Sabrina Ghayour - Simply

Darling Mathew my brother, chief taster, wise teacher and much more food always tastes so much better with you at our table.

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Being an only child whose parents didnt cook meant that I grew up unafraid to experiment, to break rules, to deviate from tradition and, at times, to fail miserably and start over. It was quite a galvanizing experience because, as you grow up, you cook without seeing obstacles or limitations and follow your gut and palate instincts about what feels good. More often than not it ends up tasting good, too.

I look back at all that Ive learned in my food career and I realize that, perhaps as with you, I have evolved and improved in technique, gained more confidence in what may once have been obscure to me and am now so comfortable in my simple approach that, while Ill always be firmly rooted in the flavours of Iran and the Middle East, its impossible to stick a specific label on my approach. Its just Simply Sabrina.

As well as becoming at ease with blending together flavours of my heritage and those of my Western upbringing, my thirst for knowledge and curiosity about the food and flavours of other regions and cultures of the world have also enriched my cooking so much. My travels have introduced me to ingredients not typical of the Middle East that I now use to bolster flavour, create depth and, most importantly, provide satisfaction in every mouthful.

I wish I could tell you that I have cultivated some kind of solid structure in the way that I research my recipes, but the truth is, I havent. As I cook, eat and learn, I simplify, create and pass on to you, having tested (and tested and tested) each recipe to produce the most simple and effective results. In my normal everyday life, I cook every single day even on holiday. I usually cant stand to be away from the kitchen for more than a few days, which means I always choose apartments instead of hotels so that I can carry on cooking, tasting and constantly coming up with new ideas and inspiration to use at home. The majority of what makes the cut in my domestic culinary repertoire and shines as a clear favourite is what eventually makes it into my cookery classes and, in turn, into my books.

This book features a selection of my favourite authentic Persian recipes from my childhood, including some long-forgotten dishes that have been brought back to life by my loved ones asking me to try and recreate them. Translating the ingredients, methods and you have to do it this way-isms into simplified, accessible recipes is the challenging part because every culture that reveres its culinary traditions will swear that you must only use this and you cant do that. What this tends to do is freak most people out, so much so that they only ever attempt to make the recipe once and then it gets cast aside.

I didnt ever cook by those rules because I wasnt taught by anyone and so was never shown the singular way in which something should be done. I have reworked and retested these recipes to deliver the fastest, simplest and most delicious way to cook them in everyday life without too much stress or a myriad of unnecessary or hard-to-find ingredients.

Over the years, the once-embraced simplicity of food and cookery has been somewhat sidelined in favour of complexity, modernity, technique and process, especially in haute cuisine and fine-dining restaurants. While this is all perfectly valid, I am and shall always remain the consummate home cook, favouring simplicity in ingredients, recipes and techniques, and yet complexity in flavour and depth of satisfaction. So when it comes to recipe creation, Ive always prided myself on trying my very best to make my recipes as straightforward as possible, keeping ingredient lists short and unexotic but without compromising the end result, and only garnishing for the purpose of flavour and not visual appeal. If I can strip out an ingredient and still produce a flavourful dish, I will always strive to omit it to keep matters simple, as well as more pocket-friendly.

Over time, I have received a great education from my readers about what they enjoy most about my recipes and it has helped me identify an important framework for them that perhaps wasnt so apparent to me when I first started everyday dishes that are, for the most part, simple, flavourful and economical, with the occasional special treat thrown in here and there.

As with all my recipes, you can, of course, substitute or omit ingredients to suit your personal tastes since this is my fifth book, I think you already know this is very much my ethos and that, baking aside, the best recipes usually allow the home cook a little freedom and individuality because, when you keep flavours and proceedings simple, you always produce the best results, and generate confidence and enthusiasm for cooking the type of food you love the most.

So here you have simply good ingredients, simply prepared to create simply wonderful flavours it really is just that simple.

Simply yours,

VEGETARIAN

Give me a plate of this with a little gently toasted bread, shut the door and leave me in peace. I have always loved tomatoes, but a little herb injection and some honey make this humble dish an absolute game changer. Its the kind of dish that you dont want to plate up individuallyyou simply want to push your bread about the plate to create different textures and flavours and then mop it all up, and who would blame you? For me, thats the best kind of food.

MAKES 1618

500g Greek yogurt

500g baby plum tomatoes

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons zaatar

4 sprigs of thyme, leaves picked

1 unwaxed lemon, for grating

2 tablespoons runny honey

1 teaspoon pul biber chilli flakes

Maldon sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper

The day before you want to serve, mix the Greek yogurt with 2 tablespoons of salt and then spoon into a muslin bag. Leave to strain over a bowl overnight in the refrigerator.

The next day, preheat the oven to 220C (200C fan), Gas Mark 7. Line a baking tray with baking paper.

Place the tomatoes on the prepared baking tray, add the olive oil, zaatar, thyme leaves and salt and pepper and use your hands to mix until the tomatoes are well coated with the oil and seasonings. Roast for 20 minutes until the tomatoes are beginning to char, then remove from the oven and leave to cool.