The Mediterranean diet - rich in grains, vegetables, pulses, fruit and nuts, with little meat, plenty of fish, and olive oil as the main fat - has long been adopted as a model of healthy eating.

But its real appeal is the sensual quality of the cooking, which is full of rich flavours, aromas and colours, as well as its simplicity. It is the kind of food I love. I have been travelling around the Mediterranean researching the cooking for decades now.

I was born in Egypt and, as they say, if you belong to any part of the Mediterranean you are never a stranger along its shores. I feel at home with the architecture and the street life, the way people live, the way they shop and cook and eat. There is great regional diversity between the 16 or so countries around the Mediterranean, yet there are also many similarities. I found the same ingredients and many similar dishes from one end of the sea to the other. It has to do with the shared climate and produce, the age-old trading between the port cities, and an incestuous history, with the same empires and influences. These dishes have a special charm; they are part of an old culture and tradition. You will love them too.

Tunisian roasted salad

This salad is ubiquitous in Tunisia. The Tunisians call it meshweya, meaning 'roasted', because the vegetables are roasted or grilled - usually over a fire. It makes a satisfying snack meal in itself.

serves 4-6
preparation time: 50 minutes
cooking time: 45 minutes - 1 hour

3 onions
3 green or red peppers
3 tomatoes
200g can of tuna in brine, drained and flaked
2 hard-boiled eggs, shelled and cut into wedges
1 tbsp capers, rinsed and drained (optional)
50g can of anchovies in oil, drained (optional)
4-5 tbsps extra-virgin olive oil juice of 1 lemon
half tsp caraway seeds salt and pepper

Pre-heat the oven to its hottest. Put the onions, peppers and tomatoes on a piece of foil on a baking sheet and place in the oven.

Remove the tomatoes as soon as the skins begin to loosen and they soften very slightly - this will take about 15 minutes. When they are cool enough to handle, skin them and cut into wedges.

Roast the peppers for another 15 minutes, or until the skins are browned and they feel soft, turning them once. Drop them into a plastic freezer bag and twist to close it; this loosens the skins further. When they are cool enough to handle, peel the peppers and remove the seeds, then cut each pepper into 8 ribbons from the stem end to the bottom. Take the onions out when they feel soft when you press them. They will take 15-30 minutes longer than the peppers. Leave until cool enough to handle, then peel them and cut into wedges.

Arrange the elements of the salad - onions, peppers, tomatoes, flaked tuna and eggs - on individual plates in a decorative way. A garnish of capers, olives and anchovies is optional. Mix the oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper and caraway seeds together and drizzle over the salad.

Couscous salad

This substantial salad is easy to make for a large company and can be prepared in advance, as it does not spoil. The couscous does not need cooking, only soaking in water until it is tender.

serves 6-8
preparation time: 30 minutes, plus about 50 minutes standing

250g couscous
300ml cold water
juice of 1or 1,5 lemons, or to taste
6 tbsps extra-virgin olive oil
grated zest of 1 lemon (optional)
3 firm, medium-sized tomatoes, diced
1 cucumber, peeled and diced
8 spring onions, sliced
4 tbsps chopped fresh parsley a few sprigs of fresh mint, chopped
12 black or green olives, pitted and chopped (optional)
salt and pepper

Put the couscous in a bowl, add the water and stir well. Leave to stand for about 20 minutes, or until the water has been absorbed. Fluff the couscous up by rubbing it between your hands and break up any lumps.

For the dressing, mix together the lemon juice and extra-virgin olive oil with some salt and pepper and add the lemon zest, if you like. Stir into the couscous and leave to stand for at least 30 minutes, until it has absorbed the dressing.

Just before serving, add the tomatoes, cucumber, spring onions, parsley, mint and olives, and mix well.

Provençal prawns

Cognac and white wine give this sauce an exquisite flavour. It is very good served with rice. Use raw king prawns, either with the shells still on or ready-peeled. If you buy frozen prawns with their heads off, you may need double the weight.

serves 4
preparation time: 30 minutes
cooking time: 30 minutes

600g raw king prawns, shell on, or 300g peeled ones
1 onion, chopped
2 tbsps extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
500g tomatoes, skinned and chopped
1 tsp sugar
1 fresh red chilli, finely chopped
3 tbsps Cognac
150ml dry white wine
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
3 tbsps fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
salt

To peel prawns, twist off their heads and pull off the 'legs'. Then break open the shell along the belly and peel it off (leave the tail on, if liked, for more attractive presentation). If you see a dark thread along the back, make a fine slit with a sharp knife and pull it out. Fry the onion in the olive oil in a large frying pan, stirring occasionally, until it begins to colour.

