Cooking from Sami Tamimi’s Boustany

I finally received my copy of Boustany this week — but I’ll admit, I had already started cooking from it before it even arrived.

A few of us from the #greatmindscookOttolenghi gang were so excited when the book was first announced that we tracked down recipes shared online in Observer Food Monthly and even preview pages on Amazon. Between us, we’d gathered a generous handful of dishes and began exploring the book together, virtually. It quickly became clear: this one was special.

What makes Boustany even more exciting for me is how much it resonates with our own home life. We have our own little boustan in the form of our allotment. We grow our own cucumbers, courgettes, garlic, aubergines, and herbs — and when I see a recipe that calls for quite a few radishes, it really tickles my fancy because we’ve got so many growing right now. This book feels personal, not just in its voice but in how cookable it is from what we grow.

What is Boustany?

Written by Sami Tamimi, co-author of Jerusalem and co-founder of the Ottolenghi restaurants, Boustany is his first solo cookbook. It’s a heartfelt tribute to his Palestinian heritage, the garden his grandfather lovingly tended in Wadi Al Tufah, and the traditional dishes of his childhood — reimagined with contemporary sensibility.

Tamimi writes that the book came out of the comfort cooking he did during lockdown in Umbria. It combines traditional Palestinian food with personal memory and foraged ingredients, offering both authenticity and newness. Many of the dishes shine a light on vegetables, pulses, and grains, elevated with bold flavours and thoughtful technique.

The book is also a celebration of Palestinian people and culture: their generosity, their food traditions, their ability to hold onto identity through sharing and preserving recipes. “They are a great testimony to resilience,” Tamimi writes — and Boustany feels like both a cookbook and a living archive.

What I’ve Cooked So Far

Here’s a look at the dishes I’ve made from the book so far, with a few thoughts on each:

• Roasted cauliflower with tahini & crushed tomatoes – Divine. Roasted spiced cauliflower over a creamy tahini base, topped with fresh salted tomatoes. A bold, flavour-packed dish I’d happily make again and again.

• Pointy cabbage & tahini bil siniyeh – No spices, but full of character. The grilled tahini crust over soft, charred cabbage was surprisingly addictive.

• Lemon & pistachio ma’akroon cookies – I forgot the honey, oops — but they were still tender and lovely, thanks to the ground nuts. Flavoured with mastika, though I couldn’t really taste it. Would happily make again, even without the honey.

• Two-lentil mejadra with roasted onion salsa – This one stole the table. Spiced rice and lentils topped with a sweet-sharp salsa. I used garlic spikes from our own boustan instead of spring onions.

• Cucumber, labneh + feta salad with herbs, rose petals + almonds – A dreamy, fragrant dip/salad. I swapped in fresh almonds and edible flowers. Perfect with rich mains.

• Fried aubergine m’tabbal with tomato + coriander salsa (m’tabbal bitinjan makli) – My favourite so far. Silky aubergines and a zippy salsa — simple, unforgettable.

• Tahini rice pudding with grape compote (helou al ruz ma’ antebikh) – No milk, just water and tahini. A rich, nutty base with a vivid purple grape topping. Loved the contrast in flavour and colour.

  
  

What I Plan to Cook Next

Tomorrow’s shopping list starts with a new jar (or two) of tahini — so many of the recipes I want to make next call for it, and I’m not taking any chances on running out. I’ve pulled together a list of dishes I’m most excited to cook, grouped by ingredient or category to help me plan around what’s in season and what’s growing in our allotment.

Vegetable-Based Dishes

• Turmeric cauliflower & chickpeas with lemon yoghurt (Zahra ma’ Hummus)

• Aubergine & fava beans with eggs (Bitinjan w Ful ma’ Beyd)

• Chunky aubergine m’tabbal (M’tabbal Bitinjan)

• Aubergine & chickpeas with green lemon sauce

• Roasted aubergine fatteh (Fattet Makdous)

• Chopped salad for every occasion (Salata Mafrumeh)

• Tomato, rocket & walnut salad (Salatet Jarjeer w Banadoura)

• Braised chard with crispy onions & sumac (Silek ma’ Basal)

• Garlic-infused broccoli & labneh dip (Broccoli bil Toum w al Labneh)

• Beetroot with cumin labneh, toasted nuts & seeds & chives (Salatet Shamander bil Labneh)

• Crushed broad beans with goat’s cheese & preserved lemon salsa (M’tabbal Ful Akhdar)

• Fridge-raid fattoush (Fattoush)

Pulses, Grains & Legumes

• Gazan broad bean falafel (Falafel Ghazawi)

• Crushed lentils with tahini & soft-boiled eggs (Adas Medames)

• Smoky chickpeas with coriander tahini (Hummus Hab bil Tahinia w al Kuzbara)

• Bulgur wheat dumpling & lentil soup (Kubbet al Raheb)

• Bulgur kubbeh (Kubbet Hileh)

• Tomato kubbeh neyeh (Abu Amneh)

• Green kishk (fermented yoghurt & bulgur) (Kishk Akhdar)

Egg Dishes & Toasts

• Braised eggs with pita bread, tomatoes & za’atar (Beyd Makli ma’ Khobez w Za’atar)

• Palestinian egg & chips (Batata w Beyd)

• Courgette & leek ijeh (Arabic frittata) (Ijehet Kousa w Kurrath)

• Scrambled egg & burnt chilli cherry tomato toast (Beyd bil Shatta w al Banadoura ’ala Toast)

• Feta, shaved cucumber & dukkah toast (Jibnet Feta w Khiyar ’ala Toast)

Breads & Savoury Bakes

• Jerusalem sesame bread nests (Ka’ak al Quds ma’ Beyd)

• Pan-fried turmeric bread (Kubez Kimaaj)

• Fenugreek & onion buns (Aqras Helbeh)

• Za’atar & anise crackers (Malatit)

• Oregano & cheese loaf (Kubez al Jeben w al Za’atar)

• Wholemeal bread (Kubez Asmar)

• Cheese & sumac bites (Aqras Jeben)

Desserts & Sweets

• Apricot, orange & almond cake (Ka’ket Mishmash w Burtuqal)

• Pan-baked tahini, halva & coffee brownie (Qahwa w Halaweh Brownie)

• Chocolate date bars (Ma’amoul bil Shukulata)

• Date & nigella seed rolls (Makrouta)

• Ashtah knafeh pie (Knafeh bil Ashtah)

Have you started cooking from Boustany yet? Let me know what’s on your list — or better yet, let’s cook something together.