Tomato salad with pomegranate molasses
The first time I had this salad (known as gavurdagi salatasi) in Istanbul, I was staggered by its simplicity. How could a little drizzle of pomegranate molasses transform a simple tomato salad into something so bold and delicious? This salad is really special and makes the perfect accompaniment to any meal. Each time I make it someone asks for the recipe, thinking that the dressing is something special I have conjured up. Nobody guesses that the magic ingredient is pomegranate molasses. For this dish, I like to use baby plum tomatoes or, in summer, lovely yellow and green tomato varieties.
Serves 6 as a side dish
tomatoes 600g
Turkish long peppers 2 green, cut into thin rings, or 1 green pepper, thinly sliced lengthways
large red onion 1, cut in half and thinly sliced into half moons
sumac 2 tsp, plus a little extra to garnish
pomegranate molasses 4 tbsp
sea salt
extra virgin olive oil
walnut pieces 100g, to garnish
If using large tomatoes, chop them into rough 2cm cubes, or, if using cherry or baby plum tomatoes, simply halve them. There is no science or precision to making this salad – you just chop the tomatoes as you like.
Arrange the tomatoes, pepper ringsor strips and onion on a flat serving plate.
In another bowl combine the sumac,pomegranate molasses, crushed sea salt to taste and a little drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and give the ingredients a good mix. Drizzle the dressing evenly over the salad. Garnish with the walnuts and a little sprinkling of sumac and serve.
Radish, cucumber and red onion salad with mint and orange blossom dressing
Middle Eastern food can be heavy and plentiful, so you need to pair it with light, refreshing dishes that cleanse the palate and aid digestion. This is just that kind of dish – it is a perfect accompaniment to heavy meat and poultry dishes, providing a lovely fresh flavour – and it looks beautiful, too. The lightly sweetened dressing works well, counteracting the acidity, and Ijust love the intense crunchiness of this salad.
Serves 6 as a side dish
radishes 200g, trimmed and very thinly sliced
cucumber 1
small red onions 2, cut in half and thinly sliced into half moons
pine nuts 70g, toasted
For the mint and orange blossom dressing
clear honey 1 tbsp
orange blossom water 1½ tsp
lemon juice of 1
olive oil 4 tbsp
sea salt
black pepper freshly ground
mint 2x20g packets, leaves picked and coarsely chopped
Place the sliced radishes in a large bowl. I like both the skin and the seeds of the cucumber, but if you prefer, you can peel the skin, then halve the cucumber lengthways and scoop out and discard the seeds. Slice each cucumber half thinly into half moons and add these along with the red onions to the bowl. Give everything agood mix.
Make your dressing in a separate bowl. Put in the honey, orange blossomwater and lemon juice and stiruntil the honey has dissolved, then add the olive oil, sea salt and black pepper and, lastly, the chopped mint. Pour the dressing over the salad, coating all the ingredients with it well, then add the toasted pine nuts. Toss the salad one last time andserveimmediately.
Lamb and sour cherry meatballs
Iran boasts dozens of versions of meatballs and we Persians love adding fruit to them for a burst of sweetness. Ioften make these meatballs for guests, with a good homemade sauce, which makes the perfect base to plunge them into. You can buy sour cherries frozen or dried, both sweetened and unsweetened. Sweetened sour cherries work best for this recipe, but you can substitute dried cranberries instead.
Serves 4-6
minced lamb 500g
onion 1, minced or very finely chopped
large free-range eggs 2
dried sour cherries 2 large handfuls, pitted and roughly chopped
coriander 1 small bunch, leaves picked and finely chopped
dill 1 small bunch, leaves picked and finely chopped
turmeric 2 tsp
ground cumin 2 tsp
garlic powder 2 tsp
ground cinnamon 1 tsp
sea salt 4 tsp crushed, plus extra to season the sauce
black pepper freshly ground
vegetable oil
For the tomato sauce
plum tomatoes 700g
large garlic bulb 1, cloves bashed and peeled
turmeric 1 scant tsp
ground cumin 1 tsp
ground cinnamon ½ tsp
caster sugar 2 tsp
chopped tomatoes 400g can
First prepare the sauce. Preheat a large cooking pot over a medium heat if using gas, or medium-high, if cooking on electric, and add a good amount of oil to generously coat the base of the pan. Chop each tomato roughly into 3 chunks and add these to the pot along with the garlic cloves, stir well and allow to cook for about 10 minutes, or until the tomatoes begin to soften. Add the turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, sugar and a generous amount of salt and black pepper and stir well. Allow the spices to cook out for a further 10 minutes, then add the canned tomatoes and stir well. Cover the pan with a lid, reduce the temperature to very low and cook the sauce for 1½-2 hours. Stir the sauce every so often to ensure it is not burning. If it reduces too much, add a little bit of boiling water to the pan.
