Celebrate Palestinian flavours with Sami Tamimi's hearty prawn and tomato stew, paired with a crisp, herby quick-pickled vegetable salad. The stew, featuring fregola and a fresh coriander pesto, offers warmth and comfort, while the salad's acidity cuts through the richness.
For the stew, blister 220g cherry tomatoes in a hot pan with olive oil, then set aside. Sauté a chopped onion in oil until softened, add garlic, ginger, green chilli, crushed coriander and cumin seeds, bashed cardamom pods, chopped dill, and tomato paste. Stir in tinned tomatoes, water, salt, and pepper, then simmer for 25 minutes until thickened.
Cook 120g fregola in salted boiling water for 10 minutes, drain, and toss with olive oil. For the pesto, blend coriander, green chilli, toasted pine nuts, olive oil, lemon zest, and salt into a coarse paste. Stir fregola, 400g prawns, and charred tomatoes into the sauce, cover, and cook for 5–6 minutes until prawns are cooked.
For the salad, boil apple cider vinegar, sugar, coriander and caraway seeds, and salt. Add sliced red onion and golden beetroot, cook for 2 minutes, then cool and drain. Toss with sliced fennel, purple carrots, olive oil, remaining vinegar, salt, and pepper. Arrange with romaine lettuce leaves and fresh herbs.
Serve the stew with pesto and lemon wedges, alongside the salad. The recipe is from Tamimi's book 'Boustany: A Celebration of Vegetables from my Palestine', published by Ebury Press at £30.
