THE BOUFARHAT FAMILY COOKBOOK
Fire. Family.
Proper food.
A collection of real meals built around fire, balance and family tables.
Welcome to our kitchen.
I’m Daniel Boufarhat. This cookbook brings together the food we cook and share at home, and the people and experiences behind a passion for good flavours, natural and organic ingredients, and authentic cooking.
The people behind the flavours.
That passion begins with my mum, Henriette. Her meticulous care in the kitchen brought French, Spanish and Lebanese flavours to the family table, always with an eye for the best ingredients. Her paella, Christmas turkey and wonderful seafood showed how much care and attention can bring to a meal.
There was Agathe, my godmother, with her unforgettable turkeys and cakes, and Tante Samo, with her kebbeh and authentic village dishes. Each brought something different to the table, giving familiar food its own character.
Dad shared that love of good food. He would come home with whatever was in season: festou’ halabe, bazella, me’tee or sugar cane. One of my favourite memories is of the boxes of greens he would bring home, always hoping emm ’leybeenee would be among them. Then there were the fish, bought fresh from the fisherman on his way home after a long day at work. Sometimes we went with him; sometimes it was a surprise. Those memories are a big part of the love of fresh, seasonal ingredients that carries into this kitchen.
When I think of Dad and good times, I think of Mallifa, prawns and Soltan Brahim fish. Those flavours belong to the memories of enjoying good food together.
My sister brought the influence of preparation and organisation: a meticulous pantry, everything ready to cook, and perhaps a little more order than strictly necessary! Olga brings another kind of inspiration, making restaurant-quality Italian food in minutes. Together, these influences make good food feel both worth the care and possible in everyday life.
Flavours of home, discoveries away.
From school age, around four or five, summers were spent in Ajaltoun and winters in Beirut, with occasional visits to Maghdoucheh, which became more familiar in my teens. The flavours of Keserwan were part of those early food memories, alongside the cooking shared by family.
That is what Lebanon meant to me: food from different cultures, a love of gathering around the table and the conversations that unfolded there. There were the snacks in between, too, and the time taken to prepare something for family or guests. Cooking was a way to show love, and that spirit is what we hope to carry into every meal we share.
Travel added more flavours to the mix. Both before Olga and I met and on our travels together, food has always been a reason to explore, from authentic local dishes to fine dining. The inspiration comes home, but the food we return to is easy to enjoy: good ingredients, generous flavour and something worth sharing.
Landing in Sydney brought another piece of good fortune: access to what I consider some of the best meat, seafood and vegetables the world has to offer. That abundance continues to feed the passion for good flavours and quality ingredients at our table.
From the land to the table.
The family has long grown olives and produced its own olive oil. Over time, half the family land in Maghdoucheh became home to a wide variety of fruit and other produce trees. Twenty-six years on in Australia, our batch of fresh virgin olive oil still arrives from the family every year. For me, nothing matches it.
That connection to growing food continues in the kids’ vegetable gardens. Spring onions, parsley, thyme, mint, oregano, cucumbers, basil, celery and whatever else is ready to pick find their way into our meals. Natural, organic ingredients and authentic flavours are at the heart of the food we love.
On the family land in Maghdoucheh.
These photographs bring together memories of Mum, Eric and me in Maghdoucheh: picking fruit, spending time on our land and visiting Saydet el Mantara. They are part of the story behind the food, connecting the people we love with the places and ingredients that shaped our tastes.
Saydet el Mantara, Our Lady of Awaiting, is associated with the Christian tradition that Mary waited there while Jesus preached in Sidon. Read about the tradition.
From our gardens to the kitchen.
Greens, herbs and seasonal produce from our family’s gardens and kitchens in Lebanon and Sydney. Small harvests and familiar flavours that find their way to the table.
A place at our table.
Before we eat, we begin with a prayer. It is a tradition carried from my parents and my Boy Scout days: acknowledging how blessed we are and praying for those less fortunate.
That small pause has always brought a deeper appreciation of how lucky we are to have access to quality food, and for the people willing to put in the time, care and hard work to prepare it. Gratitude is part of the meal, just as much as the flavours and the company.
Looking back at the meals we had day after day, you would have thought we were rich the whole time. Whatever struggles my parents must have been going through, they kept putting wonderful food on the table. That is something I will never forget, and it deepens my gratitude for the care and effort behind those meals.
Dad had a quiet rule: never cut costs when it came to food or health. It is a value I carry with me, and I think the kids are beginning to carry it too. Looking after ourselves and feeding each other well remain priorities at our table.
These recipes carry those influences into everyday cooking: care with ingredients, respect for the seasons, a love of fire and the pleasure of feeding people well. A proper crust, a rested steak, fresh herbs or a splash of lemon can make all the difference.
Where we come from.
FOR OUR KIDS, TO READ ONE DAY
Your mum, Olga, comes from Khabarovsk. Your dad was born and grew up in Ajaltoun, a place that will forever be in my heart. From around school age, life meant summers in Ajaltoun and winters in Beirut, with occasional visits to Maghdoucheh.
As I grew older, I came to know more about the places our family came from. My father’s roots are in Maghdoucheh. My mother and Pépé came from B3abdeet. Each of these places belongs in your family story, alongside Khabarovsk and the life we share here in Sydney.
I want you to know those names and the people behind them. The food in this cookbook is one way of keeping that connection: the flavours remembered, the care put into a meal and the stories shared around the table. As you grow and make your own memories, I hope these pages help you feel close to where we come from.
Still learning, always sharing.
With that passion now fully ignited, the learning continues. I enjoy developing flavours, but there is still so much I want to learn about the basics of cooking. This cookbook grows alongside that journey, bringing a lifetime of tastes and food memories into the things we make at home.
The hope is to pass something of that on to my kids, and to you: recipes to cook, flavours to explore, and the pleasure of taking time to make something for someone else. The people and stories behind the food are as much a part of that inheritance as the recipes themselves.
THE HOUSE PRINCIPLE
Protein anchors the plate.
Carbs satisfy the table.
Greens balance the meal.
The rules we cook by.
- Build balance: protein, carb and green.
- Heat before food.
- Colour creates flavour.
- Fat builds depth.
- Acid restores balance.
- Resting is part of cooking.
- Texture matters.
- Food is for sharing.