Pomegranates & Artichokes by Saghar Setareh

 Pomegranates & Artichokes by Saghar Setareh



Iranian writer and food photographer Saghar Setareh’s stunning cookbook tells the story of her own culinary journey from Iran to Italy and explores the parallels that link Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food cultures.

Pomegranates & Artichokes by Saghar Setareh was published on 4th May 2023 by Murdoch Books. My thanks to the author and publisher for sending me a copy to review
 and to Random Book Tours for inviting me to take part on the Book Tour.

Synopsis

When Saghar Setareh moved to Italy at the age of 22, she was enchanted by the rich food culture of her adopted country, and this inspired a curiosity in the cuisine of her homeland and the surrounding countries of the Levant and Eastern Mediterranean. Pomegranates & Artichokes is the story of Saghar's own culinary journey from Iran to Italy, in which she describes the many parallels that link Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food cultures, and shows how ingredients and recipes - unconstrained by borders - are shared and transformed through the immigrant experience. Divided into three sections representing stops on Saghar's culinary 'road trip' - Iran, In Between and Italy - this book features more than 80 recipes celebrating the foods of these regions. Among the highlights are a simple Iranian breakfast platter, a celebratory Persian feast, Sicilian-style stuffed artichokes, guinea hen braised with pomegranate, sweet-sour meatballs from Aleppo, a Roman ricotta and wild cherry pie and a velvety Middle Eastern milk pudding. Illustrated with Saghar's own beautiful photography, and peppered with personal insights and experiences, Pomegranates & Artichokes tells the story of two food cultures, and the delicious space in between

My Review

This is a wonderful book that takes you on a journey from Iran to Italy through the food of different cultures, observing the differences and similarities as the journey progresses.
The recipes I have so far tried were all delicious and very straightforward to make, epitomising rustic cooking at its best as you travelled the journey with Saghar. The use of store cupboard ingredients along with fresh , seasonal , ingredients makes this a book to savour and enjoy all year round, whilst taking you on a culinary exploration of the different countries, and cultures she journeys through.
One aspect of the book that I really loved was the pantry list for the different countries - some are staples, some are additions as you progress on the journey. However, once you have these, and I already had the vast majority, this is a book that you can use time and time again to create wonderful meals from what you already have in the store cupboard with the addition of fresh produce.
The photographs and descriptions below are some of the recipes I have recreated over the last few weeks, some of which we have already eaten more than once and I know will become firm favourites in the future. There is nothing better than a warm nourishing bowl of chickpea and pasta soup on a cold spring day and an evening meal of risotto tomatoes and potato wedges with a nice green salad and a lovely crisp white wine after a day working in the garden.
One aspect to also note is that this is not a recipe book of expensive ingredients , this is a book that creates wonderful meals from good, wholesome, staple ingredients.
A huge 5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 from me.



Pasta and Chickpea Soup

This was a huge hit with all the family. It is wonderfully filling and tasty with a hint of spice and a good way to use up vegetables that are getting slightly past it. I missed out the Pancetta and Anchovies to cater for a vegetarian and it was loved by vegetarian and meat eaters alike.


Courgette patties with feta and dill

These were so easy to make and were eaten as fast as I made them. The slightly sour taste of the feta along with the delicate dill flavour worked incredibly well. I will definitely be making more of these over the summer when the glut of courgettes starts.




Tomatoes stuffed with rice

This was a dish that surprised me. I am a huge fan of stuffed vegetables of any description and the risotto stuffed tomatoes that had bee marinated in the tomato puree with basil , garlic and olive oil was an absolute winner. The surprise for me was that I thoroughly enjoyed them with the potato wedges as I am not a fan of two carbohydrates on the same plate. However, these worked incredibly well  and it  has already become a go to meal when I have managed to acquire large tomatoes.



Peperonata

I absolutely love marinated peppers of any description, however, I had never cooked them this way before with tomato puree and white wine vinegar. They were so uncious and as Saghar says they do go incredibly well with the dish below.



Torta rustica 

The crustless one, with potato, egg & cheese

This was an absolutely delicious pie that used up potatoes that were on the verge of chitting and nearly at the stage for me to replant in the garden, eggs that my chickens had laid and some salami and cheese from the fridge. The result was a huge hit with all the family and the leftovers were amazing eaten cold the following day.



Peperonata with Torte Rustica


About the Author

Saghar Setareh was born in Tehran and moved to Rome in 2007 to study at the Fine Art Academy. She has been running her food and photography blog, Lab Noon, since 2014, and has contributed to Food52, Conde Nast Traveller UK, and National Geographic. Alongside working as a professional photographer, Saghar runs Persian and Italian cooking classes in cities across Italy. She was among Corriere della Sera's selection of '50 Women of Food' in 2020



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