Alla Carta asks designer Hanieh Heidarabadi for a favorite recipe

Hanieh Heidarabadi is Iranian and lives in Stockholm, where she works as an architect and designer. She likes cooking because it’s something easy and immediate for her, but most of all because it's a break she takes to think about problems and how to solve them. We met her in her apartment, where we had a very funny and intimate dinner.

alla carta - Hanieh Heidarabadi - L’ArcoBaleno blog

AC: Is there something in particular that keeps design and food related?

HH: For me they both go through the same process—although the lifetime of the two cycles varies considerably. To cook or design you always start with preparing or sketching to decide what to actually produce, followed by method of choice (cutting, trimming, boiling, steaming), manufacturing, and finally consumption. I also like the subjectivity of the two things; design and food are very much linked to the culture and customs you were brought up in.

alla carta - Hanieh Heidarabadi - L’ArcoBaleno blog

AC: What do you like about food and cooking?

HH: I like cooking because it is immediate, whereas design and architecture can take months or even years before you see the end result. I also like the break cooking gives me during projects, in a way I get time to reflect upon my work. And usually I solve problems while cooking or doing the dishes.

AC: Where do you buy your food in Stockholm?

HH: I live on Södermalm, one of the most populated islands in Stockholm, but there isn’t enough variation when it comes to grocery shopping. So when I have time, I try to leave the city center and visit the suburbs, I especially like Skärholmen for it’s big diversity.

alla carta - Hanieh Heidarabadi - L’ArcoBaleno blog

AC: Tell us your secret recipe.

HH: I usually like to improvise and have a hard time to follow recipes straight up and down. This is my secret improvised recipe that slightly changes depending on the season!

Oven Baked Salmon with Parsnip Mash

Peel and chop 2-4 parsnips and a few potatoes and boil them in salted water until really tender.

Preheat the oven to 200 Celsius.

alla carta - Hanieh Heidarabadi - L’ArcoBaleno blog

Season the salmon (you need around 150 grams per person) with salt, pepper, and rosemary. Place the salmon, skin side down in an ovenproof form and cover with red onions.

Bake the salmon, 15-20 min, depending on thickness and size.

alla carta - Hanieh Heidarabadi - L’ArcoBaleno blog

Drain the parsnip and potatoes; add butter, milk, salt, pepper, nutmeg and mash all together.

alla carta - Hanieh Heidarabadi - L’ArcoBaleno blog

Serve with seasonal vegetables and a slice of lime!

alla carta - Hanieh Heidarabadi - L’ArcoBaleno blog

alla carta - Hanieh Heidarabadi - L’ArcoBaleno blog

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Interview by Fabiana Fierotti

Photography by Erik Wahlstrom

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    Alla Carta Magazine

    Alla Carta approaches food as an incentive to take a bite of diverse cultural phenomena. We are intrigued by the meal's convivial capacity, and have found food to be an essential element for sharing thoughts, opinions and creative ideas.