Middle Eastern meals pack flavour
Enjoy a Middle Eastern breakfast that lets the cook sit down
“Quick and easy, full-flavoured but not overly ingredient-intensive or labour-intensive: That has become my thing,” Sabrina Ghayour says.
Since her award-winning debut cookbook, Persiana (Mitchell Beazley, 2014), the British-Iranian chef has garnered a loyal following for her straightforward yet inspiring Middle East-influenced recipes.
“It just shows people are always open to new experiences if they’re done in a simple, unintimidating way,” Ghayour says of Persiana’s success.
In Feasts (Weldon Owen, 2018), her third book, Ghayour sought to capture the spirit of the lively and frequent gatherings of her childhood. Growing up in a Persian household, the Tehran-born, London-based chef says that “endless parties” were paramount.
She channelled her food memories from this “golden era” into the book’s more than 90 recipes. Conducive to both special occasions and everyday life, Ghayour’s spread showcases abundant flavour.
From a cheesy frittata spiced with pul biber chili flakes (recipe follows) to a leg of lamb garnished with vibrant pomegranate salsa or an elegant rose and fig millefeuille, the food in Feasts is attainable and sophisticated.
For a leisurely breakfast get-together, Ghayour suggests choosing two items — one sweet, the other savoury — and to ease the pressure on the host, rounding them out with a few prepared foods.
“I like feasts where I can sit down. I was guilty for probably the first 35 years of my life (of ) cooking and never sitting down with people. Never. From the time I was a kid cooking to the time I was an adult,” she says.
“Get a few breads in, some cheese, some pastries if you want and take a load off. Just keep it nice and simple — people will be happy. If you’re relaxed, that’s when people enjoy themselves.”
Recipes excerpted from Feasts: Middle Eastern Food to Savor & Share by Sabrina Ghayour (Weldon Owen).