Tas kebab is one of those funny recipes that rumbles around the kitchens of the Middle East with no-one quite knowing whence it came. It is a popular and homely dish in countries from Bulgaria all the way round to the Levant, with a small detour to Iran. Even the name is a puzzle: although [...]
The Persepolis Top Five Things to Rub on Your Turkey…
Our handy cut out and keep guide to better basting. We all know that there are umpteen ways to stuff a turkey. But you can generate an equally appreciative chorus of oohs and aahs if you rub the skin of your bird with the right herbs and spices. And turkey does need all the help [...]
On TANGIA: Morocco’s other famous dish
Turns out there is a soukful more to Moroccan cusine that tagine… We brought these lovely new cooking pots into the shop without having the foggiest idea what to do with them. Brainwave: let’s ask the expert. The expert in this case is the lovely Paula Wolfert whose book on Moroccan cuisine has just come [...]
Khoresht-e-Gojeh Sabz: Chicken and Sour Greengage Casserole
And we do mean sour. Gojeh sabz, or unripened greengages, are as popular in Iran as, let’s say, strawberries are in the UK. They do of course grow over here – but we tend to regard them as a rather old-fashioned fruit, something for your grandmother to make into jam perhaps, and we also usually [...]
Cooking with Fruit Leather
Well now this is a fun thing for your Easter kitchen. We’ve been playing with lavashak over on our new book website – but its applications extend far wider than the borders of Veggiestan. It works well with meat and fish too. In fact, as we are very faddy, we’ve been pretty much trying it [...]
Pomegranate Sorbet with Vodka
Traditional Persian sorbet (Faloodeh) is made with vermicelli and rose water and eaten with lime juice; it has to be said that it tastes quite strange to the uninitiated. Once again we’ve taken Persian ingredients and blended them into an apparently ‘authentic’, albeit non-existent, dish. Vodka, just so you know, is as much an Iranian [...]
Turkey With Barberry Rice
‘Boogalamou’. It’s a great word isn’t it? Sounds like one of the grand monsters from our childhood. Actually it’s the Persian word for turkey. Anyway, this is a very versatile little recipe – note the following variations: 1) use chicken instead of turkey – this is more authentic; 2) roast the turkey conventionally, bacon and [...]
