A week out (if you’re inclined)
15 mins

Put some spiced prunes to marinate
Put 4 cups unpitted Moyer or other prunes in a medium bowl. Combine 234ml water, 175ml champagne or white wine vinegar, 150g sugar, 27ml brandy (I used cognac), one cinnamon stick, 2.5g tellicherry peppercorns, 3 allspice berries, and a bay leaf in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Pour over the prunes and cool to room temperature. Let stand in an airtight container at room temperature for at least 7 days. You can keep these at room temp for up to 6 months.

Mise en place
30 mins

Wash all the herbs and lettuces and store them between paper towels in the crisper.

Prep your spices for prep into separate little bowls or piles on a plate. don’t forget to label!:
For the Aziza spice blend: 2 tbsp plus 1 tsp coriander seeds, 2½ tsps cumin seeds, ½ tsp tellicherry peppercorns, 1 black cardamon pod, shelled and seeds reserved, 8 cloves, ¼ tsp fennel seeds, ½ chile de arbol, seeds removed, ½ star anise. Separately: 5 tbsps ground turmeric, ⅛ tsp grated nutmeg.
For the charmoula: ½ tsp cumin, ½ tsp pepper, ¼ tsp cayenne
For the beets: 2 star anise, ⅔ tsp tellicherry peppercorns, ⅔ tsp green cardamom pods, ⅔ tsp coriander seeds, ⅔ tbsp salt
For the fish: ¼ cup fennel seeds, ¼ cup coriander seeds, 10 green cardamom pods, deseeded, 2 star anise
For the basteeya: ¼ tbsp ground coriander, 2 tbsp ground ginger, 1 tbsp ground white pepper, 1 tbsp ground turmeric, one 3-inch cinnamon stick, 2½ tsps saffron, 1½ tsp kosher salt, 2bsp finely chopped flat leaf parsley, 2 tbsp finely chopped cilantro.
For the basteeya almond mixture: 67g sugar, ½ tsp ground cinnamon, 1/8 tsp grated nutmeg, pinch of ground cloves
For the kefta sauce: ¼ tsp sweet paprika, ¼ tsp ground cumin, ⅛ tsp ground black pepper, a pinch of cayenne, ¾ tsp kosher salt.
For the kefta: 1/2 tsp kosher salt, 1/2 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp ground cumin, a few cracks white pepper, and a pinch of cayenne.

Peel and slice 6 carrots. Slice 90g yellow onions. Set aside for the soup.

Dice 1 kilo onions (sorry) for the basteeya. Mince 1/2 cup garlic. Finely chop 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley. Finely chop some cilantro.

Dice 90g onions and ⅔ tbsp garlic for the kefta sauce. If you are have tomatoes but they’re not pureed, blitz them now with an immersion blender or a blender to get 370g tomato puree. Dice ½ tsp parsley and ½ tsp cilantro.

Toast 1 cup sesame seeds in the oven for 6 minutes or until light golden for the sesame parfait.

Start cooking
5 hours

Start the sesame parfait
Pour 2 cups of cream in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Remove from heat and add the toasted seeds. Let steep for 1 hour.

Make the chicken and almond filling for the basteeya
Preheat the oven to 325˚F. Heat 212ml of grapeseed or canola oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add onions and cook until they have release some liquid, and then reduce heat to medium-low and cook for about 15 minutes until the onions are soft and translucent. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for another 10 minutes, stirring often. Add the spice mixture and cook for another 8-10 minutes, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan often to save from burning them. Spread the onions on a flameproof baking dish (I actually use my dutch oven) with high sides. Arrange 6 chicken thighs and 6 chicken drumsticks on top. Pour 293ml water over top and bring to a simmer on your stovetop. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil, put in the oven and cook for 1 1/2 hours or until the chicken pieces are tender enough to pull easily from the bone.

Meanwhile, spread 385g almonds on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 20-30 minutes or until the centres are golden brown (crack one open to see). Working batches, pulse the nuts in a food processor until finely ground. Toss with the sugar mixture from your mise en place, then stir in 4 tbsp (48g) butter and 1½ tsp orange blossom water. Add up to 2 more tbsp butter as needed.

