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Tuscan Inspired Lemon-Rosemary Chicken with Cannellini Beans & Roasted Squash-Arugula Salad
There is a universal feeling of satisfaction with roasted chicken. The warm aromas that fill the kitchen while it cooks just feel like home. There are endless flavor combinations of vegetables, herbs and spices for roasting chicken – but somehow this Tusccan-inspired lemon and rosemary variation end up on rotation in my kitchen more often than others. A magical combination married with garlic and olive oil. You can develop deep flavors in this simple recipe. The cannellini beans are creamy…
Baklava
Like many other traditional foods of the past, the origin of baklava is difficult to narrow down. Every ethnic group with ancestry connected to the Middle East has some claim to this delicious pastry. It seems generally accepted that Baklava was first made by the Assyrians around 8th century B.C.- who layered nuts with unleavened flat bread and drenched with honey. The type of nuts or syrup ingredients often suggest the origin of the recipe. Syrup with rose water and cardamom is most…
Green Garden Herb Basmati Rice with Dill, Cilantro, Rosemary & Chive (and an unexpected trip home)
Rice is the ultimate comfort food. It has been farmed by people for over 10,000 years. In the Hindi language “Bas” means “aroma” and “Mati” means “full of.” Growing up in a Persian family, that beautifully fragrant and earthy aroma is part of the essential scents of home. The cue of happiness and an eternal symbol of family dinners, celebrations and tradition. Cooking traditional Persian rice (with crunchy tahdig of course) is truly an art form. For how to create a saffron scented…
Istanbul
Travel has always been a source of inspiration. Experiencing new countries and getting to know them through their food- tiles my memory with a mosaic of color, flavor and nostalgia. During the past year of self discovery, Istanbul provided that for me on a level only second to a journey back to Iran 20 years after my family immigrated from my place of birth. Turkish culture has many parallels to Persian culture and that might explain why one sees many…
Homemade Falafel with Herb Tahini Sauce and Shirazi Salad
Falafel! The ultimate Middle Eastern comfort food, the name of which probably comes from the word pilpel (pepper, felfel in Farsi- referring to the shape of a pepper corn) was made in two ways: In Egypt today, from crushed, soaked fava beans and combined with chickpeas or, as Yemenite Jews and the Arabs of Jerusalem did, from chickpeas alone. My version uses chickpeas and herbs and it’s simple and finger lickin’ good! Note: Add a drizzle of Harisa (a hot sauce paste…
Greek Goddess Breakfast
This is how I start my day, everyday. It’s the simplest and possibly one of the most decadent recipe on Basil and Roses. Enjoy feeling like a Goddess with every spoonful of this creamy yogurt which is well balanced with the crunch of walnut, the juxtaposition of the tang of yogurt with the sweetness of honey, and the thought of knowing you are starting your day on a high nutrition and pleasure note!