Darina Allen: Three recipes from Izz Café's new cookbook

Irish Examiner

02-08-2025

The word Jibrin may not mean anything to you but mention Izz Café on George Quay in Cork city and people's eyes light up.
This little café, serving traditional Palestinian food, was originally opened in 2019 by Izzeddeen Alkarajeh and Ema Aburabi.
They sought asylum in Ireland from a variety of challenging situations.
After a spell in Direct Provision, they eventually got their papers processed and were determined to contribute to the country that gave them refuge.
Through the Society of Friends in Cork, they were introduced to Rupert Hugh-Jones who operates Farmers' Markets in both Mahon Point and Douglas.
With much encouragement and goodwill, they eventually set up a stall selling manaeesh za'atar (flatbread), hummus and moutabal.
The response was overwhelmingly positive. On the first day, they sold out in just 2 hours.
This encouraged them to follow their dream of opening a café.
Izz, who has a bachelor's degree in computer science, is particularly passionate about coffee.
He longed to roast and blend and introduce customers to the Palestinian coffee they are now famous for. Izz Café was opened a year to the day later on George's Quay in Cork city.
Eman, who holds a diploma in interior design, cooked from scratch, the hauntingly delicious traditional Palestinian dishes that she had learned from her mother and grandmother's kitchen.
Word spread, Corkonians flocked to get a taste of Eman's rich and comforting food, perfumed with fresh spices – za'atar, sumac, citrus and extra virgin olive oil.
Both they and Izz Café have become a beloved part of the Cork restaurant scene. They have since expanded their space in response to the growing demand.
Such a lovely story and now Habib, a talented, young refugee from Gaza who loves to cook has also joined Izz Café.
They are actively involved in community-driven initiatives including fundraisers such as 'Coffee for Palestine' and 'One Plate for Palestine.'
But the most recent excitement is the publication of their first cookbook in which they share many of the Izz Café favourites.
It's published by Blasta Books (#15 in the series) and entitled Jibrin. named for both Izz and Eman's now abandoned family homeland, Beit Jibrin in Palestine. How poignant is that?
I'm hoping to do an East Cork Slow Food event here at the Ballymaloe Cookery School with Izz Café in the near future (they have recently been awarded the Best Middle Eastern restauarnt in Ireland).
I'll keep you posted, but meanwhile, seek out the original: Izz Café on George's Quay in Cork city.
Here are three recipes from the Jibrin cookbook to whet your appetite.
Café Izz' Nabulsi Knafeh
recipe by:Darina Allen
Nabulsi knafeh is a sweet, cheesy pastry layered with kataifi pastry, then soaked in aromatic sugar syrup.
Servings
10
Course 
Main
Ingredients 200g Nabulsi or Akkawi cheese, diced small, or grated mozzarella
500g frozen kataifi pastry
225g ghee or unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for greasing
2 tsp caster sugar
For the syrup:
400g caster sugar
240ml water
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp rosewater or orange blossom water (optional)
To decorate:
finely chopped pistachios
Method
The Nabulsi or Akkawi cheese needs to have the salt removed, so put the diced cheese in a bowl, cover with cold water and soak for 15 minutes, then drain. Repeat this process every 15 minutes for 4 hours to remove the salt. Squeeze the diced cheese into even smaller pieces and set aside. Skip these steps if you're using grated mozzarella.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4. This works best in a conventional oven, using the top and bottom heat. Grease a 30.5cm cake tin generously with melted ghee or butter. Knafeh is traditionally made in a copper tray because it conducts the heat so well, but this will work too.
Chop the frozen kataifi pastry into small pieces to make it easier to blend. Add it in batches to a food processor and pulse until it's a fine powder.
Put the pastry in a large bowl with most of the melted ghee or butter and the sugar. Use your hands to combine into a dough. Add more ghee or butter if needed to bring it together – it should hold together when you squeeze it.
Spread half of the dough over the base of the greased tin, making sure there are no gaps and pressing it down in a firm, even layer.
Scatter the cheese over the pastry base, keeping the edges clear. Scatter the rest of the dough on top, pressing it gently to flatten the surface.
Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes, until the cheese has melted and the top is golden and crisp.
Meanwhile, to make the syrup, put the sugar, water and lemon juice in a saucepan and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring to dissolve the sugar, until thickened. Stir in the rosewater or orange blossom water (if using). Set aside to cool.
Remove the knafeh from the oven and immediately pour the cooled syrup over it, then scatter over the pistachios to decorate. Let it soak for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Café Izz' Sumagiyya (Palestinian Sumac Stew)