Continue the parfait
Fill a large bowl with ice water and set a smaller bowl inside. Strain the cream through a fine-mesh strainer into a spouted measuring cup. You will need 1 ½ cups. If there is less, add some cream. Pour into the bowl set over the ice water and chill until cold. Put 7ml of water in a small bowl and sprinkle ⅜ tsp powdered gelatin over top. Agitate the bowl slightly to dampen the gelatin. Once it solidifies, remove it from the bowl and cut into ¾-inch pieces. Whisk the sesame cream mixture in the bowl of a stand mixer at medium high for 2 minutes. When the whisk is lifted it should leave a thin ribbon. Put ⅓ cup water in a small saucepan and sprinkle with 113g sugar evenly over the top. Heat over medium high head for about 7 minutes or until the temperature is 240˚F.

Meanwhile, put the 1 large egg and 5 large yolks in the mixer bowl (save the whites for the fish dish). When the sugar reaches 220˚F, start whisking the eggs on medium and mix until blended and thickened. With the mixer running, add the diced gelatin to the eggs. Turn the mixer speed to medium-low and pour the syrup very slowly down the side of the bowl. Increase the speed to medium high and whisk for about 8 minutes or until the bottom of the bowl is cool to the touch.

Reduce the mixer speed to low, add 15g tahini, and mix for 1 minute to combine. Remove the mixer bowl and fold half the sesame cream into the yolk mixture, and then fold in the remaining sesame cream. Split the parfait into serving bowls, freeze for 2 hours, then cover with plastic wrap and freeze again. These will keep all week.

Start the bread
Combine 6g active dry yeast and ¼ tsp granulated sugar in a small bowl. Stir in 40ml warm water. Let this proof for 10 minutes in a warm place. Meanwhile, add 590g flour to the bowl of a stand mixer. Add 3 tbsp sugar and 2¾ tsp salt. Spray the dough hook to keep the dough from sticking to it and fit it to the mixer. Turn the machine on low and add the yeast mixture. Once it is combined, drizzle in 350ml water. As the dough begins to form, turn the speed to medium-low. Knead for another 10 minutes, s topping occasionally to release any dough sticking to the hook. The finished dough will be smooth and soft and wrap around the hook.

Dust a board, turn out the dough, and knead with the heel of your hand for 2 minutes. Then lift the dough and tuck the edges under to form a ball.

Spray a large bowl with nonstick spray and put the dough inside. Cover with plastic and let it rise for 1½ hours or until doubled in size.

Make the Aziza spice blend
Toast all the whole spices in a dry frying pan. Cool on parchment, grind to a fine powder, and combine with the turmeric and nutmeg.

Season the salt for the fish
Put 3.5 cups of kosher salt in a bowl. Put the spices in a medium heavy frying pan and toast over medium heat swirling and flipping so they toast evenly, 2-3 minutes. Pour onto a piece of parchment to cool. Coarsely grind in a spice grinder in 2 batches and add to the salt. Store outside the refrigerator.

Make the green charmoula
Put 48g anchovy fillets, 12.5g garlic cloves, 35 grams capers, and a pinch of salt in a mortar or food processor and mash or pulse to form a paste. Add 1 tbsp diced preserved lemon rind (if you’re using a mortar and pestle), ½ tsp cumin, ½ tsp pepper, ¼ tsp cayenne, and 1 tsp lemon juice. Mash/process into a paste. Add ½ cup chopped cilantro and ½ cup flat leaf-parsley and mash or pulse until well combined. Transfer to a bowl and stir in 1½ cups extra virgin olive oil. If you were using the food processor now’s the time to fold in the diced preserved lemon rind.

Set up for the fresh cheese
Line a large fine mesh strainer with cheesecloth and put over a deep bowl or pot. Wrap a small cooling rack in a double layer of cheesecloth and put it on a baking sheet. Cut four 1½ by 12 inch long strips of parchment paper and use them to line four 3 by ¾ inch high ring moulds. If you don’t have ring moulds (I don’t!), you can use the rings from mason jar lids. Cut four parchment paper circles the size of the rings and set aside.

Make the basteeya egg mixture
Remove the chicken from the onions and set aside. Remove and discard the cinnamon stick. Scoop out and strain 135 g of the braising liquid. Set the pan of onions on the stovetop and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce to maintain a gentle simmer. Beat 4 eggs with an immersion blender and then quickly strain them into the onions, using the immersion blender to mix in the eggs and thicken the sauce, 3 to 4 minutes. Continue blending and whisking even after the eggs are cooked. After about 5 minutes, after the eggs and fat have separated, remove from the heat and drain in a fine mesh strainer. Put the egg and onion mixture in a bowl and stir in 1tbsp of parsley. Taste the mixture and season to taste with cilantro, additional parsley, and salt. Set aside.

