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This delicious soup is last of our -colored recipes, and a great one for fall!IngredientsFor the soup:500g carrots, pee...
02/10/2026

This delicious soup is last of our -colored recipes, and a great one for fall!

Ingredients

For the soup:

500g carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1 thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled and roughly sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and black pepper
700ml vegetable stock
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground coriander
Squeeze of lemon juice to finish

For the za’atar oil:

3 tbsp good olive oil
1½ tsp za’atar

Method

-Preheat your oven to 200°C. Toss the carrots, onion, and unpeeled garlic in olive oil, season well, and roast for 30–35 minutes until soft and catching color at the edges. The caramelization is important, as it deepens both the flavor and the color.
-Squeeze the garlic out of its skins. Transfer everything to a saucepan with the ginger, cumin, coriander, and stock. Simmer for 10 minutes.
-Blend until completely smooth. Add a squeeze of lemon, taste, and adjust seasoning. If it feels too thick, loosen with a little water or stock; you want it to pool beautifully in the bowl, not sit like a mound.
-For the za’atar oil, warm the olive oil gently in a small pan, add the za’atar, stir, and remove from heat.
Alternatively, you can mix the olive oil and za’atar in a bowl and heat in the microwave in 10s bursts.
You just want to bloom the spices into the oil, not fry them.

To serve: Ladle into wide shallow bowls. Swirl the za’atar oil on top with a spoon and drag it in a slow spiral from the center outward. A few extra za’atar flakes scattered on top finish it nicely.

Make-ahead note: The soup keeps in the refrigerator for 3 days and freezes well. Make the za’atar oil fresh on the day of serving.

Not actually an apricot dish, but the white and green complements apricot-colored dishes beautifully. And a good way to ...
16/09/2026

Not actually an apricot dish, but the white and green complements apricot-colored dishes beautifully. And a good way to soak up drippings from the chicken thighs.

- Serves 2

Ingredients:

200g Israeli couscous (also called or pearl couscous)
1 bunch asparagus, woody ends snapped off, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
500ml vegetable stock
Zest of 1 lemon
Small handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Salt and black pepper
Optional: a few toasted pine nuts for texture

Method:

-Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the couscous and toast for 2–3 minutes, stirring regularly, until it turns a light golden color. This step adds nuttiness and stops the couscous from going mushy.
-Pour in the stock, bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 8–10 minutes until the liquid is absorbed and the couscous is tender. Remove from heat and let it sit covered for 2 minutes.
-Meanwhile, heat the remaining olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and asparagus and sauté for 3–4 minutes until the asparagus is just tender but still has a little bite and color. Season well.
-Fold the asparagus and garlic through the couscous along with the lemon zest and parsley. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Make-ahead note: The couscous can be cooked ahead and reheated gently with a splash of water or stock to loosen. Cook the asparagus fresh on the day, as it loses its color quickly if it sits too long.

Next stop on the train ride: these glazed chicken thighs, made with apricot jam, were seriously delicious. Recommend s...
14/09/2026

Next stop on the train ride: these glazed chicken thighs, made with apricot jam, were seriously delicious. Recommend saving any drippings to use as a sauce for side dishes, like the Israeli couscous we made.

I also made an alternate version substituting the jam with grape jelly and it was also fantastic. Don’t recommend berry jam here, though.

- Serves 2

Ingredients:

For the chicken:

4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
2 tbsp harissa
2 tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
Salt and black pepper

For the apricot glaze:

4 tbsp apricot jam
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp apple c***r vinegar
Pinch of chili flakes

Method:

-Mix the harissa, olive oil, garlic, cumin, paprika, and seasoning into a paste. Score the chicken thighs a few times with a knife and rub the marinade all over, getting under the skin. Leave to marinate for at least 1 hour, ideally overnight in the refrigerator.
-Preheat oven to 200°C. Place chicken skin-side up on a foil-lined baking sheet fitted with a wire rack and roast for 25 minutes.
-Meanwhile, warm the apricot jam, honey, vinegar, and chili flakes in a small saucepan until loose and combined.
-After 25 minutes, spoon the glaze generously over the chicken and return to the oven for a further 15–20 minutes until the skin is deeply lacquered and caramelized. Keep an eye on it, as the sugars can catch. You want deep amber, not burnt.
-Rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Make-ahead note: Marinate the night before. This genuinely improves the depth of flavor and removes stress on the day of. The glaze can also be made ahead and reheated.

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