50 SPINNEYS-DUBAI.COM AUGUST 2017

• Essa is from the UAE and is the founder of fitnesswithessa.com.• His website aims to motivate and inspire the younger generation.• Al Ansari visits schools, gyms and businesses to deliver motivational speeches.• In 2013 he weighed 130 kilos; just two years later, he had shifted over half that weight.

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EID WITH ESSA Emirati fitness star Essa Al Ansari’s life changed with a fresh approach to food.

Here, he carries that philosophy into a communal feast for Eid Al-Adha, where the delicious, easy-to-prepare spread isn’t just for sharing – it’s good for you, too

A s Eid Al-Adha is a holiday that observes the gesture of making sacrifices, we

decided to ask Essa Al Ansari, someone who knows all about personal sacrifice, to help us embrace the celebrations.

Back in 2013, Essa, inspired by his twin brother and eager to lose weight, shunned his sluggish lifestyle and fast-food diet in favour of something altogether healthier,

devoted entirely to wholesome ingredients and days full of activity.

We teamed up to devise an Eid menu that draws on the influences running through the heart of Essa’s life. Some are cultural (Middle Eastern flavours can be tasted in every mouthful), others adopted (his love of nourishing food is mirrored in the low-fat, veg-packed nature of the recipes), while many tap into a sense of practicality (for

Essa, it’s important at Eid Al-Adha to strike the balance between making lovely food and family time with family, which is why many dishes can be prepared in advance).

With Eid falling at the turn of the month, there’s still a big window to make plans and perfect your celebrations. For menu advice, get in touch using #AskSpinneys, and head to our website for a further feast of Eid-inspired recipes.

About Essa

PU T S M I L E S O N FAC E S

BY S E RV I N GFA NTA S TI C

FOO D I N A R E L A X E D, COM M U N A L

WAYR E C I P E S A N D F O O D S T Y L I N GA M Y F U L L W O O DP H O T O G R A P H S

S U K A I N A R A J A B A L I

Entertaining

Follow Essa’s social tracks atfitnesswithessa

TASTE

THE

WORLD

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Entertaining

BROAD BEAN, TAHINI AND LEMON DIP Serves 8Prepare 10 minutes plus coolingCook 5 minutes

• 450g frozen broad beans

• 1 tbsp tahini • 2 tbsp olive oil, plus

extra for drizzling• zest of 1 lemon, juice

of ½ • ½ spinneysFOOD Peeled

Garlic Clove, crushed • 1 tsp dukkah• raw vegetables (we used

radishes, spinneysFOOD Baby Carrots, Baby Courgettes, Tenderstem Broccoli and Mangetout)

1 Cook the broad beans in a pan of boiling salted water until just tender. Transfer to iced water and cool completely. 2 Shell the beans (discard the skins) and tip into a blender with the tahini, olive oil, lemon zest and juice and garlic. Blitz until smooth then season.3 Spoon the dip into a bowl or dish, drizzle with oil and sprinkle over the dukkah. Serve with your choice of raw veggies on the side.

BO L D CO LO U R S M A K E FO R A PR E T T Y

TA B L E A N D A M A Z I N G LY

H E A LTH YS PR E A D

‘BEAUTIFUL BEETROOT’S

ANTIOXIDANT PROPERTIES

SHINE BRIGHTLY’

Serves 8Prepare 20 minutes plus picklingCook 1 hour 20 minutes

• 120ml white grape vinegar • 2½ tbsp spinneysFOOD

Caster Sugar• 1½ tsp lemon juice• 4 spinneysFOOD Candy

Beetroot, very thinly sliced • 25g walnuts, broken• 2 shallots, thinly sliced • ½ tsp chilli flakes • ½ bunch dill, fronds picked• 1 tbsp olive oil• 250g spinneysFOOD Diced

Onion• 2 spinneysFOOD Peeled

Garlic Cloves, crushed• 1kg beetroot, peeled and

roughly chopped• 1.25 litres vegetable stock• 60g natural yogurt

1 Put the vinegar, sugar, lemon juice and 2 tbsp water in a pan set over a high heat. Bring to

CHILLED BEETROOT SOUP CUPS WITH DILL-PICKLED BEETROOT AND WALNUT SALSA

the boil to dissolve the sugar then remove from the heat and cool for 10 minutes.2 Add the candy beetroot, walnuts, shallots, chilli flakes and ¼ dill. Stir to coat and leave to pickle for 3 hours. 3 Meanwhile, make the soup. Set a large saucepan with the oil over a medium heat. Cook the onion for 8 minutes until soft and translucent. Stir in the garlic and beetroot and cook for 5 minutes more, or until the beetroot starts to soften.4 Pour in the stock, season, cover with a lid and simmer gently for 1 hour until the beetroot is very tender. 5 Add the remaining dill and blitz until smooth. Season, cool completely then transfer to the fridge to chill.6 Remove the soup 20 minutes before you’re ready to serve. Divide among eight cups and top each with a dollop of yogurt and beetroot pickle.

