Match of the week
Mezze and pomegranate juice
If you find yourself in an Iranian restaurant (or a Persian one as they often still describe themselves) you’ll be lucky to find much in the way of wine options and in many ways the food is better suited to the cordials or sharbats they would generally drink.
So when I visited Kuch in Bristol the other day I ordered a pomegranate juice which went really well with my plate of mezze which included felafel, kibbeh, sambosak and beetroot borani (a yoghurty beetroot dip)
Like most cordials it was slightly too sweet so if you’re making it at home I’d recommend adding some fresh pomegranate juice or maybe even a dash of lime juice but it’s much better suited to Persian food than the more common English options of apple and orange juice.
It works in Lebanese and other middle-eastern restaurants too.
Chicken with pomegranate molasses and orange iced tea
One of the areas of food and drink pairing I’m always trying to crack is soft drinks - so it’s good to find an inspired match that really hits the spot - not too sweet as most soft drinks are for me.
It was at a restaurant called Honey & Co I’ve been meaning to go to for a while - a tiny cafe in Warren Street that serves the most delicious middle-eastern inspired food. (The owners both used to work at Ottolenghi.)
This was my main course - a gorgeous colourful dish of chicken marinated in pomegranate molasses with cracked wheat, pistachios and pomegranate seeds.
The iced tea had been spiked, I suspect from the colour, with fresh pomegranate juice and was served with a slice of blood orange and a (slightly over-generous) dash of orange flower water. Rein that back just a touch and you’d have the perfect drink.
It was also great with my starter of shaved fennel, blood orange and feta seasoned with Turkish chilli flakes (I would guess) and a pinch of zatar (a mix of thyme, oregano, sesame seeds and sumac).
I really don’t think wine or beer would have been better.
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