To make the meatballs, preheat a large frying pan over a medium heat. Put all the ingredients, except the oil, in a large mixing bowl and, using your hands, mix everything together really well for 6-8 minutes, ensuring you break up all the clumps of lamb so that everything is combined and the mixture is smooth – this will make for light and smooth meatballs.
Preheat a large frying pan over a high heat, then drizzle in a little oil. As the pan and oil heat up, roll your meatballs into ping-pong-sized balls and then place them straight into the frying pan. Cook them for roughly 6 minutes on each side. The idea is not to cook them thoroughly but to create a nice brown crust on them to seal the meat. Once browned, place them straight into the tomato sauce and allow them to cook for a further 20-30 minutes before serving. Best served with rice, couscous or roasted potatoes, or even wraps.
Seafood and saffron stew
This dish reminds me of summer. I'm not really sure why, but I tend to make it when I need a little cheering up on a cold day. Seafood is a bit of a luxury these days, but a little goes a long way in this recipe and the sauce itself is incredibly simple and easy to make, so this is a great dish for entertaining. Not only does it look pretty spectacular but it delivers on the taste front, too. It has just a gentle chilli kick that really satisfies. And the best bit? Mopping up all the sauce with a big hunk of crusty bread. Absolute heaven.
Serves 4
mussels 800g, in their shells
small clams 400g, in their shells
olive oil 4 tbsp
Long French shallots 4, halved lengthways and thinly sliced into half moons
garlic bulb 1, cloves peeled and bashed (butnot crushed)
red chilli flakes good pinch
saffron threads 2 generous pinches, ground with a pestle and mortar
turmeric 2 tsp
sea salt 2 heaped tsp, crushed, plus extra for soaking
black pepper freshly ground
passata 700g
good quality tomatoes 400g can
caster sugar 2 tsp
raw tiger prawns 12 (shell on or off)
baby squid 200g, cut into 1cm rings
scallops 8, roe discarded
flat-leaf parsley large bunch, leaves picked and finely chopped
lemon juice squeeze
Soak the mussels and clams in a big bowl of cold water with lots of sea salt in it. This will trick them into believing they are in the sea and they will open and close, expelling any sand or grit from their shells into the water.
Preheat the biggest saucepan you can find over a medium-high heat, add the olive oil and sauté the shallots for a few minutes, then add the garlic and chilli flakes and stir well. Do not allow the garlic to burn. Add the saffron, turmeric, sea salt and black pepper, and mix well until the spices and seasoning evenly coat the shallots and garlic. Pour in the passata and canned tomatoes and stir well, then add the sugar. Reduce the heat to low and cook the sauce for 45 minutes to an hour. You will need to stir the sauce a few times to prevent sticking.
Towards the end of the cooking time, drain and rinse the mussels and clams. Pull the beards off the mussels and give them a gentle scrub.
Once the sauce has reduced and concentrated somewhat, taste it to ensure the seasoning suits your preference. Now begin to add your seafood, starting with the mussels and clams. Give them a good stir to ensure they are well coated with sauce, cover the pan with a lid and cook for about 5 minutes to allow the shellfish to steam open. Throw in the prawns and squid, stir well and cook for 3-4 minutes, then add the scallops. Give the contents of the pan a final stir, then take the pan off the heat and stir in the chopped parsley, reserving just a little. Squeeze over the lemon juice, then serve immediately, garnished with the remaining parsley.
Lamb biryani
Biryani is a dish fit for a king and its origin is largely credited to Persia. Thedelicate layering of rice interspersed with spices and meat or poultry relies on a special Persian steaming method known as dam pokht (or dum pukht if you are from India), meaning "steam-cooked". There are many variations of biryani from India to Pakistan, but authentic versions have no chilli in them whatsoever – just aromatic spices such as luxurious Persian saffron. My wonderful friend Asma Khan is the queen of biryani and nobody has a more delicate and expert hand than she does when it comes to making the best and most authentic. Asma very kindly shared some of her biryani wisdom with me, from which I am delighted to share a simplified version of this hugely popular dish with you.
