Plenty

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Toum, which literally translates to “garlic” in Arabic, is a Levantine condiment made by whipping together raw garlic and oil with a good amount of lemon juice. Bring the mixture up to a boil, turn down the heat to medium and leave to simmer gently for 25 minutes, until the lentils are soft but still hold their shape. The roasted garlic is really the longest time investment in this recipe—make extra to keep on hand so you can put together this dish even more quickly next time. In Italy, oddly enough, little black beluga lentils are traditionally eaten when the party is in full swing, on New Year’s Day. And cooking a batch of lentil soup is my way of battening down the hatches; doubling the quantities and freezing half makes me feel ready for the storm ahead.

In the time I had the book I did have a little trouble figuring out exactly how to use some of the dishes with my repertoire.They make me wish that this neverending rain would knock it off already so that our Farmer’s Market can open. And most make great accompaniments to meat if you're a carnivore, so it's still worth getting the book!

Set aside four tablespoons – you’ll use this when serving – then tip the remaining coconut milk into the soup pot.The mushroom roasting, barley cooking, and lemon preserving for this dish can all happen in advance—and all you'll have to do to when you're ready to serve is reheat it all and top with some zippy feta cheese and peppery sprouts. According to Ottolenghi, aubergines are an indispensable vegetarian ingredient: “it’s one of the many reasons I love aubergines: they’re so versatile and can be cooked in such different ways to yield such different results”.