Honey & Co Daily, the fifth cookbook from Itamar Srulovich and Sarit Packer, chef-founders of Honey & Co, is all about punctuating days with simple dishes that bring joy. It’s a reflection of how the pair are cooking and eating, particularly since the dark days of lockdowns and social distancing. “A year, a month or even a week can be daunting, but a day is always manageable,” they write. “Most days can accommodate a bit of joy … When the big things in life are a mess, it’s the little pleasures that carry us through.”
The book is grounded in this mantra, and shines through in the wholesome, simple recipes that fill its pages. An entire chapter is devoted to eggs, while the joys of soup get their due in recipes like onion and miso broth with cheesy crostini, and fragrant chicken soup with an array of toppings.
There are sandwiches – crispy za’atar chicken schnitzel sandwiches, the “perfect” cheese and chutney sandwich – and salads, plus bigger dinner dishes, such as chicken tray bakes, okra and lamb meatballs, and one-pan lamb and pappardelle. The book ends on a sweet note: a chapter of easy bakes and desserts, which read like they could be pulled straight from the shelves of Honey & Co Bloomsbury bakery, Honey & Co Daily: tahini and preserved lemon cookies, date and cardamom scones and peanut butter mousse.
This simple shakshuka recipe is taken from the egg chapter. And while it serves four for brunch, the chefs are all for eating eggs around the clock. “Why stop at breakfast or brunch? Most of our home meals revolve around eggs whatever the time of day. They always deliver, come together with ease, and never, ever disappoint.”
Honey & Co’s broad bean and courgette shakshuka
Serves 4 for brunch
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Ingredients
4 tbsp olive oil
4 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
1 large onion, halved, peeled and finely sliced (about 120g)
3 courgettes, finely sliced (about 500g)
1 tsp flaky sea salt
About 500g frozen broad beans/fava beans (or use podded fresh ones in season)
1 small bunch of basil (about 20g), leaves picked and roughly chopped
1 small bunch of parsley (about 20g), leaves picked and roughly chopped
8 eggs
Flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Heat the olive oil and garlic in a large frying pan. As soon as the garlic starts to sizzle, stir in the sliced onion and fry for 2 minutes.
Add the courgette slices with the teaspoon of salt, cover and cook for 10–12 minutes, stirring occasionally until the courgettes start to fall apart and become mushy.
Mix in the broad beans and chopped herbs, then stir in 100ml of water. Bring to the boil and allow to cook uncovered for 4 minutes.
Crack the eggs into the sauce and sprinkle generously with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cover and simmer for 4–5 minutes until the whites are set but the yolks are still runny. Serve immediately.
Honey & Co Daily by Itamar Srulovich and Sarit Packer (Quadrille, £27) Photography © Patricia Niven.