Serves 6-8
vegetable oil 250ml
large onions 6
boneless lamb neck fillets 800g, cut into 2.5cm chunks
green cardamom pods 1 tbsp
black cardamom pods 6
bay leaves 4
turmeric 2 tsp
cumin seeds 2 tbsp
cinnamon sticks 4, each 7cm long
Greek yogurt 200g
sea salt
basmati rice 600g
saffron threads 2 generous pinches (optional)
boiling water 2 tbsp
butter 125g
Preheat a large saucepan over a medium-high heat and pour in 250ml vegetable oil. Chop 4 of the onions in half, then thinly slice into 5mm thick half moons. Fry the onion slices in the oil (there should be just enough oil to cover them, so add more oil if needed), stirring every few minutes, until they are golden brown and crispy. Using a slotted spoon, drain on to a plate lined with kitchen paper and set aside.
Pour out the oil, leaving behind just enough to coat the base of the pan. Roughly dice the remaining 2 onions and fry them over a medium-high heat until they become translucent. Add the diced lamb and sear it until it begins to brown. Put in the green and black cardamom pods, bay leaves, turmeric, cumin seeds and cinnamon sticks, and mix well. Pour in just enough boiling water to barely cover the meat, reduce the heat to medium and cook the lamb for about 1½ hours until just tender. Leave to cool. Once cooled, add the yogurt to the lamb, and season generously with sea salt
Preheat a large saucepan over a medium-high heat. Fill the pan with boiling water and add the rice with a generous handful of crumbled sea salt. Boil for 6-8 minutes until the rice is parboiled. You will know it is parboiled when the colour of the grains turns from the normal dullish white to a more brilliant white and the grains become slightly elongated and begin to soften.
Drain the rice and rinse it immediately under cold running water for a couple of minutes to wash off the excess starch until it is cool. Line the bottom of the saucepan used to parboil the rice with some nonstick baking paper and set aside.
Grind the saffron (if using) with a pestle and mortar, then pour over the 2 tbsp of boiling water and leave to infuse.
Back to the rice: return the paper-lined saucepan to the hob and pour in a generous drizzle of oil with a couple of good knobs of the butter. Add 1 tbsp crushed sea salt. Scatter in just enough rice to cover the base of the pan with a good layer. Drizzle a little of the saffron water (if using) over this layer of rice. Take the yogurt-marinated pre-cooked lamb and divide it into two portions. Layer one portion over the rice, then cover with a thin layer of rice, sprinkle over some more saffron water (if using), then add a generous layer of crispy onions and dot more butter on top. Repeat the layers until the rice, lamb, crispy onions and butter are used up.
Wrap the pan lid in a tea towel, cover the pan and cook the rice on the lowest temperature possible if using gas, or low-medium heat if using electric, for 30-45 minutes, or until the rice is cooked. When ready to serve, either flip the rice on to a serving dish or decant on to a serving platter, then scrape out the crispy tahdig from the base of the pan and serve it on top of the rice.
Spiced vegetable soup
This dish is more than just a simple broth – it is a wonderfully hearty meal and offers a great way of using up vegetables. There are no rules – it should contain whatever you find lying around the house and in your fridge.
Serves 4 as a starter
olive oil
butternut squash 750g peeled, deseeded and cut into 4cm chunks
onions 2 large or 3 small, diced; plus 1 cut in half and thinly sliced into half moons
garlic cloves 3 fat, crushed
leeks 3, trimmed, cleaned and finely chopped
potatoes 3, unpeeled, cut into 4cm rough chunks
ripe vine tomatoes 5, roughly chopped intochunks
ground cumin 4 heaped tsp
ground cinnamon 1 heaped tsp
smoked sweet paprika 2 tsp
chilli paste 3 tsp
sea salt
black pepper freshly ground
chickpeas 2 x 400g cans (reserve the liquid, plus a couple of handfuls of chickpeas to garnish)
large courgette 1, finely diced
feta cheese 100g
For the herb oil
olive oil 6 tbsp
flat-leaf parsley good handful
dill good handful
coriander good handful, plus extra, chopped, to garnish
pistachio nuts handful
lemon juice squeeze
Preheat a large saucepan over a medium heat and put in enough olive oil to generously coat the base of the pan. Add the butternut squash, diced onions, garlic, leeks and potatoes and sauté, without browning, until the vegetables soften slightly. Then add the tomatoes, spices and chilli paste and give it all a good stir to ensure the spices are evenly coating the vegetables. Cover the vegetables completely with freshly boiled water, add a generous amount of sea salt (I would suggest at least 4 heaped teaspoons, crushed) and a good amount of black pepper, stir once more and cook for 30 minutes onagentle boil.
