I won’t name names, but there’s one chef we can blame for making us think that Middle Eastern or Persian dishes require an arm’s-length ingredient list and a recipe that demands mental horsepower to get through. Perhaps that’s why the British-Iranian chef and bestselling author Sabrina Ghayour has dedicated her eighth book, Persiana Easy, to making dishes that are “as easy as possible, but without compromising on flavour or creativity”. She says: “I have used every shortcut possible, cut out unnecessary steps and ingredients, and pared things back to make manageable but still incredible food.”
Once you have the basics in your cupboard, you have the building blocks for her dishes. Ghayour recommends stocking up on key spices such as sumac, za’atar, harissa and pul biber, which she uses regularly in her dishes, along with classic herbs such as parsley, dill and tarragon.
The perfect example of the book’s pared-back style is a punchy herb chicken — the ultimate weekend staple — roasted with a simple but spectacular mix of fresh tarragon leaves, dill, coriander, parsley and lemon zest, which are mixed with crème fraîche and stuffed under and over the skin. No fuss or basting required.
I’ve been completely won over by her muhammara cod, which can be made with any white fish and is ready in less than 15 minutes — music to my ears when I am looking for something quick to make after work.
As we hunker down into cosy season, it’s “delicious food in front of the TV” time. I have always been of the opinion that, unless you’re hosting, you don’t need to bother making snacks. Ghayour’s changed my mind on that, with her devilishly good crispy za’atar salt and pepper prawns, which are so straightforward that you can whip them up during an ad break. Just coat raw prawns in a light breadcrumb of za’atar, cornflower and seasoning, and fry in vegetable oil for a couple of minutes over a high heat. Pat off the excess oil with a kitchen towel and serve with lemon wedges and extra za’tar sprinkled over. If that doesn’t scream easy, then I don’t know what does.
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Hummus soup
Serves 3–4
Ingredients
• Olive oil, for cooking
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 4 large garlic cloves, bashed and peeled
• 2 x 400g cans chickpeas, including brine
• 2 heaped tbsp tahini
• 1 tsp garlic granules
• Sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
• Juice of 1 lemon, plus extra to serve (optional)
Method
1. Place a saucepan over a medium heat, drizzle in a little olive oil and fry the onion and garlic until softened and translucent, but without colouring.
2. Add the chickpeas with their brine and the tahini, then fill both empty cans with hot water and add to the pan. Add the garlic granules, season generously with salt and pepper, and simmer for about 20 min, stirring regularly to break down the tahini and prevent the soup from burning.
3. Remove from the heat and, using a stick blender, blitz the soup until smooth. Add the lemon juice, check and adjust the seasoning, then cook, stirring, for a few more minutes. Serve drizzled with olive oil and grated black pepper, with extra lemon juice if desired.
Punchy herb chicken
Serves 3–4
Ingredients
• 150g crème fraîche
• ⅓ small packet of chives, thinly sliced
• ½ small packet each of tarragon leaves, coriander and parsley, finely chopped
• ⅓ small packet of dill, finely chopped
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• Finely grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
• Sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
• 1.5kg whole chicken
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 200C fan/gas 7.
2. Line a large baking tray with baking paper.
3. Mix the crème fraîche with all the herbs, the garlic, lemon zest and a generous amount of salt and pepper in a small bowl.
4. Sit the chicken on the lined tray, then carefully run your fingers under the skin of each breast to separate the skin from the meat without tearing it. Put most of the herb mixture under the skin, pressing down to push it right to the end of each breast. Rub the remaining mixture over the exposed skin of the legs and wings and the top of the chicken, as well as along the edge of the breasts around the cavity.
5. Roast for 40 min, then reduce the oven temperature to 180C/gas 6, and roast for another 25 min until browned on the outside and cooked through — the juices should run clear when the thickest part of the thigh is pierced with the tip of a sharp knife. Remove from the oven and leave the chicken to rest for 10 min before serving.
