Some people are sure they were a particular animal in a previous life. The swimmer was a dolphin, maybe, and the pilot a bird, but me? I’m only certain that I was at a Persian dinner table at some earlier point in life, and my love for Persian food was signed, sealed and stamped for ever more. Or maybe I just adore turmeric-stained, saffron-infused, barberry-spiked and flaked almond-topped food so much that it makes me feel poetic. Either way, the gift of Persian cuisine, which somehow pulls off both abundance and balance at exactly the same time, is one that transports me every time.
Chicken, herb and celery stew with almonds (pictured top)
This is inspired by a khoresh karafs, a Persian celery stew that puts a vegetable that usually gets only a supporting role firmly centre stage. It’s also a great make-ahead dish, because the flavour deepens with time – leave the grilling until just before serving, though.
Prep 10 min
Cook 1 hr 10 min
Serves 6
6 skin-on bone-in chicken thighs (850g)
½ tsp ground turmeric
Fine sea salt and black pepper
60ml olive oil
2 onions, peeled and finely chopped (360g)
3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
2 heads celery, roots discarded, then cut into 1cm-thick slices (600g)
100g parsley, leaves and tender stems, roughly chopped, plus 1 tbsp extra to serve
30g mint, leaves picked and finely chopped, plus 1 tbsp extra to serve
4 tbsp kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
2 tbsp red lentils
60g golden raisins, roughly chopped
2 black limes, pierced with the tip of a knife
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
15g flaked almonds, toasted
Put the chicken thighs in a bowl and season with the turmeric, a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper. Put three tablespoons of oil in a large (roughly 28cm-diameter), cast-iron saute pan for which you have a lid on a medium-high heat. Once hot, lay in the chicken skin side down and cook for six minutes, until the skin is browned and the fat has rendered out. Turn over, sear on the other side, then transfer to a plate.
Add the onions, garlic, a teaspoon of salt and 50ml water to the hot pan and cook for three minutes, scraping to deglaze and stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent. Add the celery, fresh herbs and methi, and cook for three minutes, stirring occasionally, until the herbs wilt.
Stir in the lentils, raisins and black limes, then return the chicken to the pan skin side up, along with any resting juices from the plate. Cover the pan and cook on a medium heat for 45-50 minutes, checking halfway, until the chicken is tender and cooked through and the sauce thick and rich; if the sauce starts to stick, turn down the heat and stir in a splash of water to loosen. Crush the black limes with the back of a spoon to release their flavour, then remove and discard.
Just before serving, turn on the grill to its highest setting and, once hot, put the saute pan on the highest shelf and grill for two to three minutes, or until the chicken skin is golden and crisp. Remove and leave to sit for 10 minutes. Pour the lemon juice and the remaining tablespoon of oil over the top, sprinkle over the almonds and extra herbs, and serve straight from the pan.
Aubergine kuku
In this column, we’ll sometimes be revisiting – and tweaking – dishes from the distant past, and this one’s from way back in 2010. Kuku is similar to frittata, but slightly wetter in texture. It’s from Iran, so barberries are a common feature, but if you can’t get hold of those, dried cranberries or currants, soaked first in lemon juice and drained, will work just fine. This keeps well in the fridge for two days, so is a good one for weekday lunches. Bring it to room temperature before eating with a leafy salad.
Prep 15 min
Cook 1 hr
Serves 6
120ml sunflower oil, plus extra for greasing
3 medium onions, peeled and sliced (480g)
3 medium aubergines, destalked and peeled (700g)
5 eggs
2 tbsp plain flour
1½ tsp baking powder
25g parsley, chopped, plus 1½ tbsp extra to garnish
1 tsp saffron strands, dissolved in 1 tbsp of hot water
3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
Salt and black pepper
20g dried barberries, or dried cranberries or currants soaked in 1 tbsp lemon juice
Put all the oil in a large, heavy-based pan on a medium heat, then saute the onions, stirring occasionally, for seven minutes, until soft but not coloured.
Meanwhile, cut the aubergines in half widthways, cut each half into 1cm-wide slices, then cut each slice into 1cm-thick strips. Add these to the onions and cook on a medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, until the aubergines are very soft (add a little more oil if need be, but not much). Take off the heat and leave to cool.
Heat the oven to 190C (170C fan)/375F/gas 5. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, flour, baking powder, parsley, the saffron and its water, garlic, a half-teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper, until smooth, then fold in the barberries and the cooled aubergine and onion mixture.
Brush a 22cm springform cake tin liberally with oil, then line it with greaseproof paper and brush the paper with more oil. Pour the egg mix into the tin, then bake for 30-40 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through – poke a skewer into the centre to check that the egg has set.
Remove from the oven, leave to cool, then serve warm or at room temperature and sprinkled with parsley.