Insert a knife into the squash and, when it is soft, purée the mixture in a food processor or blender until you get a lovely even, smooth soup. Once smooth, add the chickpeas and their liquid and stir well. At this stage you can add some more water to achieve your desired soup consistency, and check the seasoning to see if more saltor pepper is needed. Cook for a further 20 minutes, then add the courgette and cook for a final 20minutes beforeserving.
Meanwhile, drizzle some olive oil into a large frying pan set on a high heat and fry the sliced onion until brown and crispy. Add the reserved chickpeas and brown them with the onions. Using a slotted spoon, remove the onions and chickpeas from the pan and set aside.
To make the herb oil, put the olive oil, parsley, dill and coriander in a bowl with the pistachios, lemon juice, sea salt and pepper. Blitz with a hand blender until finely chopped and with the consistency of pesto. If you need to slacken the mixture, add a bit more oil.
Pour the soup into large bowls (preferably wide, shallow ones), then generously crumble in the feta. Drizzle a couple of tablespoons of the herb oil into each bowl over the feta. Finally, add the reserved crispy fried onions and chickpeas. Finish with a little freshly chopped coriander (if using). Serve with some nice crusty bread.
Chargrilled aubergines with saffron yoghurt, parsley and pickled chillies
Aubergine is much loved and revered in eastern culture and I especially love it chargrilled, which gives an added meatiness through the charring. Saffron is the world's most expensive spice. The purest and highest grade of saffron comes from Iran and infusing some yogurt with its potency adds the perfect finish to grilled aubergines.
Serves 4
aubergines 2 large or 3 small, cut into 1cm-thick slices
olive oil for brushing
saffron threads 2 good pinches, ground with a pestle and mortar
boiling water 2 tbsp
Greek yogurt 250ml
garlic oil 2 tbsp
sea salt
flat-leaf parsley 20g packet, leaves picked and roughly chopped
red pickled chillies 8, thinly sliced
nigella seeds 1 tsp
Preheat a griddle pan over a medium-high heat. Brush the aubergine slices with olive oil on one side and chargrill for about 6‑8 minutes on each side, brushing the reverse side with more oil as you turn them over, until the texture softens and they are cooked through with nice griddle marks. Set aside.
Using a pestle and mortar, grind the saffron to a powder, then pour over the boiling water and leave to infuse for at least 15 minutes. Once done, put the cooled saffron water into the yoghurt along with the garlic oil and a generous seasoning of sea salt and mix well. If you want to slacken the yogurt mixture, stir in up to 5 tbp of water.
Arrange the aubergine slices on a platter, drizzle liberally with the saffron yogurt, scatter with the parsley and top with the pickled chillies. Sprinkle on the nigella seeds and serve.
Spiced carrot, pistachio and almond cake with rosewater cream
I am not a natural baker, so I work hard to perfect foolproof, crowd-pleasing recipes that work with my style of cooking. Iran has a huge nut-producing trade and pistachios are the king of Persian nuts. I first made this cake when I started doing supper clubs – we don't really have puddings in Iran.
Serves 10
large free-range eggs 3
caster sugar 200g
vanilla extract 2 tsp
ground almonds 200g
desiccated coconut 100g
ground cinnamon 2 heaped tsp
unsalted butter 150g, melted
large carrots 2, coarsely grated
shelled pistachio nuts 100g, roughly chopped
icing sugar for dusting
For the rosewater cream
double cream 300ml
rosewater 2-3 tbsp
icing sugar 3-4 tbsp
pistachio nuts a few, chopped
Preheat the oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas mark 3. Line a 23cm springform cake tin with enough nonstick baking paper to cover the base and sides. The oils from the nuts and butter in the batter prevent the cake from sticking. Beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl. Add the ground almonds, coconut and cinnamon and stir, then add the butter and mix the ingredients thoroughly. Add the grated carrots and pistachios and mix again until the ingredients are evenly blended, then gently pour or spoon the batter into your prepared cake tin and bake for 1 hour, or until it feels firm to touch and a crust forms on top. Check at 40 minutes to ensure it is cooking evenly. Once cooked, allow to cool in the tin, overnight if possible: the cake is moister once cooled and tastes better as a result. To make the rosewater cream, whip the double cream with the rosewater and icing sugar, either by hand or with an electric hand whisk, until the cream is thick and unctuous. Dollop a generous spoonful on the side of a slice of the cake and dust the cake and cream lightly with icing sugar. Top with chopped pistachios.
I keep this cake on a plate covered with clingfilm and find it can be kept like this for up to a week.
Extracted from Persiana by Sabrina Ghayour (Mitchell Beazley, £25). Toorder a copy for £18.99 with free UK p&p go to theguardian.com/bookshop orcall 0330 333 6847
