This week’s plan has its usual four easy dinners and one dessert — plus a little bonus. I made Warak Enab last week, the slow Tripoli way, and I’m still so proud of it. It’s a real labour of love — the kind of dish you make for someone you love on a weekend when you’ve got the hours to give it, and it’s traditionally a festive dish for special occasions and gatherings. You’ll find the recipe at the bottom of this post, and I really encourage you to give it a go if you’ve got a free weekend coming up.
For the week itself: a rich beef classic, a vegetarian burger that even meat-lovers ask for again, a comforting chickpea and lamb stew, a bright roasted salad, and a no-bake dessert that’s twenty-five years in the making. Every recipe is linked below — let’s have a great week.
This Week’s Meal Plan
Meal 1: Lebanese Biftek
This is the kind of dish that fills the whole house with the best smell before anyone’s even sat down. Thinly sliced beef, seared until golden, then slow-cooked in a rich, silky sauce of golden onions, crushed garlic and a generous hit of lemon. Proper home cooking — the kind that brings everyone wandering into the kitchen asking what’s for dinner. Serve it over Lebanese rice and let the sauce do the talking.
👉 Get the Lebanese Biftek recipe
Meal 2: Halloumi and Eggplant Burger
Not many of my burgers are meat-free — my boys are all about hearty meals — but this one disappeared off the table while I was still testing it. Golden fried eggplant and crispy halloumi, piled onto a bun with mint pesto, shredded cabbage and carrot. Bold, fresh, and genuinely satisfying — even the meat-lovers in your house won’t notice what’s missing. A really lovely change of pace for the middle of the week.
👉 Get the Halloumi and Eggplant Burger recipe
Meal 3: Chickpea and Lamb Stew
This one came from a dinner that didn’t quite work out — we tried someone else’s lamb shank recipe, weren’t impressed, and ended up saying “why don’t we just stick to our flavours?” Cumin, coriander, garlic and onion, the way we’ve always loved it. Tender lamb shanks shredded into a rich chickpea broth, simmered until everything is deeply comforting. Most of it is hands-off, and it tastes even better the next day. Serve it over vermicelli rice with crusty bread on the side.
👉 Get the Chickpea and Lamb Stew recipe
Meal 4: Roasted Cauliflower Pumpkin Salad
The lightest thing on the table this week — and exactly what you’ll want alongside the richer dishes. Cauliflower and pumpkin roasted until golden and caramelised, tossed with baby spinach, fresh dill and crunchy almonds, all finished with a tangy wholegrain mustard dressing. Ready in under 40 minutes and just as good served warm or at room temperature.
Dessert: Lemon Jelly Slice
This one has history. My sister tasted it at school pick-up over twenty-five years ago, came home raving about it, tracked down the recipe and handed it straight to me — and it’s been sitting in my cookbook ever since. Three honest layers: a buttery biscuit base, a creamy lemon and condensed milk centre, and a bright jelly layer on top. No oven, no fuss, completely retro and completely delicious. Make it the day before — it sets beautifully overnight and slices like a dream.
The Weekend Project: Warak Enab — Tripoli’s Stuffed Vine
If you’ve got a free weekend coming up and you’ve ever wanted to take on a real labour of love, this is it. Tender vine leaves stuffed with spiced lamb mince and rice, layered over slow-braised lamb shanks and necks, and simmered low and slow for up to 24 hours until everything falls apart and the zoum — that beautiful lemony stock at the bottom of the pot — turns deep and rich. This isn’t a Tuesday night dinner. It’s a declaration. Start it Saturday, let it simmer through the night, and watch it become the centrepiece of your Sunday table.
👉 Get the Warak Enab — Tripoli’s Stuffed Vine recipe
A week of easy dinners, one beautiful salad, a nostalgic dessert — and a project for whenever you’re ready.
I hope this makes your week in the kitchen feel a little easier — and a lot more delicious. Tell me which one you’re making first! 🤍
