Photo by Kris Kirkham
Over the years I have been delighted to welcome all Sabrina Ghayour’s books to CookbookCorner for I am a fervent admirer. As I wrote in my review of her debut title, Persiana — and, given the title of this, her seventh book, it feels entirely right I should say it again now — the signature Sabrina recipe can be encapsulated by the words “all flavour, no fuss”. It’s a winning combination. And I say ‘combination’ rather than ‘formula’, as there is a gorgeous honesty about her books: it’s not a strategy but simply the food she (one of the busiest and most hardworking people I can think of) cooks for herself and her lucky family. She’s wonderfully open about shortcuts, about feeling frazzled and exhausted and, being one herself, is naturally sympathetic to the time-strapped home cook. To borrow from another past review, her books are infused with greedy impatience — and I mean that as a compliment!
As a greedily impatient time-strapped home cook myself, I’m as glad as I am grateful to add Flavour, quite simply a gorgeous book, to my Sabrina Shelf. As ever, deliciousness abounds — though I think by now we can take that as a given. But, if I might quote from yet another review of one of her earlier titles, it does present me with a dilemma: she never makes it easy to choose which one recipe to share with you: there are just too many contenders! So many, indeed, that I can’t even list them all, but let me give you a little taster: Beetroot and Pomegranate Salad, a combo I happen to be particularly fond of, finding the fragrant acerbity of the pomegranate seeds the perfect foil to the sometimes overwhelming earthy sweetness of the beetroot; Tuna, Tomato and Borlotti Bean Salad; Curried Potato Salad; Minced Lamb and Cheddar Tortillas; Chicken, Apricot, Orange and Almond Tagine; Dried Lime and Spice Marinated Lamb Chops; Spiced and Soupy Seafood Rice; Smoked Aubergine with Lime and Maple Dressing; Bhaji Buns; Spice-Roasted Potatoes with Tomato, Pepper and Harissa Sauce; Tomato and Feta Fritters; Harissa, Tahini and Lamb Spaghetti; Samosa Pasta (oh yes, indeed); Cinnamon Brioche Toast; Lime Coconut and Cardamom Loaf Cake; Pistachio and Chocolate Dream Cake; and Sticky Coffee and Spice Cake. I could easily go on, but I think it’s time to tell you the recipe I chose for us all. Dither though I did, it became ever clearer to me during my lengthy but most delicious deliberations that it just had to be these Halloumi Airbags!
Flavour by Sabrina Ghayour is published by Aster (£26).
Photography by Kris Kirkham.
