A Middle-Eastern inspired dinner menu

Tonight, lively, fresh starter courses meet a creamy, spiced main, followed by an icy-sweet treat for dessert.

Updated May 27, 2015

Creamy hummus, spiced lamb and chopped vegetable salad

Middle Eastern food for four. (Photo, Sian Richards.)

Inspired by a trip to Tel Aviv, where fresh ingredients, lively marketplaces and dinner traditions abound, this menu is a great way to capture the magic of Middle Eastern food in your own kitchen. Here, the starter courses are lively and fresh, and creamy hummus is not just a pre-dinner dip, but a luxurious main dish. And to top it off, is a refreshing icy dessert of citrus, pomegranate, and orange blossom.

Star anise and cinnamon cocktail. (Photo, Michael Alberstat.)

Cocktail
Star anise and cinnamon cocktail A spiced citrus drink you can have ready ahead of time! Mix together in a pitcher, and refrigerate until guests arrive. Serve over ice.

Fresh fig salad with blackberries. (Photo, Erik Putz.)

Starters
Fresh fig salad with blackberries Start dinner off with delicate pea shoots, ripe blackberries and figs, drizzled with honey vinaigrette.

Spring-herb fritters with quick-pickled red onions

Spring-herb fritters. (Photo, Erik Putz.)

Spring-herb fritters with pickled onions These are like savoury pancakes and make a perfect appetizer or first course.

Photo, Erik Putz.

Main
Creamy hummus and spiced lamb with pine nuts Adding spicy sautéed meat turns hummus into a fabulous main. Serve with lots of very fresh pita.

Israeli chopped salad This fresh, crunchy salad is served with almost every meal in the Middle East. Don’t make it too far in advance, or it will become soupy.

(Pomegranate granita.) Photo, Erik Putz.

Dessert
Pomegranate granita Sweet, tart and icy, this granita is as refreshing as dessert can be. Serve it in frozen dessert dishes to delay melting.

GET CHATELAINE IN YOUR INBOX!

Subscribe to our newsletters for our very best stories, recipes, style and shopping tips, horoscopes and special offers.

Chatelaine

Chatelaine celebrates, inspires, informs and empowers. We know that Canadian women contain multitudes, and we cover all of the issues—big and small—that matter to them, from climate change to caregiving, Canadian fashion and what to cook now.

FILED UNDER:

Copy link

The cover of Chatelaine magazine's spring 2025 issue, reading "weekend prep made easy"; "five delicious weeknight meals", "plus, why you'll never regret buying an air fryer"; "save money, stay stylish how to build a capsule wardrobe" and "home organization special" along with photos of burritos, chicken and rice and white bean soup, quick paella in a dutch oven, almost-instant Thai chicken curry and chicken broccoli casserole in an enamelled cast-iron skillet

Subscribe to Chatelaine!

Want to streamline your life? In our Spring 2025 issue, we’ll show you how—whether it’s paring down your wardrobe, decluttering your messiest spaces or spending way less time cooking thanks to an easy, mostly make-ahead meal plan for busy weeknights. Plus, our first annual Pantry Awards.