Ottolenghi

"Jila: I’ve chosen Ottolenghi . His tastes and aromas are very similar to Persian cooking. Especially one recipe, which I cooked and enjoyed – chicken in harissa sauce. It really brings the chicken to life. The layers of taste are not overwhelming. There are lots of salads with fruit, nuts and different kinds of greenery. I found out about zatar through Ottolenghi. He makes zatar and chicken. Shahrzad: I read the interview with him on your site! I have the book. I haven’t used it as much as Jila, but I do find the salads inspiring. The combinations are really imaginative. Shahrzad: Well, my son-in-law is British and when I make something for him I wait with bated breath to see if he enjoys it or not. The kind of Persian tastes we enjoy are not always considered delicious here. When I want to fuss over him I make him saffron chicken and barberry rice to cheer him up. He wasn’t feeling well this weekend so I made him this dish. Jila: In my family, weekends are divided between me and my brother-in-law. He is a good cook as well; he makes Italian food and I make Persian food. This weekend was very good – we made saffron, yoghurt and chicken upside-down rice, which is in our book. That was lunch yesterday and worked very well. Tonight I’m going to make kebab, very easy to do with plain rice."