Working over a bowl, remove the skin from the chicken and pull the meat off the bones in as large as possible pieces. Discard the skin. Stir in the reserved braising liquid and 1 tbsp parsley. Store the chicken and egg mixtures and almond mixture separately.

Make the fresh cheese
Combine 500ml whole milk and 122.5ml buttermilk in a medium saucepan fitted with a thermometer and heat over a medium heat, stirring to prevent scorching, until it reaches 178˚F. Stir in ½ tsp salt, remove from the heat and let sit for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, put another 500ml whole milk and 117ml heavy cream in a large saucepan fitted with a thermometer and heat until it reaches 185˚F. Remove from the heat and stir in 122.5ml buttermilk, ½ tsp salt and 3 tbsp lemon juice. Insert a spatula into the cream mixture. The top should look white and there should be a layer of clear whey underneath it. If it’s not clear, add ½ tbsp of lemon juice at a time until it’s clear. Let sit for 20 minutes.

Shape the dough
Lightly dust the cleaned board with flour. Return the dough to the board and knead out the air bubbles. Shape into a ball. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment and dust them with semolina. Cut the dough into 6 equal portions. Use the palm of your hand to roll each portion into a ball. Space the balls evenly on the sheets and cover with clean dry dish towels. Place in a warm spot to rise for 1½-2 hours, or until doubled in size.

Back to the cheese
Add the milk mixture to the cream mixture. Pour a ladleful into the cheesecloth-lined strainer. Lift the cheese cloth on one side, easing the curds toward the centre and releasing more whey into the bowl. Continue adding ladlefuls and lifting new areas of the cheesecloth until all the liquid is drained.

Divide the curds among the rings and press gently on top to make the surface even. Discard the whey. Top the cheese with the rounds of parchment and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour, then refrigerate the cheese. Serve with a drizzle of honey on some fresh bread.

Cook the beets
Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Combine 2 cups warm water, 40ml sherry vinegar, and the spices you measured out in a bowl, stirring to dissolve the salt. If you’re using multicoloured beets, you’ll need two cooking sheets, one for the red beets, and one for the others (otherwise the red beets will bleed on the others). Split the liquid between these pans, cover tightly in foil (to trap the steam) and put into the oven for 1 hour. It may take a bit less or more time, so check and remove the beets when they are firm but cooked through when pierced with a knife.

Make the pumpkin crumble
Toast 20g pumpkin seeds in the oven for about 8 minutes, or until gently browned. Put 10g of breadcrumbs, 8g brown sugar, 1g lemon zest in a food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Add the pumpkin seeds and pulse a few times to break them up. With the machine running, slowly pour about 1/3 tbsp olive oil so the mixture comes together in a moist crumble. Season to taste with salt.

Make a dressing for the chicories with the green charmoula by taking a couple of spoonfuls and mixing it with olive oil and some white wine vinegar to taste. If you’d like more of a “caesar” style dressing I would maybe use some mayonnaise or make a mayonnaise and then season it with the charmoula. Label and store.

Start the carrot soup
Wrap 6-7 garlic cloves, 2 mint sprigs, and 2 thyme sprigs in a piece of cheesecloth and tie to make a sachet. Melt 28g unsalted butter in a small stockpot over medium heat. Add sliced yellow onions, stir to coat with butter, and cook for 10 minutes until translucent. Add the sachet and cook for another 10 minutes. Add 1/3 cup of riesling and cook for 4 minutes. Lower the heat to medium and add 1/3 tsp Aziza Curry Blend , 1/3 tsp kosher salt, and a few cracks of white pepper. Stir constantly for 2 minutes. Add 2 2/3 cups carrot juice. If you have a vanilla bean, cut off just less than a quarter and add in the scraped out seeds and the pod. If not, substitute with a splash of vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste. When the liquid is simmering, add the carrots and cook for 30-35 minutes until the carrots are tender, maintaining a gentle simmer.

