There's a magic potion that we keep in our house. A potion with uses in many arenas from the bathroom to the kitchen (and some would say the bedroom; but I wouldn't listen to those guys). It can nourish, add complexity and add flavour without too much trouble. It can revitalise and it can heal and it tastes great! Of course this elixir is non-other than the much-valued and much-utilised olive oil. A commodity that has been used for thousands of years in the Levant, it is older than Lebanon itself. The best way I could describe the value of olive oil to Lebanese people is that it holds the same place in our hearts that butter does to the French. With the added caveat that olive oil is the broody, more complex older brother to butter - it adds something completely different to dishes and well...it's good for you. I love olive oil in all sorts of recipes but something that has been on my mind lately has been its use in desserts - on ice cream, in biscuits and in cakes. This recipe is ridiculously simple and the olive oil taste subtle. It is a great introduction to the use of olive oil in sweets but complex enough for those who love a good olive oil cake. The olive oil 'buttercream' is rich and decadent and elevates this dessert but you should use it sparingly! Anyway, here is the recipe...

Ingredients
Cake
125ml great quality extra-virgin olive oil
300g icing sugar
300g self-raising extra-fine flour
Zest and juice of 2 clementines (or 1 orange) and 1 lemon
3 medium free-range eggs
100ml milk

Olive 'Buttercream'
3 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
6 tablespoons of icing sugar

Method
Preheat your oven to 180C. Grease and line a large cake tin. Whisk the eggs and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Add the olive oil and beat rapidly. Add the zest and juice of the citrus fruits. Add the milk and whisk again. Sift the flour into the mixture in three parts, folding in after ever third of flour. Let it sit for 10 minutes. Pour into cake tin and cook for 45 minutes until browned and then turn down the heat to 160C and cook for a further 10 minutes or until a knife inserted into the centre yields a 'dry' crumb. Cool in the tin and then transfer to a wire rack. To make the olive 'buttercream' mix the icing sugar into the olive oil and it should form a thick pasta akin to buttercream. The flavour is intense so you only need one 'quenelle' of the stuff per slice in my estimations. Slice the cake and serve with the 'buttercream'.

Folklore and Super Mario have us believe that mushrooms endow us with superhuman strength and vitality. The ancient Egyptians believed mushrooms to be the plant of immortality. Some fungi are so prized that they fetch nearly £2000 a kilo. But all the aforementioned withers when you're trying to convince a committed mycophobe to sample something you've just cooked. I think the texture as much as the taste is what gets to people. I don't think mushrooms are an acquired taste per se (but then again I was shocked to hear some people think of olives in the same light). I think many people who have an aversion (and not a full-blown phobia) to mushrooms can succeed in overturning their dislike by trying different kinds of mushrooms (there are over 38,000 varieties) in all sorts of recipes. I realise there's no real motivation for people who've avoided mushrooms to venture into the Mushroom Kingdom (I can't help myself) but I believe more people should give mushrooms a chance!

















One of the best ways to make mushrooms appealing is to choose a variety with a meaty texture (with a good helping of umami). Portobello mushrooms are perfect grilled, baked and in the ubiquitous veggie burger. I believe they can succeed in convincing your children or fussy other-half that mushrooms can be delicious. This recipe is so simple to execute for lunch or dinner that it's worth giving it a go. I baked my Portobello mushrooms with a garlic aioli (or toum in Lebanese Arabic), freshly picked young sage, pine nuts and a nice Provole cheese. You can substitute the garlic for pesto and the Provole for a stronger cheese (I'd be tempted to make this with Roquefort and walnuts).

















Ingredients
4 Portobello mushrooms
4-8 cloves of garlic
4-5 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
8-12 leaves of freshly picked young sage
a handful of pine nuts
as much Provole cheese as you like
salt and pepper to taste

















Method
Clean the mushrooms with a damp cloth. Crush the garlic (with a little sea salt) in a pestle and mortar. Slowly add the olive oil a spoonful at a time and work with the pestle until the garlic and olive oil emulsify. Layer the sage leaves, the aioli of garlic and olive oil, the pine nuts and cheese onto the mushroom caps. Place in a baking tray and cook at a medium heat until the cheese bubbles and browns and the mushrooms are your preferred texture. Serve immediately.

Dear Labneh,

You have been good to me. You've filled my stomach on lazy days, you've kept me going on those darker days, you've been there when I've needed you. I still remember the first embrace when everything I ever needed to know was conveyed with that very first mouthful. You make my dreams come true.

















I love you.

















Ingredients
Greek style yoghurt
a pinch of salt
extra virgin olive oil
dried mint

















Method
Mix the salt with the yoghurt. Pour the yoghurt into a clean muslin cloth and hang it up somewhere safe to strain overnight. This process gets rid of the whey and thickens the yoghurt even further (so Greek style will produce even more beautifully thick labneh). It's even better if you can find space in your fridge to hang the cloth but it's not that detrimental to leave it at room temperature. Once no more water comes out of the yoghurt you should empty the contents of the cloth into a bowl. You can serve it without anything else but it's more traditionally served with a good helping of extra virgin olive oil and dried mint. Once you've tried your own home-made labneh you'll be in love too.

It may come as a surprise to those who don't live in London that it does, in fact, have four seasons. And no I'm not talking about the hotel chain. And no those seasons aren't just four shades of grey. It's somewhat excusable to have held that belief in the immediate past when for nigh on three years the British summer never took flight so we all...took flights. This year, though, we're at the tail-end of a heatwave and everyone is searching for a way to cool down. This recipe is a reworking of a Lebanese classic known as shishbarak, which has nothing to do with skewered meat or the US President. This recipe also requires very little work, so you have no reason to suffer in the heat this summer. I think I see a raincloud overhead...

















Ingredients
Soup
one pot bio yoghurt
75-100ml of water
a tablespoon of dried mint
some chopped parsley
however many crushed garlic cloves you fancy
olive oil
salt and pepper

Pasta parcels
a basic dough (flour, water, salt, olive oil)
3 shallots
2 teaspoons pinenut
a pinch of allspice
a pinch of mint
rapeseed oil
salt and pepper

















Method
Pasta Parcels
Make the dough and roll to about 1cm thickness and cut circles about an inch in diameter. Fry off the shallots in rapeseed oil until transluscent, add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Pick up a circle and stretch to a desired size. Fill with 1 teaspoon of the shallot and pinenut filling. Fold over to create a semi-circle and press the edges down to seal. Put these in the oven until the parcels are golden.

















Yoghurt Soup
Put all the ingredients in a cold pan and work with a whisk. Check the seasoning and then put your feet up and wait for the parcels. Pour into a bowl and then add the parcles - sprinkle with dried mint and pour olive on top. Tuck in.