We’re in culinary heaven in this week’s episode of Anna Barnett’s podcast, The Filling, as our host is invited to the home of Sami Tamimi, renowned Palestinian chef. They’re joined by Sami’s writing partner Tara Wigley (her journey from publishing to trained cook via the birth of twins is worth a podcast in itself) to discuss being part of the Ottolenghi empire, why the term Middle Eastern cooking needs greater definition, and the difference between right tahini and wrong tahini. Along the way Anna gets fed the most exotic sandwich yet in the series, and we learn why stopping midway during a marathon for a kebab isn’t the best idea. 

TOP QUOTES

“If you want something done, ask a mum of twins.” Tara

“In the Middle East you can’t just walk around with a list as it just doesn’t work this way.” Sami

“She had a tattoo of an open pomegranate on one arm, and an aubergine on the other.” Tara

“Z’atar is better than drugs.” Sami

“I actually have a gigantic mouth; I can fit a whole ladle in my mouth.” Anna

RESOURCES

www.ballymaloe.ie

www.belazu.com

www.zetunevoo.com

www.ottolenghi.co.uk

ABOUT THE GUESTS

Sami Tamimi: Growing up in the Old City of Jerusalem, Sami Tamimi displayed an early interest in food and cooking. After a brief career as a hotel porter, Sami quickly progressed to head chef for a restaurant in Tel Aviv. An invitation to run a bakery led him to London in 1997. Two years later Sami met Yotam Ottolenghi and their mutual love and appreciation for the ingredients and recipes from their shared homeland developed into a business. Sami is now co-author of several bestselling cookbooks and co-owns the restaurants Rovi and Nopi. His latest book is Falastin, co-authored with Tara Wigley. 

@sami_tamimi

Tara Wigley: After spending a decade working in publishing, Tara Wigley, decided to retrain at the Ballymaloe cookery school in Ireland. She has developed, tested, and written recipes for Yotam Ottolenghi’s column in the Guardian magazine and monthly New York Times’s columns, as well as for his cookbooks. Her latest book is Falastin, co-authored with Sami Tamimi.

@tara.wigley

ABOUT THE HOST

Anna Barnett (www.annabarnettcooks.com) is a chef and food writer. She moved to London to work in TV and enjoyed a career at both MTV and Channel 4 before moving into fashion. Life has always been experienced through the lens of good food, however, and she released her debut cookery book ‘Eat the Week’ in 2015, after which she spent several years writing ‘The Reluctant Vegetarian’ blog for the Independent newspaper whilst also contributing to Vogue magazine. She went on to write the food pages for Grazia magazine; she now has a weekly column writing for The Evening Standard online. In 2019 Anna wrote and styled ‘How to be Gluten Free and Not Lose Friends’, her second cookery book. Anna regularly hosts pop-up restaurants, collaborates with brands, caters private events as well as hosting cookery classes at her home in east London. 

@annabarnettcooks