Discard the sachet and vanilla bean. Use a blender or immersion blender to puree the soup. Pour the puree back into the pot and, if it seems too thick, thin with cold water. Make sure there are no small bits of carrot. You can strain it through a mesh strainer to get the smoothest soup. Cool completely and store in the fridge.

Prepare the beets
Once cooked, take the beets out of the oven and cool. Rub each beet with a paper towel to remove the skin. Try to maintain the long weird stems. Store in an airtight container.

Knock out the dough
Remove the towels. With your hands, press down on the mounds of dough to flatten them into disks that are about 5” across. Cover with towels and let rise for another 45 minutes.

Make the kefta sauce
Heat a film of grapeseed oil in a large saucepan or small stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the onions and saute, lowering the heat as needed, for 12 to 14 minutes, until golden and just beginning to caramelize around the edges. Add the garlic and saute for another 2 minutes. Add the tomato puree and bring to a simmer. Stir in the 1/3 cup of water, 1/3 cup carrot juice and spices and simmer for about 40 minutes until reduced by one third. Stir in 6g diced preserved lemon rind, parsley, and cilantro. Cool and store.

Make the kefta meat
Dry the 1 tbsp finely diced onion, 1/2 tsp parsley, 1/2 tsp cilantro, and 1/2 tsp tarragon on towels. Do no squeeze them. Combine in a large bowl, add 1 clove minced garlic and then gently mix in 75g ground beef, 57g ground lamb, spices, and half a small egg yolk (save the whites along with the others from the sesame parfait for the fish later this week). Do not overmix. Store in the fridge.

Bake the dough
Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and heat to 400˚F. Use a straight edge razor blade to score the top of the rolls, about ¼ inch deep, in a crosshatch pattern. Brush the tops of the rolls with beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake, rotating and switching their positions halfway through, for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Meal 1:
Salt baked salmon (4 servings)

Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Using a microplane, grate the zest from a blood orange, a lemon, and a grapefruit and toss them together. You should get about 2 1/2 tbsps zest. Add to the salt mixture you prepped and toss to combine. Cut the fins of the fish with kitchen shears. Sprinkle the cavity with salt. Arrange a slice of navel orange under each gill and put the rest in the cavity. Beat 3 large egg whites until they just begin to hold a shape and stir them into the salt mixture. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Form a 1-inch thick bed of the salt mixture slightly larger than the fish on the tray. Make a shallow well down the centre of the salt and lay the fish in it. Pat the remaining salt to completely enclose the fish, leaving the head exposed. Roast for 30 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 130˚F. Remove and let it rest for 20 minutes.

To serve: use a heavy spoon to crack the salt crust. Lift off the crust and brush away any salt adhering to the skin. Use a paring knife to scrape away the skin. Serve alongside rainbow chard.

Use the leftover fish on an open faced toast spread with green charmoula and topped with microgreens.

Meal 2:
Basteeya (6-8 servings)

Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Take the fillings out of the fridge and bring to room temp. Melt 1 cup of clarified butter. If you have a spray bottle, put it in there. Otherwise, get a pastry brush out. It is important to keep the phyllo sheets covered with a damp towel or they will dry out. Put a lemon half at your workstation and run your fingertip over the cut lemon before you life each phyllo sheet to help them separate.

Fold 1 piece of phyllo in half and place the fold in the centre, or slightly off centre, of a 9” french skillet (with gently curved sides), to give you about 3 inches of overhang. Continue to work around the bottom of the pan. It should take 4 sheets of phyllo to cover the pan. Spray or brush the layer with butter. Repeat with the remaining 5 sheets but this time, place the sheets of phyllo closer to the edges so that the overhanging phyllo will reach the centre of the basteeya once it is filled and the phyllo is folded over. Spray or brush the layer with butter.

Put 1 ½ cups of the egg mixture in the centre of the pan and spread it in an even layer. Top with chicken. Sprinkle and spread around 2 cups of the almond mixture over the chicken. Spread the remaining egg mixture on top. Starting with the last sheet of phyllo you added fold over the sheet toward the centre, folding in the edges as needed so the sheets lie evenly over the top. Spray or brush with butter. Continue in the same manner with all of the sheets until the basteeya is completely encase in phyllo. Spray or brush with butter.