Searching for the perfect drink to quench your

thirst? Serve icy glasses of watermelon water, a new-to-store and

nutritionally awesome drink that allows you to savour watermelon in its

most refreshing form.

For a true taste of the Middle East, look to dukkah. The word means

‘to pound’, and the blend is made up from nuts, seeds and spices (such

as cumin and coriander). Here

its texture contrasts the

smoothness of the dip, and you can

sprinkle the same principle over

soups, salads and grilled meats.

THE SWOT SPOT

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Entertaining

Serves 8Prepare 10 minutes plus maceratingCook No cook

• 50g spinneysFOOD Caster Sugar

• 1 tbsp cardamom powder

• 1 vanilla pod, split• juice of ½ lemon• 1kg spinneysFOOD

Strawberries, hulled and halved

• 1.5kg labneh • spinneysFOOD Blossoms,

HERBY FARRO, CHICK PEA AND GRAPE SALAD

Serves 8Prepare 10 minutesCook 20 minutes

• 400g farro• 80ml olive oil• zest and juice of ½ lemon• 1½ tbsp white grape

vinegar • 2 x 400g cans

spinneysFOOD Chick Peas, drained

• 2 spinneysFOOD Cucumbers, chopped

• 4 spinneysFOOD Tomatoes, chopped

• 250g spinneysFOOD Red Grapes, halved

• ½ bunch parsley, leaves picked and roughly chopped

• ½ bunch mint, leaves picked and roughly chopped

1 Cook the farro according to pack instructions then drain and keep warm.2 Meanwhile, whisk the olive oil, lemon zest and juice, vinegar and ¼ tsp salt in a small bowl. 3 Add the chick peas, cucumber, tomato, grapes and herbs to the farro, pour over the dressing and mix well. Season and transfer to a platter then serve.

to decorate (optional)

1 Combine the sugar, cardamom, seeds from the vanilla pod and lemon juice in a large bowl. Add the strawberries, turn to coat and leave to macerate for an hour, stirring after 30 minutes.2 To serve, divide the labneh among eight plates, spoon over the strawberries and the juice and decorate with blossom, if you like.

Muhammara is enjoyed across the

Levant. Here, all the classic dip elements have

been reimagined in dazzlingly light salad form. But if you can’t bear to

break from tradition, any

leftovers would be absolutely brilliant

whizzed up. LABNEH WITH CARDAMOM AND VANILLA STRAWBERRIES

MUHAMMARA SALAD

Serves 8Prepare 10 minutes plus coolingCook 8 minutes

• 100g almonds• 10 sprigs thyme, leaves

picked• 4 x 285g jars

spinneysFOOD Mixed Roasted Peppers, drained (100ml oil reserved) and roughly chopped

• zest and juice of ½ lemon

• 1 tsp white grape vinegar • 1 tsp chilli flakes• ½ bunch parsley, leaves

picked• 3 small brown Arabic

breads, toasted

1 Preheat the oven to 200°C, gas mark 6. Tip the almonds onto a baking tray, drizzle over 1 tbsp reserved pepper oil and add the thyme. Season, turn to coat and roast for 5-8 minutes, turning halfway, until golden. Cool then roughly chop. 2 Whisk the rest of the pepper oil together with the lemon zest and juice, vinegar, chilli flakes and ¼ tsp sea salt. 3 Put the peppers, parsley and almonds in a large bowl. Tear in the Arabic bread, pour over the dressing, season and turn to coat. Serve on a platter or divide among plates. DO IT

YOURSELFKeen to

make your own batch of labneh? See how on our website – it’s easier

than you think.

Assembling a special main course has never

been so stunningly effortless. Our packs of spinneysFOOD Wagyu

Beef Kebabs provide all the flavour needed – you just have to cook them. Three to five minutes on

a hot griddle pan will do the trick.

NO-STRAIN MAIN

DID YOU KNOW?

The edible flowers in our

range help bring a pretty floral touch to

desserts.

THE SWOT SPOT