I’ve waited so long for Easter, not so much for the religious significance, but more for the opportunity for rest, reflection, and restoration. And as ever, this involved food…
On Easter Saturday, I invited a friend over to cook and spend some much-needed time together. I felt a strong pull toward exploring more from Sabrina Ghayour’s cookbook Sirocco. So far, I’d only made one item, so it felt like the perfect moment to dive deeper.
After browsing through the pages, I selected a quite frankly, ambitious line-up of recipes:
- Pear, feta and honey toast
- Feta bites
- Loqmeh spiced lamb kebabs
- Orange, thyme and spice chicken wings
- Sweet potatoes and baked feta
- Mafatoul salad
- Spiced parsnip, walnut and honey cake
- Apple, sumac, red onion and pomegranate salad
- Supper Club Special (cocktail)
Feeling revived after a restful Good Friday, I headed off to Sainsbury’s for some enthusiastic shopping. Trying to be organised, I wrote out all the recipes and ingredients needed for the feast ahead. Navigating the store was a bit of a mission—things aren’t where they used to be since the layout changed—but despite that, I managed to find everything from fresh veg to exact spices. Four full bags later, I felt like a culinary queen on a quest.
Trying to be organised, I wrote out the list of recipes and ingredients I needed for the feast I was planning. Afterward, I spent an hour walking around Sainsbury’s, feeling a sense of accomplishment as I meticulously made my way through the aisles. Not an easy feat, because recently the layout of the store has changed and things aren’t where I am used to them being. However, despite this I was lucky; they had everything I needed on my list, from fresh vegetables to the exact spices I wanted. Before long, I managed to fill four bags of shopping, each full with potential for culinary adventures in the kitchen.
When my friend arrived, I figured I should have something ready for her before we started cooking. I’d already bought some salt and pepper crisps, rosemary and sea salt sourdough crackers, and a chunk of Manchego cheese. Plus, we had a half pot of quince and pear fruit in the fridge—we wouldn’t go hungry. Still, I wanted to prepare something homemade.
The pear, feta, and honey toasts were calling out to me. They seemed easy enough and definitely a crowd-pleaser. I did adapt the recipe a little—I knew red pears would be a long shot at the supermarket (I’m not sure I’ve ever even seen one!). And even when pears are labeled “ripe and ready,” it’s never the case. So, I ‘cheated’ and bought tinned pears. I felt a small pang of guilt, but it passed quickly—it’s just food after all. If the dish turned out great, I’d just make it again with fresh fruit sometime.
It’s a really easy snack to make. Crumble the feta onto the toast, place the sliced pear pieces on the top, drizzle with honey and sprinkle on some fresh ground black pepper. Easy peezy (and no, no lemon sqeezy!)
What can I say? A delightful combination of salty, sweet and a little bit of heat. Maybe not as pretty as it would have been with the red-skinned pears!
So my husband made us some more on Easter Sunday, which I guzzled down with a cup of Earl Grey tea.
And with the last of the pears I had a lovely Easter Monday breakfast.
Very nice 😊
One tin of pears went a long way!
Ingredients
1 large, ripe pear
4 slices of good-quality bread of your choice, each 2.5 cm thick
200 g feta cheese
2 tablespoons clear honey
freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Quarter the pear lenghtways and remove the stalk, core and seeds. Cut the quarters into thin slice and set aside.
Toast the bread slices and, once toasted, divide the feta into 4 portions. Crumble 1 portion on to each slice of toast, and arrange the pear slices in an overlapping fan-like pattern on top. Drizzle each slice with 1/2 tablespoon honey, season with freshly ground black pepper and serve.
Reference: Sirocco, Sabrina Ghayour, page 38
