Yasmin Fahr on Keeping It Simple – and Sensational with One Pot Recipes

March 7, 2020

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Keeping It Simple author, Yasmin Fahr, is as delighted with her favorite foods as she is to share them in her book recipes and demos

Yasmin Fahr is as excited about sharing her passion for her favorite foods as she to share 60 easy, efficient one-pot dinners preparing them that look and taste elaborate in her new book KEEPING IT SIMPLE. Her exuberant smile tells the whole story. And Yasmin’s fun idea of the time it takes to ‘whip up a meal” is about the time it takes to have a glass of wine, or two!”

Yasmin’s easy-to-make dishes are colorful, impressive and healthy – and her book KEEPING IT SIMPLE is practical

The book is also practical since Yasmin uses one item used several times, such as her very favorite, feta cheese (and our’s). She uses Feta cheese, for example, in both an appetizer or side dish, Garlicky Romaine Summer Salad, and in the wholesome, mediterranean Baked Feta (p. 35) with Steamed Chickpeas, Kale sprouts and pepitas) is unexpected and yet universally appealing and could be used in the same meal.

Baked Feta (p. 35) with Steamed Chickpeas, Kale sprouts and pepitas) is unexpected and yet universally appealing. It features a Yasmin favorite: feta cheese, here in big, tactile slabs

Mushrooms and Ricotta Toast (p. 56) with a glorious topping of unusual mushrooms and the surprise of ricotta cheese could be an appetizer or side dish

Other favorites of Yasmin include lemons, fresh herbs and cumin. Lemony Orzo with Prawns, Asparagus and Feta (p. 107) is also an example of why Yasmin loves lemons so much because, she says, “they add a bright acidic note to a dish in such a special way. This dish is prepared more quickly with Melissa’s Peeled Garlic and seedless lemons.

Impressive and sumptuous described the one-dish Curried Vegan quinoa with Broccoli and Lemon-tahini Dressing dish, with Melissa’s already cooked Quinoa, seedless lemons and kale sprouts makes prep and cooking time go even faster. This could be a dish served in a dutch-oven or cast iron pot, two pieces of equipment Yasmin recommends in her short list. “Besides being multi-use pans and pots, they will also last a lifetime,” she adds.

Yasmin’s Curried Vegan Quinoa with Broccoli and Lemon-Tahimi Dressing (p. 140)

Carrying the theme of lemon through is Yasmin’s Lemon-Saffron Chicken Kebabs (p. 29) with seedless lemons, Melissa’s flavorful Baby Heirloom Tomatoes and Organic Red Onion. My own (definitely not a cook at the time) dad used to prepare simple marinated kebobs for parties that always added a “wow.” Marinading the kebobs overnight add “a ton of flavor” and also means that a meal is ready after a day at work or party shopping. Tomatoes are also blistered – “any Iranian restaurant will feature this show-off”, she laughs. Grilling lemons are also a tasty, gorgeous way to serve this or any other citrus.

This is exactly Yasmin’s intent: to add time-saving tips to an experienced cook’s repertoire to encourage the beginning cook. To this end, she includes an insightful section on SHORT-CUT COOKERY advises using flavor-packed condiments, such as miso or curry pastes, mustards that “do the heavy lifting” for you. Marinades add an ethnic flair. And a way to make very, very expensive saffron more practical is to grind it, according to Yasmin!

Yasmin’s Lemon-Saffron Chicken Kebabs (p. 29) with seedless lemons, Melissa’s flavorful Baby Heirloom Tomatoes and Organic Red Onion. Be sure to wet the skewers before adding ingredients so the ingredients char, not the stick!

Yasmin’s life seems from early on to be directed toward food and recipe writing based on her own experiences. Her background is Persian, a cuisine that is “very time-intensive,” she explains, but at the same time it is a culture that is very much family-oriented so mealtime with everyone present was always very important.” Her book would have come in very handy at home because her mom, Shifteh Fahr, “cooked to feed us, ” Yasmin laughed. Dinner on the table on an everyday basis was expected and for Yasmin, “food became an expression of love. ” The love of cooking includes her father and sister both being dedicated cooks with her sister now in the profession.

Everyone’s favorite, 30-Minute Green Chicken Chili (p. 72) with sweet onion, jalapeños, Poblano Chiles an tomatillos. The most unique chili in the world, sprinkled with just the right amount of peppery flavor throughout

Colorful, flavorful garnishes on a fun do-it-yourself platter add to the allure of the chili dish

Very Persian, very mediterranean, sliced tropical fruit makes the perfect dessert to a hearty meal

Exuberant Yasmin is one of those people who appreciated every class and job, and at the same time is flexible to change course instinctively She attended Cornell University and then completed a Master’s degree in Food Studies from New York University. She wrote a weekly one-pot recipe column for Serious Eats (that I followed!) while working as a luxury hotel and fine dining restaurant inspector for Forbes travel Guide for four years, on three continents, which gave her a worldly perspective on flavors and tastes. Her writing and recipes have appeared online and in print publications such as The Kitchn, Epicurious, TASTE, Bon Appetit, Food & Wine.