Bake for 1 hour-1 hour 15 minutes, or until the phyllo is golden brown and crisp. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack for 10 minutes. Carefully invert the basteeya onto a baking sheet then, using two spatulas, transfer to a serving platter. Blot the surface with paper towels. Lay a mesh cooling rack over top of the basteeya and spoon the powdered sugar into a mesh strainer. Dust the basteeya with an even layer of powdered sugar, cut the basteeya and serve with the chicory salad.

Eat it for dinner and then for lunches through the week.

Meal 3:
Kefta tagine (2 servings)

Divide the kefta mixture into 6 or 8 portions and shape into balls. Flatten them slightly to form little patties. Heat a film of oil in a large frying pan or skillet. Add the lamb patties and cook for 1 to 1½ minutes on each side, or until browned and cooked to medium. Drain on paper towels.

Pour a ½ inch layer of the tomato sauce you prepped into a tagine or a medium pot with a lid. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Arrange the egg yolks in the pan. Cover and cook for 1½ to 2 minutes to warm the yolks. Remove the lid and arrange the kefta around the eggs. Garnish the dish with strips of preserved lemon, a sprinkling of Urfa, and a scattering of dill or fennel fronds. Drizzle with olive oil. Serve with couscous and the spiced prunes if you made them.

Beets with avocado puree and pumpkin seed crumble (2 servings)

Take the beets and pumpkin crumble out of the fridge and bring to room temp. You may want to reserve a couple of beets for an open faced sandwich with fresh cheese and some microgreens. If so, put those aside. Put the beets in a bowl (start with the light coloured beets by themselves and then red by themselves so the colour don’t bleed) and toss with some olive oil.

Put 1 small ripe avocado in a blender with 83ml whole milk and blend until smooth. Add 2 tsp lemon juice and 2 tbsp crème fraiche.

To serve, put ½ the avocado puree down on each serving plate. If you’re using large beets, slice them. For small beets, arrange them with the stems shooting up in the puree. Segment one grapefruit and nestle half the segments in with the beets. Store the other half for the carrot soup. Sprinkle with the pumpkin crumble, and add some microgreens.

Chicory salad with croutons (2 servings)

Cut off the crusts of country bread and slice to create ¾ cup ¾-inch cubes.

Heat a generous amount of olive oil in a medium frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the bread cubes and cook for 1½ minutes, until beginning to brown. Add 2 garlic cloves, smashed but not peeled, a pinch of finely chopped rosemary, a pinch of Marash pepper and cook until the croutons are crispy on the outside but soft on the inside. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with salt.

Toss the greens in a light coating of the dressing. Toss the croutons with a little dressing as well. Drizzle some balsamic vinegar over each plate. Arrange greens, croutons, and some shavings of Parmesan on the balsamic and serve.

Rainbow chard (2 servings)

Cut the stalks from a bunch of rainbow chard and set the greens aside. Trim away the bottoms and narrows stalks. Trim away the outer edges of the stalks too. Cut them into 3-by-1/4 inch matchsticks. Cut a few of the stalks into a dice.

Boil a large pot of salted water and fill a large bowl with ice water. Blanch the leaves for 2 minutes until tender. Remove them and place them in the ice water. Once they’re chilled, remove them from the ice water and squeeze them out. Coarsely chop them and set aside.

Heat some grapeseed oil over medium heat. Add 30g diced onion and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes. Add the matchsticks, 2g Ras al Hanout if you have it or the Aziza Curry Blend and another pinch of salt and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, or until they begin to soften. Stir in the diced stalks and cook until tender, about 5 minutes more. Sir in the leaves and cook for about a minute to warm them. Remove from the heat and squeeze in a bit of lemon juice, 15g diced preserved lemon, and a 1/2 tsp Urfa pepper. Drive with olive oil to serve.

Carrot soup with citrus salad (2 servings)

Take the carrot soup out of the refrigerator and warm it at a low temperature in a small saucepan.

Cut away the peel and white pith from a grapefruit (if you’ve already made the beet salad you will have these already), half an orange, and half a lemon. Cut between the membranes to remove the citrus segments. Cut grapefruit segments in half and lemon into a ¼-inch dice. Put all the fruit segments in a bowl, spring with 2 drops of orange blossom water, and toss gently. This makes enough for 4 servings, so put what you don’t use in the fridge for another day.

To serve add a mound of citrus salad in a bowl to one side, and put 6 small mint leaves on top. Ladle soup in an around it, making sure the salad and mint is still visible.