Comptoir Libanais

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Ground coriander and cumin are also pretty much a given, and I like the fiery sweetness of Helou's Lebanese seven-spice powder, with its ginger, cinnamon and allspice, which balances beautifully with the savoury garlic and peppery herbs. Some recipes use cayenne pepper, paprika or chilli flakes too - I find the warmth of the ginger sufficient for a dish that is rarely hot as opposed to spicy, but if you feel the need, add a shake to taste. Bringing together the passion of owner Tony Kitous, the extraordinary designs of award-winning graphic artist Rana Salam, and bestselling author and photographer Dan Lepard, the Comptoir Libanais cookbook blends a vibrant culinary tradition with modern flavours and cooking methods Chilling the mixture before cooking helps with the shaping. The size of the falafel seems to vary, from the 40g Comptoir Libanais monsters to Roden's diminutive 4cm discs. She and Salloum recommend shaping tools, which I discover inside a box of Lebanese falafel mix in the grocers, but I find the Roden-sized versions too crunchy; making them bigger allows for a greater variation of texture between the crisp outer and fluffy interior. Put the aubergine, peppers and courgette into a large roasting tin and drizzle over the oil. Season, then toss everything together with a large metal spoon so that the pieces are well coated in the oil. Roast in the oven for 30 mins until golden. The food is meant for sharing, so there’s plenty of choice, with everything from dips to mezze bites, savoury flatbreads, tagines, wraps, salads, pastries and cakes – they even bake their own Moroccan bread.

Toss the dressing with the salad, then, just before serving, cut the radishes into quarters and use to top the salad, along with the bread and a final flourish of sumac. Last September, Random House published Comptoir Libanais: A Feast of Lebanese-Style Home Cooking, showcasing just how easy, healthy and accessible Lebanese food is for everyone.

Comptoir Libanais

The Cookbook is officially called Comptoir Libanais – feasts from the Middle East (translated in Dutch to ‘Comptoir Libanais Feest! – Feestelijke recepten uit de Libanees Mediterrane keuken’). The book is filled with recipes to make a party from every meal. It’s really inviting to ask your friends over and have a food party. Feta, tahini and yoghurt replace the Parmesan and béchamel sauce, while vegetables replace the mince in this Lebanese twist on a classic. And Tony points to just how healthy Lebanese food is: “The food of Lebanon is so healthy, I even lived on charcoal grilled meats and mezze for over a year whilst training and preparing for my 250 kilometre marathon – and lost 60 lbs in wight!” Deep-frying proves, sadly, the best option; Comptoir Libanais does give a shallow-fried variation, but it is disappointing enough that I can't recommend it. Remember, if you put enough salad on top, it's basically health food anyway. There are recipes for breakfast, mezze, salads, grilled dishes, fish, soups and stews, grains and desserts in the book. I’m sharing the recipe of one of the dips from the book, as for me this is the perfect healthy party food. I made the Artichoke and Tahin dip from the Comptoir Libanais cookbook and I’m sharing the recipe with you below. This dip is healthy and vegan!

A Feast of Lebanese-Style Home Cooking makes this exotic cuisine easily accessible at home, with 80 recipes for dishes that blend traditional cooking with modern flavors. Heat 5cm oil in a deep pan to 180C/350F, then fry the falafel in batches and drain on kitchen paper. Serve with tahini sauce, toasted flatbreads and plenty of salad.

Festive Feasting at Comptoir Libanais

Salt is also extremely important in a dish that, badly seasoned, can tend towards the dull, which is why it's a good idea to fry up a little to test the mixture before shaping. Chilling, shaping and cooking

Recognising the popularity and wide availability of Italian food in the UK, Tony’s aim was and is to establish Lebanese and Middle Eastern cuisine in the UK in a similar way – creating consciousness and understanding amongst UK customers. Of course, there is a very long way to go before this can be achieved, but Comptoir Libanais has been taking successful strides along the way. By the time the pomegranates are in season, tomatoes won’t be, and tomatoes are( in my opinion, at least) key here. I like the idea of using a variety of colours and sizes, chopped “two or three different ways … to give the salad some texture”, as Honey & Co recommends, but go with whatever looks best if you don’t have a big choice; cherry tomatoes are usually the safest bet, but everything should be decent in midsummer. There’s no need to peel them as Roden does but, if they seem watery, rather than solid, you might be advised to core them, as in Baxter’s recipe. They do fast food properly in the Middle East: chargrilled meaty wraps; crisp, wafer-thin pastries; and, of course, the almost ubiquitous falafel fritter. Once almost exclusively the preserve of the vegetarian in the kebab shop, more authentic versions, heaped with nutty tahini sauce and punchy salads, are increasingly charming British punters away from the burger van. Hot and crunchy on the outside, fluffy and herby within, it's no wonder so many countries want to claim the falafel as their own. The first Comptoir Libanais opened at Westfield Shopping Centre in November 2008, with four more following in London. Further openings include Duke of York Square in Chelsea (pictured below), Bluewater in Kent, and in the London airports – with more to come.

Other cookbooks by this author

Middle Eastern dining is a social affair where dishes are selected and shared with friends. Customers can forget the knife and fork – mezze is finger food – and select a mezze platter and some wraps for a picnic outside, or in their own office. Alternatively, they can take a couple of richly-flavoured tagines home to pass off as their own cooking! Ottolenghi and Tamini roll their falafel in sesame seeds to coat, which looks handsome and makes the exteriors extra crunchy. And. whilst his London restaurants Levant, Pasha and Kenza put glamour into Middle Eastern cuisine, it is Comptoir Libanais that has begun introducing Lebanese food to the high street, providing relaxed canteen style dining with light Arabic cooking, served in the friendly and accessible way demanded by many customers today.

Author of the Comptoir Libanais cookbook is Tony Kitous. He grew up in Algeria and moved to London when he was 18. He now has several Comptoir Libanais restaurants all over England and the one in Utrecht. Some recipes also use dried mint, too, but its more aniseedy flavour spoils the fresh flavour of the other kind as far as most testers are concerned, with one likening it to their grandma’s mint sauce in a not entirely complimentary way.This cookbook covers everything from a wide range of mezze—small dishes, including salads, dips, and hot dishes—to grills and barbecues to spectacular recipes for soups, breads, pastries, beverages, and desserts, while ensuring that each dish uses readily available ingredients and basic kitchen equipment. Tamimi’s mother used a homemade yoghurt dressing that the pair believe was probably her own creation. “Sami can’t recall anyone else in the neighbourhood making it.” It is indeed “terribly comforting”, and both richer and more cooling than your average fattoush – it’s a dish for when you want something a little more substantial. Blanch the lasange sheets in boiling water for 8-10 minutes, until slightly softened, then lay two or three sheets in the bottom of an oven proof dish, with around 1 litre capacity. Spread over half the roasted vegetables. Fill in any gaps with bits of spinach water left over in the pan. The success of Comptoir Libanais restaurants centres on an easy, relaxed cafe-style of food: light Arabic home cooking mixed with familiar bistro flavours and techniques. Tony Kitous’ recipes combine fresh vibrant vegetable dishes with simple grills, flat breads, grains, herb salads and dips. Pastries are richly flavoured and delicate, made with syrups and spices. Absolutely the menu for today and adaptable for the home cook.