Middle Eastern

We love halloumi’s squeaky texture and ability to take on some char, but torn salted mozzarella would be just as good (just don’t try grilling it).

A crisp cucumber-and-herb salad makes a light, vibrant topping for this fragrant rice pilaf and golden sauté of chicken, onions, and garlic.

You're bound to get plenty of accolades for this zesty sauce, a Middle Eastern–spiced riff on herby salsa verde.

Toss sweet melon and crisp cukes in a bright coriander-cardamom dressing for a refreshing and delicious summer salad.

Make a big batch of these spicy herbed meatballs and stash them in your freezer. That way, you’ll always have the building blocks for an easy weeknight dinner on hand.

This saffron-infused, vegetarian version of the traditional savory Iranian rice cake is made with earthy portobello mushrooms and meaty eggplants.

This psychedelic Mediterranean-inspired salad marries bright, fresh ingredients with sweet, earthy roasted beets and perfectly cooked eggs. It tastes as good as it looks on the plate, and all the ingredients make for good snacks.

Recipe courtesy of Bon Appétit Executive Chef Mary Nolan

Fried whitefish or smoked whitefish is most commonly eaten during the Persian New Year and is said to represent life.

This rice dish is based on one of the most famous Persian polos (pilaf), known as sabzi polo.

You can serve these flatbreads as is or wrapped around a filling.

This brittle recipe is a riff on an Iranian candy known as sohan. Its snappy texture and fragrant flavor pair well with bitter tea.

Mast, which translates to yogurt in Farsi, is a staple side dish on many Persian tables. The yogurt can be mixed with shallots, grated cooked beets, cooked spinach, or, most commonly, with Persian cucumbers, mint, and dried rose.

Given my very high regard for a grilled naked lamb chop, all juicy and charred, when I do go for something more elaborate, it's got to be worth it. This dish is. Here, the meat is coated in toasted whole spices—fennel, coriander, and cumin seeds—that have been very lightly crushed. The seeds retain their texture, giving the meat both a heady scent and a good crunch. For serving, a tahini-lemon sauce adds a rich nuttiness, while a dash of sumac provides its berrylike tartness.