Add the garlic and, when the aroma rises, add all the remaining ingredients except the prawns and parsley. Simmer, uncovered, for about 20 minutes, until the sauce is reduced and aromatic.

Add the prawns and cook over a medium heat for 1-2 minutes, turning them over, until they turn pink. Serve hot, garnished with the parsley.

Spaghetti with garlic, herbs and olive oil

Spaghetti alle erbe is a Sicilian dish. I like using masses of herbs - at least 4 tablespoons per person - and plenty of garlic. You can chop the herbs by hand or in a food processor. If the taste of raw garlic is too strong for you, you could fry it in a tablespoon of oil for seconds only, until the sweet aroma rises.

This dish is not served with grated cheese. The best spaghetti to buy is the one made with durum wheat semolina.

serves 4
preparation time: 15 minutes
cooking time: 10-12 minutes

4 garlic cloves or more, crushed
a large bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
a large bunch of fresh basil, finely chopped
a large bunch of fresh mint, finely chopped
0,5 small, fresh red chilli, very finely chopped or pounded (optional)
120-150 ml extra-virgin olive oil
400g spaghetti
salt

Prepare the sauce first. Mix the garlic, herbs and chilli, if using, with the olive oil in a large serving bowl. Add a little salt and mix well.

Put the spaghetti in a large pan of boiling salted water, gently pushing it in. Keep the water at a gentle rolling boil and cook for 10-12 minutes, until the spaghetti is al dente - tender but still firm to the bite. Drain quickly, keeping about half a cupful of the cooking water. Toss the spaghetti with the oil and herb mixture, adding a little of the reserved cooking water if necessary, so that the spaghetti slides smoothly. Serve immediately.

Chicken with pickled lemons and olives

I love the taste of lemons pickled (or preserved) in salt. They lose their sharpness and acquire a special flavour. At every vegetable market in North Africa, and now also in the south of France, there are stalls laden with huge piles of soft lemons, oozing with juice, next to several varieties of olives. The two are often used together. You can now find pickled lemons and Moroccan olives in supermarkets. In this recipe the lemon is added towards the end of cooking but some cooks like to use a little chopped lemon to flavour the sauce during the cooking as well.

serves 4
preparation time: 20 minutes
cooking time: about 45 minutes

1 large chicken, cut into quarters
3 tbsps vegetable oil or extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, grated or very finely chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, crushed
0,25 tsp crushed saffron strands or saffron powder
0,5-0,75 tsp ground ginger
1,5 tsps ground cinnamon
1,5 large or 3 small pickled lemons, rinsed and cut into quarters or thin strips
12-16 green or violet olives, soaked in 2 changes of water for 30 minutes and then drained
salt and pepper

Put the chicken pieces in a large, wide saucepan with all the ingredients except the preserved lemons and the olives. Half cover with water and bring just to the boil. Reduce the heat, then cover the pan and simmer for about 45 minutes, until the chicken is so tender that the flesh can be pulled off the bone easily and the liquid is reduced to a thick sauce. Turn the chicken pieces over a few times during cooking, adding a little more water if necessary.

Stir the lemon peel and olives into the sauce for the last 15 minutes of cooking. Some people like to add the lemon right at the very end.

Spiced saffron rice

Yellow rice is a celebratory festive dish in the Middle East. This spiced version is exquisite and very aromatic. You can make it in advance and heat it through in the oven, covered with foil, before serving.

serves 6
preparation time: 15 minutes
cooking time: 30 minutes

500g basmati rice
900 ml chicken stock (made by using 1,5 stock cubes)
1 tsp cardamom seeds (Indian stores sell them out of the pod)
6 cloves
3 cinnamon sticks, about 7.5 cm long
0,5 tsp crushed saffron strands or powder
65g butter, cut into small pieces, or 5 tbsps
sunflower oil
3 tbsps pine nuts
3 tbsps almonds, coarsely chopped
3 tbsps pistachio nuts, coarsely chopped
salt and pepper

To wash the rice, put it in a bowl and pour hot water over it, then rinse under cold running water in a fine colander or sieve.

In a large pan, bring the stock to the boil with the cardamom seeds, cloves and cinnamon sticks and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the saffron and some salt and pepper and then add the rice. Let it come to the boil again and stir well, then lower the heat to a minimum, cover the pan and cook for about 20 minutes, until little holes appear on the surface and the rice is tender. Gently stir in the butter or oil and add more salt to taste, if necessary.

Toast the pine nuts and almonds very briefly in a small, lightly oiled pan, shaking the pan, until they just begin to colour. Serve the rice hot, in a mound, with the pine nuts, pistachios and almonds sprinkled on top. Alternatively, spread the toasted nuts over the bottom of a ring mould, press the rice firmly down on top of them and carefully turn out.