On a trip to Palestine five years ago with the Fairtrade Foundation and Zaytoun, I visited a women’s co-op in Jenin to the north, where I was taught how to make maftoul, a traditional hand-rolled couscous made from local organic wheat (it takes an hour to roll just a kilo of the stuff, which is then steamed and sun-dried). I love using dry goods sourced from the world’s larder by Fairtrade, not least because it’s a great way to support farmers and producers, but wherever possible I also like to cook with mostly local and seasonal fresh ingredients for all sorts of reasons, from nutrition (and therefore flavour) to supporting my own local economy. I also find that, by limiting myself to seasonal produce, I increase the quality of my food and push my creativity. Tabbouleh, for example, is usually made with parsley, tomatoes and spring onions, but here I use celery leaves, roast peppers and leeks to make a seasonal variation.
Winter tabbouleh with celery leaves, preserved peppers and sumac
In this take on tabbouleh, I’ve swapped the usual ingredients for seasonal variations. Celery leaves replace the usual parsley, lending their aromatic flavour to the dish. British spring onions aren’t available until March, but leeks are a mainstay in the cold winter months and make a great alternative – I used some nice young ones that I found at my local market. Tomatoes, meanwhile, are a bit trickier to replace, but I really wanted to add some sweetness to the dish to balance out the bitterness of the celery leaves and sour lemon juice and sumac, so I ended up using a jar of preserved roast red peppers, which also added those distinctive red jewels of colour that makes tabbouleh so attractive. And while you can find fresh mint growing in some greenhouses right now, to be on the safe side I’ve used dried mint instead, not least because it adds further sweetness to the dish.
You can get maftoul, or giant couscous, in larger supermarkets, and in delis, wholefood stores and grocery shops across the country, as well as online. It’s made with a variety of heritage grains from Palestine, and it’s wholegrain, too; it’s also the most flavourful couscous I’ve ever tried.
Serves 4 as a side
100g maftoul, or giant couscous
50g picked celery leaves (and/or parsley)
50g dark green leek tops
100g jarred roast peppers (eg, piquillo), drained
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp lemon juice, or cider vinegar
2 tsp dried mint
1 tbsp sumac (optional)
Sea salt, to taste
Rinse the maftoul, then tip it into a small saucepan and cover with 200ml water. Cover, bring to a boil on a medium-high heat, turn down to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes, until al dente (if you’re using a different type of couscous, it may well cook much faster than maftoul, so follow the packet instructions). Take off the heat and leave to cool.
Roughly chop the celery leaves (if need be, make up the weight with flat-leaf parsley leaves), finely shred the leek tops and roughly chop the roast peppers. Stir all these into the couscous, then dress with the olive oil and lemon juice. Add the dried mint and sumac, if using, season to taste with sea salt, toss again and serve.
