Smashing a load of middle eastern cooking at the moment. Simple to do, pure health, hardly costs anything, is all exotic and impressive if you need to impress anyone and delicious to boot.
I've just cooked up a batch of this carrot dip from a Claudia Roden book. Spicy goodness
500g carrots (that's about 4 carrots)
4 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
Large pinch cayenne (or you can use harissa instead of paprika + cayenne)
Little bit of cinnamon & honey (both optional)
Salt & pepper
Method: boil up the carrots. Put everything in a blender. Chill. Eat.