MIDDLE EAST FEAST

Perfect for a spring or summer dinner party, this menu is all about colour, flavour, and abundance—fresh herbs, grilled meats, vibrant sides, and a sweet finish that hits just right.


Serves: 6 | Budget: $$ | Prep Time: 1.75 Hours | Cook Time: 50 Minutes


Middle Eastern food is what made me fall in love with cooking. It taught me to cook with generosity—herbs by the bunch, spices in abundance, savoury dishes that surprised me with cinnamon and allspice. Everything was vibrant, layered, alive.

This feast starts with marinated olives, feta, and Momma D’s very untraditional but insanely good babaganoush. For mains: saffron chicken skewers (jujeh), kofta kebabs, herby pilaf, chopped salad, pickles, sauces, and warm pitas. Dessert? Pistachio halva chocolate chunk cookies and cardamom tea.

Grill it all outside if you can, or roast it indoors and fake the summer vibes. Light a few candles, grab some tulips, press play on the playlist—just like that, you’re a Happy Host.

Middle Eastern food is what made me fall in love with cooking. It taught me to cook with generosity—herbs by the bunch, spices in abundance, savoury dishes that surprised me with cinnamon and allspice. Everything was vibrant, layered, alive.

This feast starts with marinated olives, feta, and Momma D’s very untraditional but insanely good babaganoush. For mains: saffron chicken skewers (jujeh), kofta kebabs, herby pilaf, chopped salad, pickles, sauces, and warm pitas. Dessert? Pistachio halva chocolate chunk cookies and cardamom tea.

Grill it all outside if you can, or roast it indoors and fake the summer vibes. Light a few candles, grab some tulips, press play on the playlist—just like that, you’re a Happy Host.

COMBINED SHOPPING LIST

  • ○ 1 pint Cherry Tomatoes
    ○ 1 bunch Basil Leaves
    ○ 1 medium Onion
    ○ 1 stock Celery
    ○ 1 Carrot
    ○ 3 heads Garlic
    ○ 1 bunch of Chives
    ○ 1 Lemon
    ○ 4 Romaine Hearts

  • 1 lb. Ground Beef Chuck (20% fat)
    3 oz. Pancetta
    4 Oil-Packed Anchovy Fillets

  • 2 Large Eggs
    12 Mini Mozzarella Balls
    12 Tbsp. (1 1/2 sticks) Unsalted Butter
    6 oz (~1½ cup) Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
    1 cup Whole Milk

  • 1/2 Crusty Baguette (about 6 oz)
    Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
    Balsamic Reduction
    Kosher Salt
    Black Pepper
    Flaky Sea Salt
    Red Pepper Flakes
    1 cup Dry White Wine
    ⅓ cup Double Concentrated Tomato Paste
    1 Bay Leaf
    Pinch of Finely Grated Nutmeg
    2 cups Homemade Chicken Stock or Low-Sodium Chicken Broth
    1 lb. Fresh Tagliatelle or Pappardelle
    1 Loaf Challah Bread (12 to 16 oz)
    1 tsp. Dijon Mustard
    1/2 cup Canola or Vegetable Oil
    1 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
    12 mini Skewers or Toothpicks

  • Your favourite Bottle of Wine
    Ice
    3 ounces Aperol
    3 ounces Dry Prosecco
    Club soda or Unflavoured Sparkling Water
    1 Orange

KEY TIMING & TIPS

We grocery shopped at Adonis for this menu, it has everything you need for a Middle East Feast and they bake their pitas in house!

You can prep everything except the Shirazi Salad the day before. Do yourself a favour and prep as much as you can in advance.

Start the Cook Instructions: Grill the Meat & Reheat Rice, 50 mins Before Meal Time (BMT)

Prep Ahead Steps

  • It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more.

  • It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more.

  • It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more.

PREP STEPS

Start the Day Before

  1. PREP THE COOKIE DOUGH

  1. Pulse the pistachios: Place ¾ cup raw, shelled pistachios in the bowl of a food processor and pulse several times until chopped, but not yet finely ground. Scoop out and set aside about 2-3 Tbsp. of the chopped nuts (we’ll use those later on for sprinkling). Continue pulsing the remaining pistachios in long pulses until very finely ground, about 1 minute.