Broad bean, pea, orange and goat’s cheese salad
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
• 2 oranges
• 3 handfuls of frozen peas
• 400g frozen broad beans, defrosted and peeled
• ½ small packet of dill, roughly chopped
• ⅓ small packet of mint, leaves picked, rolled up tightly and thinly sliced into ribbons
• ½ tsp pul biber chilli flakes, plus extra to serve
• Drizzle of olive oil
• Maldon sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
• 125g soft goat’s cheese
• Toasted sourdough bread, to serve
Method
1. Using a sharp knife, cut off a disc of peel from the top and base of each orange, then working from the top of the fruit downwards, cut away the remaining peel and pith in strips, just enough to expose the orange flesh, until the entire fruit is peeled. Cut each orange widthways into 4–5 slices, then cut into quarters. Reserve the juice from the chopping board for the dressing.
2. Bring a saucepan of water to the boil, add the peas and cook for a couple of minutes, then add the broad beans and cook for another minute. Drain, rinse in cold water and drain well, then tip into a bowl.
3. Add the herbs, pul biber, the reserved orange juice, a light drizzle of olive oil and salt and pepper to taste, then stir together.
4. Decant on to a large serving plate, then break off bits of the goat’s cheese and dot them around the plate. Finally, sprinkle over extra pul biber and serve with the toasted sourdough.
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Creamy prawn orzo
Serves 2
Ingredients
• 200g orzo pasta
• Olive oil, for frying
• 3 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tsp pul biber chilli flakes
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• Sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
• 200g frozen raw peeled prawns, defrosted; or 170g fresh
• 75ml double cream
Method
1. Cook the orzo in a large saucepan of salted boiling water, according to the packet instructions.
2. Place a frying pan over a medium-high heat, drizzle in some olive oil and cook the garlic until translucent. Stir in the tomato puree, pul biber, turmeric and a good amount of salt and pepper and cook for a few minutes.
3. Once the orzo is cooked, drain, reserving some of the water.
4. Add the prawns to the tomato mixture and stir to coat, then pour in the cream and stir well before adding the orzo and giving everything a really good mix. Pour in enough of the reserved pasta water to make the sauce your desired consistency. Check and adjust the seasoning if desired, stir again and keep over the heat until the prawns turn pink and are cooked through. Serve immediately.
Muhammara cod
Serves 2
Ingredients
• 2 cod loins, about 150g each
For the muhammara
• 1 large roasted red pepper in brine (from a jar), drained
• 15g toasted walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds or pistachio nuts
• 10g crustless bread, torn into small pieces
• 1 small garlic clove
• ½ level tsp pul biber chilli flakes
• 2 tsp olive oil
• Generous pinch of sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1. Preheat your oven to its highest setting. Line a dish with baking paper.
2. Blitz the muhammara ingredients in a food processor or blender until the mixture resembles a coarse paste.
3. Place the fish in the lined baking dish. Divide the muhammara between the two pieces and generously coat the exposed sides until you can see no white flesh. Roast for 12–14 minutes (depending on how high a temperature your oven reaches) until just cooked through. Serve immediately.
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Sweet potato, basil and feta dip
Serves 4
Ingredients
• 1 large sweet potato, unpeeled
• 100g feta cheese, finely crumbled
• 1 large garlic clove, crushed
• ½ small packet of basil, leaves picked, rolled up tightly and thinly sliced into ribbons, plus a few leaves reserved for a garnish
• 1 tsp pul biber chilli flakes
• Finely grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
• Sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
• 100g thick Greek yoghurt
• Olive oil, for drizzling
• Pitta bread, to serve
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180C fan/gas 6. Line a small baking tray with baking paper.
2. Place the whole sweet potato on the lined tray and roast for 45 min until the flesh is soft. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely.
3. Put the feta, garlic, basil, pul biber, lemon zest and a generous amount of salt and pepper into a mixing bowl and mash together. Stir in the yoghurt and a drizzle of olive oil.
4. Halve the sweet potato and scoop out the flesh into the bowl, then mash it into the mixture until well combined. Spread over a serving plate, then scatter with basil leaves and an extra drizzle of olive oil, and serve with pitta bread or crudités for dipping.
Persiana Easy by Sabrina Ghayour (Octopus Publishing Group £28). To order a copy go to timesbookshop.co.uk. Free UK standard P&P on orders over £25. Special discount available for Times+ members.
Dining and Cooking