Matbucha

Matbucha simply means ‘cooked’ in Arabic and this is what it is – a savoury, smoky, sweet cooked vegetable jam with endless uses: as a dip at the start of a meal with bread and oil; in a sandwich with any kind of cheese; as a sauce in which to cook fish or seafood, or eggs for Middle Eastern breakfast-favourite shakshuka; or as a relish with anything grilled. It is a great staple, so it’s worth doubling up the recipe. The only reason we stopped making this in the restaurant wa