Tastes and Tales from a Distant Homeland cookbook: Recipes from shakshuka to lentil soup

Bringing together 80 recipes from the homes they were forced to leave, alongside heartfelt stories, this book was created to support people who’ve become displaced

Shakshuka combines poached eggs and tomatoes with a kick of chilli

After working with the charity Refugee Support Europe in the Katsikas camp in northern Greece, husband and wife team Alan and Katherine heard many stories of unimaginable terror and hardship of people having to flee their homes.

But one thing they found that unified people living away from home was food. They began to ask people what food they missed most from home, and from it they’ve created this book, all about the people they met, with their stories and recipes.

The entire proceeds of this book go to the charity Refugee Support Europe.

Shakshuka

Gorgeous north African-style poached eggs in a spicy tomato sauce.

Serves 4

3 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 red pepper, deseeded and sliced
1 red chilli, deseeded and sliced
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
15g paprika
2 tsp ground cumin
400g tinned chopped tomatoes
Salt and pepper, to taste
Handful of fresh coriander
6 eggs

Heat the olive oil in a large deep frying pan. Add the onion, red pepper and chilli in one layer, spread out so everything is in contact with the bottom of the pan. Fry these without moving them for 5 or 6 minutes until they are very browned on the bottom, soft and a little bit charred.

Add the garlic, paprika and cumin to the pan then cook for another minute. Add the tomatoes and stir everything together. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, then add the salt and pepper to taste.

Sprinkle in half the coriander, and now add the eggs. Make a well using a large spoon, near the edge of the pan, and crack an egg into it. Repeat with each of the eggs. Make sure the yolks are exposed. Sprinkle a little salt on each egg.

Cover the pan and reduce the heat to low and then cook until the white of the eggs are firm but the yolks are runny. This should take about 8 minutes.

Sprinkle the rest of the coriander over the top, then take the pan over to the table and serve!

Warm and spicy lentil soup

Serves 4

1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 onion, diced
1 stick of celery, diced
4 cloves of garlic, chopped very finely
2 tbsp tomato puree​
2 x 400g tinned lentils
1 x 400g tinned chopped tomatoes
1l chicken or vegetable stock
½ bunch kale, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil

Spices

2 tsp of ground cumin
2 tsp of ground coriander
2 tsp of ground ginger

Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion, celery and carrot and fry for a few minutes until softened, stirring frequently.

Add the garlic and all the spices and continue to fry for a couple of minutes. Add the tomato puree and stir well to combine. Add the stock, tinned tomatoes, lentils and 750ml of water.

Bring this up to a simmer, and leave to cook for about 10 minutes to develop all the delicious flavours. Add the kale, stir well and allow the kale to wilt. Leave to cook for another few minutes.

The soup is now ready to serve with some lovely crusty bread. Enjoy!

Mast o khiar Persian yoghurt salad

Mast o khiar is a cooling and creamy yoghurt dip infused with cucumber and herbs. This gorgeous dish is served on the side of most Persian meals, working brilliantly as a starter or served alongside kebabs and other sharing dishes.

Serves 4

½ cucumber
250ml greek yoghurt
1 clove of garlic crushed or grated
3 spring onions chopped
3 tsp chopped mint
1 tsp dried mint
1 tsp rose petals for decoration
Salt and pepper to taste

Coarsely grate the cucumber and put into a sieve and then with the back of a spoon push out all the liquid (you could also put the grated cucumber into a tea towel and squeeze all the liquid out that way).

Put this cucumber into a large mixing bowl with all the ingredients, except for the rose petals and one of the teaspoons of mint. Mix all together and then taste for salt and pepper, adding as necessary.

When you are ready to serve transfer to serving dish and sprinkle the rose petals and the remaining teaspoon of chopped mint on the top.

‘Tastes and Tales From a Distant Homeland’, published by Meze Publishing (£20) refumade.org

100 per cent of proceeds post-costs go to Refugee Support Europe, which helps displaced people live their lives with the dignity they deserve