Moorish: Vibrant recipes from the Mediterranean

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Ghayour then published Sirocco (2016) and Feasts (2017). Her fourth book, Bazaar – Vibrant Vegetarian Recipes, was published in 2019. To make the spinach yoghurt, bring a saucepan of water to the boil, add the spinach and simmer for 2–3 minutes until wilted. Drain and plunge into a bowl of iced water. Once cooled, drain well and finely chop. Stir the yeast into 50ml of the warm water, then allow it to sit for a few minutes until it has dissolved. After the 1½ hours has elapsed, add the preserved lemons and apricots to the stew, stir well and leave it all to cook slowly with the lid off for a further 30 minutes.

Grind the saffron (if using) with a pestle and mortar, then pour over the 2 tbsp of boiling water and leave to infuse. Place the sliced radishes in a large bowl. I like both the skin and the seeds of the cucumber, but if you prefer, you can peel the skin, then halve the cucumber lengthways and scoop out and discard the seeds. Slice each cucumber half thinly into half moons and add these along with the red onions to the bowl. Give everything a good mix. Heat a large saucepan over medium heat, drizzle in a little olive oil, and add the onion and cauliflower along with the ground cumin. Season well with salt and pepper, stir, then pour in the boiling water. Cover the pan with a lid and let simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the cauliflower is cooked through. Remove from the heat. Towards the end of the cooking time, drain and rinse the mussels and clams. Pull the beards off the mussels and give them a gentle scrub. Preheat a griddle pan over a medium-high heat. Brush the aubergine slices with olive oil on one side and chargrill for about 6‑8 minutes on each side, brushing the reverse side with more oil as you turn them over, until the texture softens and they are cooked through with nice griddle marks. Set aside.To make the harissa lime mayo, mix the mayonnaise ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside. Biryani is a dish fit for a king and its origin is largely credited to Persia. The delicate layering of rice interspersed with spices and meat or poultry relies on a special Persian steaming method known as dam pokht (or dum pukht if you are from India), meaning "steam-cooked". There are many variations of biryani from India to Pakistan, but authentic versions have no chilli in them whatsoever – just aromatic spices such as luxurious Persian saffron. My wonderful friend Asma Khan is the queen of biryani and nobody has a more delicate and expert hand than she does when it comes to making the best and most authentic. Asma very kindly shared some of her biryani wisdom with me, from which I am delighted to share a simplified version of this hugely popular dish with you.

To make the dressing, mix all of the ingredients together in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper. Line your largest baking tray with baking paper. Mix the polenta, za’atar, garlic granules and a generous amount of salt and pepper together in a small bowl. Place the sweet potato chips on the prepared baking tray, drizzle over the olive oil and use your hands to mix until the chips are well coated in the oil. Sprinkle with the polenta mixture and toss to coat the chips evenly. Bake the sweet potato chips for 30 minutes or so, until the chips are soft in the middle and browning around the edges. Turn off the heat and lay the egg halves gently on top of the stew, covering with a lid. Allow the stew to rest for 10 minutes before serving. Press the meat mixture into a shallow casserole or baking dish that is about 22cm/8½in in diameter to completely cover the base of the dish. Cook for 18 minutes, or until golden on top. Shape the mixture into approximately 24 meatballs, about the size of table tennis balls. Gently roll them to elongate them into long sausage shapes. Stir the tomato sauce and place the kefta in the sauce, ensuring some of the sauce covers the kefta. Cook for 30 minutes with the lid ajar, stirring carefully halfway through and shaking the pan to ensure the kefta cook through and are immersed in sauce.Meanwhile, put the beaten eggs into a small, shallow bowl and season with salt and pepper. Put the flour and all the spices into another shallow bowl, season generously with salt and pepper and mix until evenly combined. Coat each piece of fish evenly in the seasoned flour, shaking off any excess, then dip it into the egg mixture until fully coated, and finish by dredging it in the flour mixture again, ensuring each piece is well coated. Repeat until all the pieces are coated. Fry the fish in the second pan of oil until the batter is crispy and a deep golden brown. Combine the toasted hazelnuts with the breadcrumbs and chopped parsley, sprinkle the mixture over the stew and serve with rice, flatbread or potatoes. To make the fatteh, heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the minced beef and immediately break it up as finely as you can to prevent it cooking in clumps, adding the spices and garlic granules as you do so. Season generously with salt and pepper and cook until the meat is well browned, then set aside. Sabrina Ghayour, a Persian/British culinary writer, author, and TV presenter, married Stephen Lynn in London at the Chelsea Register Office last September, becoming Mrs. Ghayour-Lynn. To make the fried onions, heat the oil and fry the onions until deeply browned and crispy. Transfer to drain on kitchen paper.