Sumagiyya is a tangy Palestinian stew from Gaza, featuring slow-cooked meat with Swiss chard, tahini and subtle spices in a sumac-infused broth, which is what gives the stew its signature tartness.
Preparation Time 
2 hours 0 mins
Cooking Time 
1 hours 30 mins
Total Time 
3 hours 30 mins
Course 
Main
Ingredients For the sumac water:
100g whole dried sumac berries
720ml cold water
For boiling the meat
500g stewing beef or lamb, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 onion, quartered
2 bay leaves
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the stew:
120ml olive oil, plus extra to serve
3 medium onions, finely diced
500g Swiss chard, finely chopped
1 x 400g tin of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 tsp mixed spice
60g plain flour
120ml tahini
For the daqqa (spice mix):
4 garlic cloves
1 tsp chilli flakes
1 tsp dried dill
1 tsp salt
To serve
warm pitta
Method
Put the sumac berries in a bowl, cover with the cold water and soak for 2 hours.
Put the meat, onion and bay leaves in a large pot and cover with plenty of cold water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and skim off any foam that appears on the surface. Add a little salt and pepper and simmer for 40 minutes, until the meat is cooked. Strain the broth into a bowl, then set the meat aside and keep the broth.
Pour the sumac berries and their soaking water into a separate saucepan and bring to a boil, then cook for 15 minutes. Strain the berries through a fine mesh sieve. Discard the berries and keep the sumac-infused water.
For the stew, heat the olive oil in a large pot on a medium heat. Add the diced onions and cook for 10 minutes, until completely soft.
To make the daqqa (spice mix) while the onions are cooking, crush the garlic, chilli flakes, dill and salt together until smooth. Stir the daqqa into the onions and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant.
Add the Swiss chard and stir until wilted, then add the boiled meat, chickpeas and mixed spice. Pour over the strained sumac water, making sure all the ingredients are fully covered. Stir well and simmer on a medium heat for 10 minutes. Gradually add the flour while stirring continuously until the mixture thickens, then stir in the tahini. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
To serve, ladle the sumagiyya into serving bowls and let it cool completely. We leave it in the fridge overnight and eat it cold the next day, but it's often served at room temperature.
Drizzle a little olive oil over the top of each bowl and serve with warm pitta.
Café Izz' Basbousa (Middle Eastern Semolina Cake)
Basbousa is a semolina cake drenched in sweet syrup, commonly infused with rosewater or orange blossom water and topped with almonds.
Preparation Time 
35 mins
Cooking Time 
35 mins
Total Time 
1 hours 10 mins
Course 
Dessert
Ingredients tahini or butter, for greasing the tin
200g caster sugar
240ml sunflower oil
240ml natural yogurt or sour cream
3 large eggs
1 tsp rosewater, orange blossom water or vanilla extract
360g medium semolina
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
a small pinch of salt
270g desiccated coconut
For the syrup:
300g caster sugar
240ml water
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp rosewater or orange blossom water (optional)
To decorate:
15 blanched almonds or desiccated coconut,
dried rose petals
flaked almonds and finely chopped pistachios
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4.
Brush the base and sides of a 23cm x 33cm baking tin with tahini (or grease with butter if you don't have tahini).
Put the sugar, oil, yogurt and eggs in a large bowl with the orange blossom water, rosewater or vanilla and whisk to combine.
Add the semolina, baking powder, baking soda and a small pinch of salt and whisk again. Finally, add the coconut. I like to use my hands to mix in the coconut to make sure it's really well combined.
Transfer to the prepared tin, then tap the tin on the counter a few times to make sure the batter is evenly distributed. Let it sit for 15 minutes to allow the semolina to absorb the moisture, which will help to firm up the cake.
Using the tip of a sharp knife, score the top of the batter into 15 diamond or square shapes.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, until the cake has risen and turned golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Meanwhile, to make the syrup, put the sugar and water in a saucepan over a medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then bring to a boil and add the lemon juice. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, until slightly thickened. Remove the pan from the heat and add the rosewater or orange blossom water (if using). Set aside and keep warm – you don't want it to thicken as it cools.
As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, cut it all the way through along the score lines, then pour the syrup all over the top. Let it sit for 30 minutes to soak up the syrup.
It's traditional to put a whole almond in the middle of each portion of cake, but in the café, we omit this and instead decorate each slice with desiccated coconut, dried rose petals, flaked almonds and finely chopped pistachios.