Grilled harissa olive chicken

This grilled harissa olive chicken recipe is a wonderful way of preparing chicken breasts. The harissa and lime marinade makes them extra tender so do try to keep them in the marinade for at least a few hours before throwing them on the grill. These are perfect for a summery al fresco lunch or barbecue, […]

Lemon olive chicken tagine

Back in the early 1970s, my parents were living in Morocco where my mom, a curious and talented cook, discovered North African cuisine. She especially liked the region’s legendary tagines, made of meat or poultry that’s been braised with fruits and/or vegetables in a traditional conic-shaped claypot. Her favorite one had chicken, green olives and […]

Crowd-pleasing poulet basquaise

I love making stews when we have friends over because it allows me to prepare everything in advance and spend most of my time with the guests instead of slaving in the kitchen. Unfortunately, only a few can truly be appreciated in warmer Dubai weather – and Poulet Basquaise is one of them. It originates […]

Mom’s grilled chicken brochettes

Perfectly cooked rice, salad and these chicken brochettes are regulars at my parents’ place. The only challenge has always been to get the exact marinade recipe from my mom, who tends to toss in her spices using her experience and senses rather than measuring instruments. So this year, I paid closer attention as she prepared […]

Kids love ’em (and so do we) chicken nuggets

I first started preparing dinners in the kitchen at the age of 13, the summer my mom went back to work. Revelling in this new-found freedom to make meals I fancied, I discovered the joys of recipe testing as opposed to drooling over cookbook pictures, (which had until then been a favorite pastime of mine). […]

Stunning Persian dill, feta and chicken salad

This has to be one of my favorite “meal salads”. Although it isn’t an actual Iranian recipe, it has a Persian feel that is reminiscent of a dill and chicken rice dish (“Shivid polow”) my mom used to make (she’s actually of Belgian origin but being married to my dad, she learned how to cook […]

Jewel-like spring rolls

Spring rolls are just the best appetizer for crowds and once you get over the learning curve of rolling them up (see tips at end of recipe and this video), the sky is the limit when it comes to fillings. From the classic prawns/veg to the more unusual pomegranate/duck confit, you can really use all […]