 90 shekels, which is about $26 [£20], and therefore a single loaf of bread costs $25. We're talking about a war that has been going on for nearly two years. So, those who once had thousands of dollars now have absolutely nothing,' he says. The city has become more like a jungle. It used to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world. We were very happy – we used to go to university, learn, go on leisure trips and night camping in open areas. We also used to have money, and life was good 'We were never used to life in tents, or chasing after a bag of flour, or standing in long lines for food distribution. We were the ones distributing food before the war. We were never used to such a miserable life. 'I don't know if I will die, or if the war will end, or if we will leave the country. 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During the brief ceasefire from January to March this year, the bakery received some flour from the WFP and sold it for less than a dollar. Photographer Majdi Fathi, who has been documenting the daily struggles of life during the war on his Instagram account and for international media, took the video above. Many children and people stand in a queue to buy the bread for half a dollar then sell it to others for two dollars Fathi had been displaced from Gaza City, but when the ceasefire happened, he returned alongside thousands of others. 'My house was destroyed during the war in the neighbourhood of Shujaiya and now I am having to rent a house.' Throughout the war, keeping bakeries open has been a battle. People rely heavily on bread for sustenance and bakery ovens are often one of the only places families short of fuel can cook. The Families Bakery had to shut down again after the closure of all crossings into Gaza in March stopped supplies stock of flour, yeast and cooking gas. 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He found a throng of people queueing for a sandwich even though the prices had soared, with falafel costing about five times as much as before. 'The crowd of people jostling at Falafel Sousi was because of the closure of the crossings for 52 days, when no food or vegetables were coming in. Gaza is empty of food, whatever is available is very expensive,' says Fathi. Today, the shop might open for a few days then has to close again because of the lack of resources. 'Falafel is now five shekels because chickpeas have become expensive and the sellers need firewood to cook because there is no gas supply,' says Fathi. Omari mosque The 7th-century Omari mosque, known as the Great Mosque, is Gaza's oldest and largest. Only metres from it sits one of the world's oldest active churches. In their vicinity are a gold market and traditional bathhouse, both centuries old. These buildings formed part of Gaza's old city and are the most significant cultural landmarks of a city that, contrary to the struggles of recent years, was historically wealthy because of its port's strategic location. The image of Omari mosque's minaret cut down by bombing in December 2023 hurt many Gazans – a terrible example of cultural history being destroyed. Once spanning an area of about 1,100 sq metres, the mosque's usable space has been reduced to just 300 sq metres due to damage caused by Israeli attacks. So when the ceasefire began and allowed many people to return to Gaza City, the youth began cleaning up the rubble so that prayers could begin again and by Ramadan they had constructed a temporary hall for nightly evening prayers. 'It was business as usual for Ramadan in Omari, the mosque was filled with worshippers remembering God,' says a member of the team's management. They also had plans to accommodate more worshippers during the last 10 days of Ramadan but those were put on hold when Israel ended the ceasefire and began a new military operation. Port of Gaza In the mornings, Gaza City's port would be busy with fishers heading out to sea and returning with whatever they could catch from within the confines of an Israel-imposed fishing zone to sell at the city's fish market. In the evening, families would arrive with flasks of tea and snacks to sit down and look out to sea. For many, the sea offered a form of escape from more than a decade of blockade in Gaza that prevented them from travelling. Even now, Gaza City resident Bader al-Zaharna returns to the coast when he needs a break but the view is very different, he says: I look at the beach and there are tents everywhere – it's a reminder of what's happened to us The port has become a makeshift refuge for thousands of displaced Palestinians that have sought refuge there and are facing harsh conditions living in tents without electricity or clean water. More than 90% of Gaza's fishing boats, fishers' storage and equipment have been destroyed. At least 4,500 fishers and 1,500 workers have lost their only source of income. They are also at risk: at least 202 people working in the fishing industry have been killed, 50 of them at sea. Fisher Zaki al-Najjar, who lost his brother in an Israeli attack, gave an account to UN officials: 'Every day we go out to sea, we stare death in the face. We bring back fish stained with blood, just to feed our children. Despite everything, we will never give up the sea. This is our livelihood, and we will hold on to it at any cost.'
