GUEST CHEF
Leila Darabi
Leila is an Iranian‐American home cook and
storyteller. You may recognize her voice
from the Linewaiters’ Gazette or PBS
Frontline’s Tehran Bureau, where she
occasionally wrote about food.
Check out her IG: @persian_ish.
“Growing up, it felt like my family always had a tray of peeled and salted wedges of eggplant on the kitchen counter or sunning on a window sill waiting to be braised with meat, tomatoes and dried lime into a savory stew. It wasn’t until I got to college that I discovered that many of my friends’ first encounter with my favorite vegetable had been with poorly-executed eggplant parmesan. I often heard that the taste and texture turned them off. Kashk-e bademjan is a recipe I’ve been using since college to convert eggplant skeptics. Kaleh kabab uses the same eggplant base with a totally different flavor profile; I often serve both at parties. “
