What I love about Middle Eastern food is that it’s as simple as it is decadent — simple ingredients like yogurt, honey and figs combined with something special like rose and orange water to make a luxurious dessert. On the weekend we feasted on a jeweled rice of carrot, saffron, barberries and almonds, branzino wrapped in vine leaf and labneh with fennel, honey and olive oil. I grew up on Greek food, and the two cuisines have a lot in common. But where Greek food is rustic, Persian, Turkish or Lebanese food, feels regal.