  2. Brown the butter: Cut 10 Tbsp. of butter into 1” pieces. Place in a medium saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring the pot every minute or so, until the butter has turned very foamy and bubbling, but not yet browned, about 6 minutes.

  3. Quickly add the finely ground pistachios, and cook, stirring constantly, until they smell very nutty, and are golden brown, and the butter has browned as well, 2-3 minutes longer. Use a spoon to scoop some of them from the pot to assess their doneness–they should no longer be bright green and the butter around them should be deeply speckled with brown.

  4. Using a rubber spatula, scrape the brown butter into a large bowl. Add 1 ice cube to the butter, and let the ice cube melt and the butter cool for 10 minutes (it will foam up again momentarily.)

  5. Meanwhile, cut 3 ounces dark chocolate into irregular ¼”-½” chunks.

  6. Make the cookie dough: To the cooled butter, add ½ cup plus 2 Tbsp. of packed dark brown sugar, ⅓ cup granulated sugar, 1 large egg, and 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract. Whisk vigorously until well combined and thickened, about 1 minute.

  7. Add 1 cup of flour, ½ tsp. baking soda, 1 tsp. salt and stir well with a spatula or wooden spoon until combined and a sticky dough forms.

  8. Add 2 ounces of the chopped chocolate, and 2 ounces of halva, crumbling it lightly with your fingers as you add it (you’ll reserve the remaining ounce each for topping the cookies.) Gently stir to combine the chocolate and halva into the dough. Cover the top of the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 3 hours and ideally overnight. The longer you chill the dough, the deeper, and more complex the flavors of the cookies will be, so if you can plan ahead, do it. Either way is great! Keep the reserved chopped pistachios, chocolate chunks and halva as well.

MARINADE THE CHICKEN

  1. Make saffron water: Using a mortar and pestle, crush 1 tsp. of saffron. Transfer to a bowl and add ¼ cup warm water. Let it soak for 15 to 20 minutes until it has a rich yellow/orange colour.

  2. Cube 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs.

  3. To a bowl, add the cubed chicken along with 2 tablespoons of the saffron water, 1 tsp. black pepper, 1 tsp. smoked paprika, 2 tsp. salt, 2 Tbsp. lemon juice, 1/4 cup plain yogurt, 2 Tbsp. olive oil, 2 tsp. minced garlic, and grated ½ a yellow onion. Mix together and if you have the time let it marinade in the fridge overnight.

PREP THE KOFTA SKEWERS

  1. Place wooden skewers in a water bath to soak for 20 minutes. This prevents them from burning in the oven. Enough for the kofta and chicken skewers.

  2. In a large bowl, add 1 pound ground beef, 2 tsp. minced garlic, 2 Tbsp. finely chopped parsley, 2 Tbsp. finely chopped cilantro, 2 Tbsp. plain whole milk yogurt, 2 tsp. sumac, 2 tsp. allspice, 2 tsp. paprika, 1 tsp. coriander, 1 tsp. cumin, 1 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. cardamom, 1/2 tsp. black pepper. Mix together very well.

  3. Grab a skewer and shape the spiced ground beef onto it. If you are having trouble keeping it on the skewer, refrigerate the meat for 30 minutes to make it firm and then shape.

  4. Cover the skewers and refrigerate.

Cooking

Assemble Charcuterie Board
30 min before guests arrive

  1. Put cheese on a big platter or board, then cluster piles of meaty, carby, sweet, briny and crunchy pairings around them


  2. Make sure each cheese has its own serving knife.


  3. Cut into each cheese before serving - no one wants to be the first one to slice. It’s one of the laws of dinner party psychology.

Put Out Snacks, Make Drinks
When Guests Arrive

  1. Drizzle the caprese skewers and put out


    Drizzle the skewers with extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic reduction and sprinkle with Kosher salt and pepper.


  2. Make drinks! If making Aperol spritz:


    Add ice to a wine glass until it is nearly full. Pour in the Aperol (I usually eyeball this and pour until I’ve filled about one-third of the glass).


    Pour in an equal amount of Prosecco. Top your drink off with a splash of club soda and add a slice of orange. Enjoy!