Mediterranean & Middle Eastern Recipes Without Seed Oils

These are all 30 Mediterranean & Middle Eastern recipes on The Foodie Kitchen, each cooked with a traditional fat such as butter, ghee, tallow, lard, coconut or olive oil instead of seed oils. They are grouped by meal so you can jump straight to breakfasts, mains, sides or desserts.

Jump to: Breakfast & Brunch · Dinner & Main Dishes · Sides, Soups & Breads · Desserts & Baking · Snacks, Dips & Sauces · Drinks

Breakfast & Brunch

• Ghee Shakshuka — Middle Eastern Eggs in Tomato Sauce — Shakshuka cooked in ghee instead of olive oil or canola — poached eggs in spiced tomato sauce, seed oil free and ready in 25 minutes.
• Shakshuka — Eggs in Spiced Tomato Sauce in Olive Oil — Shakshuka is the North African and Levantine one-pan breakfast — eggs poached directly in a cumin and paprika spiced tomato sauce in olive o
• Spanish Tortilla — Potato and Egg Omelette in Olive Oil — Spanish tortilla de patatas is a thick potato and egg omelette cooked slowly in generous olive oil until the potatoes are completely tender,
• Turkish Eggs — Çılbır in Brown Butter and Chilli — Çılbır is the Ottoman breakfast that has survived into the modern Turkish kitchen — poached eggs on thick garlic yoghurt with brown butter a

Dinner & Main Dishes

• Cacio e Pepe in Butter — The Roman Pasta That Needs Nothing Else — Cacio e pepe is three ingredients — pasta, Pecorino Romano, and black pepper — emulsified with pasta water and butter into the simplest and
• Chicken Confit in Tallow — the Duck Fat Technique Applied to Chicken — Confit — the French preservation technique of slow-cooking meat submerged in fat — applied to chicken thighs in beef tallow. The result is t
• Chicken Piccata in Brown Butter and Capers — Chicken piccata is the Italian-American classic — thin chicken cutlets dredged in flour and pan-fried in butter with lemon, capers, and whit
• Garlic Lentil Stew in Olive Oil — Mediterranean Medicinal Recipe — A Mediterranean lentil stew with two heads of garlic slow-cooked in six tablespoons of olive oil. Nutrient-dense and deeply savoury. Seed oi
• Greek Lamb Kleftiko — Slow Roasted in Butter and Parchment — Greek lamb kleftiko slow-roasted in butter and sealed in parchment — the ancient method that makes the most tender lamb imaginable.
• Greek Lamb Souvlaki — Tallow Marinated Skewers — Greek lamb souvlaki — marinated in tallow, lemon, and oregano and grilled on skewers. Seed oil free. Serve with pita and tzatziki.
• Italian Pasta Carbonara — Butter and Lard Version — Spaghetti carbonara with butter and lard — no cream, no seed oils. The Roman original with guanciale substitute. Ready in 20 minutes.
• Lamb Kofta — Middle Eastern Spiced Lamb Meatballs in Tallow — Lamb kofta — spiced ground lamb meatballs grilled in tallow. Middle Eastern street food. Seed oil free. With tahini sauce.
• Lebanese Kibbeh — Lamb and Bulgur in Lamb Fat — Lebanese kibbeh — ground lamb and bulgur wheat croquettes fried in lamb fat or tallow. Seed oil free. The national dish of Lebanon.
• Moussaka — Greek Lamb and Aubergine Bake in Tallow — Moussaka — Greek layered aubergine, spiced lamb, and béchamel bake. Cooked in tallow and butter. Seed oil free.
• Mujaddara — Lebanese Lentils and Rice in Olive Oil — Mujaddara — slow-caramelised onion, green lentils, and rice cooked in olive oil. The Lebanese seed oil free staple. Vegan, 45 minutes.
• Osso Buco — Milanese Braised Veal Shanks in Butter — Osso buco alla milanese is the Lombardy classic — cross-cut veal shanks braised in butter and white wine with a gremolata of lemon, garlic,
• Pan-Seared Salmon With Brown Butter and Capers — Salmon seared skin-side down in butter until the skin is crispy, finished with a brown butter and caper sauce in the same pan. A seed oil fr
• Persian Lamb in Ghee and Saffron — Slow-Braised Khoresh — Khoresh is the Persian braise — lamb slow-cooked in ghee with saffron, dried limes, and walnuts until the sauce is deep and fragrant. Served
• Provençal Chicken — South of France Braise in Olive Oil — Poulet à la Provençale is French countryside cooking at its simplest — chicken pieces braised in olive oil with tomatoes, olives, capers, an
• Yemeni Zhug — Fresh Herb and Chilli Paste in Olive Oil — Zhug is Yemen's incendiary fresh herb sauce — coriander, parsley, garlic, and green chillies pounded with cardamom and cumin, emulsified in

Sides, Soups & Breads

• Iranian Tahdig — Crispy Butter-Bottom Saffron Rice — Tahdig is the most coveted part of Persian cooking — the golden, shatteringly crispy rice crust that forms on the bottom of the pot during t
• Italian Ribollita — Tuscan Bread and Bean Soup in Olive Oil — Ribollita means 're-boiled' — a Tuscan peasant soup of cavolo nero, cannellini beans, and stale bread, cooked slowly in olive oil until thic
• Mediterranean Saffron Pilaf in Butter — Saffron rice pilaf cooked the Mediterranean way — onion softened in butter, rice toasted in the same butter, stock added, and saffron stirre
• Persian Ghee Rice — Tahdig with Crispy Crust — Persian tahdig — crispy-bottomed ghee rice, the most prized part of any Persian meal. Seed oil free. Golden crust, fluffy inside.
• Turkish Advieh Rice in Ghee — Persian-Spiced Pilaf — Advieh is the Persian spice blend for rice — dried rose petals, cardamom, cinnamon, cumin, and coriander bloomed in ghee before the rice is

Desserts & Baking

• Italian Biscotti — Twice-Baked in Olive Oil and Butter — Cantucci — the original Tuscan biscotti — are twice-baked almond biscuits made in olive oil and butter, not butter alone. The twice-baking c

Snacks, Dips & Sauces

• Baba Ganoush — Smoky Aubergine Dip with Olive Oil — Baba ganoush — smoky charred aubergine dip with tahini and olive oil. Seed oil free. Better made at home than any shop-bought version.
• Falafel Fried in Tallow — Seed Oil Free Middle Eastern — Falafel fried in beef tallow — crispy outside, fluffy inside, no seed oils. Made from dried chickpeas, not canned. Better than any shop-boug
• Hummus — Seed Oil Free with Olive Oil — Classic hummus with extra virgin olive oil — no canola, no seed oil dressings. The real Lebanese way. Better than any shop-bought.

Drinks

• Turkish Coffee With Cardamom and Ghee — Turkish coffee is unfiltered, brewed in a small copper pot called a cezve, intensely strong, and served with the grounds settled at the bott