Yasmin Khan

The Palestinian kitchen is filled with a variety of meat, fish and vegetable kefte, which are balls of seasonal ingredients that have been molded, stuffed, baked or fried. This is my interpretation of a vegetarian kefte, using the region’s ubiquitous eggplants married with fresh, fragrant herbs and tangy white cheese. These are perfect for picnics and keep well for a few days in the fridge.

Pomegranates never fail to delight me; their crimson juices and sweet and tart arils provided such joy for me throughout my childhood that they are forever etched in my memory and on my heart. Palestinians also hold this mighty fruit in high esteem, and here I’ve paired it with a dense and sticky almond cake, topped with a light and creamy mascarpone topping, which I love, and which I hope will enliven your passion for this magical fruit, too. You will need an 8 in./20 cm cake pan.

This refreshing salad is a wonderful way to spruce up the humble carrot and was inspired by an afternoon I spent with Leila Rohbani, a yoga teacher from Tehran. I had a delightful time with her; drinking green tea from small stoneware cups and talking about our favorite recipes in the bright, airy rooms of her home, which doubles as her yoga studio—an oasis of calm in the hectic city, overlooking a garden filled with fig and Pomegranate trees. This makes a lovely addition to a mezze spread, or you could serve it with feta and bread for a more substantial meal.  

Rich and decadent, the recipe for these luxurious cookies was the result of a visit to Café Ilio, an artisan chocolatier in northern Tehran, run by husband and wife team Sahar Hossein-Najari and Mehrdad Aghameeri. The pair spent six years travelling around Belgium, France and Italy, honing their craft, before introducing Iranians to the wonders of fine chocolate, incorporating traditional ingredients – like saffron, pistachio and cardamom – into a whole new world of truffles, macaroons, jams and cakes. Thanks to their winning combination of dark chocolate and sour cherries, these cookies are loved by adults and children alike.