Samin Nosrat: The delicious recipes which remind me of childhood

“Growing up, my family didn’t eat out very often,” says chef Samin Nosrat.

“But when we did, it was almost always at a Persian chelo kababi, where we’d each order a humongous platter of buttery saffron rice topped with two skewers of grilled meat and a grilled tomato.

“We each had our favourites, and mine was invariably joojeh kabob – tender, tangy pieces of saffron-and-yogurt– marinated chicken.

"Joojeh kabob was so deeply ingrained into my food memories that years later it was a primary source of inspiration when I developed my recipe for buttermilk-brined roast chicken.

“And because it’s just about the best roast chicken I’ve ever tasted, I used that recipe as the starting point for this one.

"The chicken still brines overnight in a flavourful, well-seasoned marinade of yogurt or buttermilk, but this time, saffron, onions, lime, garlic, and a little tomato purée are layered in to deliver the precise combination of acidity, sweetness, and umami that makes joojeh kabob so irresistible.”

Serves 4. Requires overnight marinating. Ingredients: 1 whole chicken (1.6 to 1.8kg); Kosher salt; ½tsp saffron threads, ground and bloomed; 1tbsp tomato purée; 4tbsp freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice; 365g natural yogurt or buttermilk; 1 brown onion, thinly sliced; 2 garlic cloves, finely grated; ½tsp coarsely ground black pepper

The day before you plan to cook, spatchcock the chicken and generously season it with salt on both sides. Let the chicken sit at room temperature while you prepare the marinade.

In an extra-large zip-lock plastic bag, whisk together the bloomed saffron, tomato purée, and lime juice until evenly combined.

Add 2 tablespoons (18g) kosher salt and the yogurt, onion, garlic, and pepper. Add the chicken, seal the bag, and squish the yogurt all over the chicken. Place it on a rimmed plate and refrigerate.

If you’re so inclined, over the next 24 hours you can turn the bag so every part of the chicken gets marinated, but it’s not essential.

An hour before cooking, remove the chicken from the yogurt and scrape off any aromatics. Bring the chicken to room temperature.

Adjust an oven rack to the centre position and preheat to 220°C.

Arrange the chicken, breast-side up, on a wire rack set over a baking tray (line the tray with parchment to make clean-up easier).

Cook until the chicken is a dark golden brown and the juices run clear when you cut between the leg and the thigh, about 45 minutes. (Loosely cover the chicken with a piece of foil for the last 10 minutes if the skin is getting too dark.)

Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving with crispy rice, garlic and herb labneh, and Shirazi salad.

Sky-high focaccia

“I’ve spent years tweaking and perfecting this golden, chewy focaccia recipe, which I originally developed for the Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat documentary series,” says chef Samin Nosrat.

“Since then, I’ve replaced plain flour with strong white flour, whose higher protein content allows for more height and chew.

"I also added a few strategic turns, or folds, of the dough as it proofs, to aid in gluten development.

"All of that focus on structure and gluten in the method has yielded a focaccia that’s taller, airier, and chewier than ever before.

“The beauty of this one-bowl recipe is that it requires only patience to achieve perfection. There’s no stand mixer required, no endless kneading.”

Makes a 46 x 33cm focaccia. Ingredients: Requires 4 hours, plus 12 to 24 hours for proofing and another 4 hours for final proof and bake; 720g warm water; 2¼tsp (7g) fast-action dried yeast; ½tsp (4g) honey; 800g strong white flour; 2tbsp plus ½tsp (20g) kosher salt; 46g extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for dough handling and tin; Flaky salt, for sprinkling

In a very large bowl, stir together 600g of the water, the yeast, and the honey. Let sit for 5 minutes, until frothy.

Use your hands or a large spoon to mix the flour into the yeast mixture until all the flour is incorporated. Cover with a clean, damp tea towel and let sit for 30 minutes.

Add the remaining 120g water, the kosher salt, and the oil. Use your hands to incorporate. As the dough absorbs the salt, it will behave sort of strangely, seeming to fall apart – this is fine.

Just keep kneading and squeezing it with your hands – it’ll come back together eventually, especially once it has a chance to rest.

Cover the bowl with a damp tea towel and set it in a warm spot to continue proofing. Every 30 minutes or so for the next 2½ hours, turn the dough. (Note that each turn consists of four quarter-turns, or folds.)

With wet hands, gently loosen the dough from the north side of the bowl. Stretch the dough up until it resists, then fold it towards the south side of the bowl.

Give the bowl a quarter-turn and repeat. Repeat twice more to end up where you started. Cover with the damp towel.

During this first turn, the dough may not yet be relaxed enough to tolerate all four folds, but do your best. As the dough relaxes, it’ll become more elastic, and each turn will be more gratifying!

After about three hours total, the dough should be billowy and have doubled in volume. If not, continue to let rise and turn for up to one hour longer, moving the bowl to a warmer spot if necessary.

After the final set of folds, gather up the edges of the dough into the centre as if you’re making a massive dumpling, and then carefully flip it to tuck the join underneath.

Gently coat the top of the dough with a little oil, seal the bowl with clingfilm or a lid, and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours.

Generously coat the bottom and sides of a 33 x 46cm baking tin with nonstick cooking spray, then drizzle with two to three tablespoons oil.

Gently transfer the dough to the tin, cover with clingfilm or a lid, and set in a warm spot to come to room temperature for 30 minutes.

With lightly oiled hands, gently stretch the dough to fill the tin, then drizzle with another two to three tablespoons oil. Return the pan to a warm spot and allow to proof for 30 minutes.

Gently stretch the dough again to fill the entire tin.

Repeat the stretching twice more over the next hour, then continue proofing the dough untouched until it’s jiggly, bubbly, and flush with the top of the pan, one to two hours longer, depending on the ambient temperature. (Don’t rush this step – it will make all the difference in getting the tallest, chewiest focaccia possible!)

Meanwhile, adjust an oven rack to the lowest position, place an overturned baking tray on the rack, and preheat to 230°C.

Once the dough is flush with the top of the tin, dip the pads of your fingers in any oil that’s pooled in the corners of the tin. Spread your fingers wide like a piano impresario and make dimples across the entire tin of dough, pressing firmly to the bottom of the tin (this is the fun part!). Sprinkle evenly with flaky salt.

Place the baking tin with the focaccia on the overturned baking tray in the oven and bake for 25 to 28 minutes, until the corners are pulling away from the tin and the top is golden brown and glistening.

If the top needs a little more browning, transfer to the top rack and bake for 3 to 5 minutes longer.

Cool the focaccia in the tin for 5 minutes, then use a thin flexible metal spatula to gently loosen it from the tin. Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

Store for up to 3 days wrapped in a paper bag inside of a plastic bag (this prevents the salt from dissolving). Bring back to life with a quick toast. Freeze for up to 3 months.