Persian Breakfast (Sobhaneh)

New York Fall Weather

Bread Cheese & Walnuts (Noon Paneer va Gerdoo)

Breakfast has been called the greatest meal of the day. I couldn't agree more. It only takes a little time early in the morning out of our busy schedule to boil some water in order to brew a fresh cup of loose leaf tea or make a aromatic delicious cup of coffee. Warm up some pita(lavash), barbari bread or sangag( if it's available where you are), serve feta cheese and/or butter, walnuts, fruit jams or honey. Many like to serve fruits of the season and sliced small cucumbers and firm tomatoes. This is a typical Iranian breakfast. Where the tea is hot and the bread is warm, cheese (paneer) is tasty and of good quality. In that 10-15 minutes sitting at a table, sipping tea, enjoying the company of loved ones, counting your blessings, and gathering the strength to get up and start a day refreshed and ready to go. The above photo is a picture of my favorite kind of breakfast. I should mention that there are many other morning meals that I'll be sharing with you later on.

Enjoy!

Garlic Pickles (Seer Torshi)

The other day I stopped at a new grocery store on my way home. I had no plans to make garlic pickles but I was excited to see these clean garlic bulbs without the dusty stems at the end. That meant I didn't have to wash them and risk getting the moisture in between the cloves. All I only needed to do was to remove the loose and dried outer layers as much as possible. I kept the garlic heads intact this time. I think a jar of pickled garlic makes a delicious display on the kitchen counter, especially if you use white vinegar to be able to see the inside of the jar. But of course we need to put these pickles away in a cool and dark place to ferment. Don't you love the flavor of garlic in most dishes such as yogurt, chicken, fish, lamb, beef and vegetables?

My mother not only used garlic generously in cooking to spice up the food but also she used it for its medicinal purposes to cure our coughs and colds. She would also have her daily dose of garlic to maintain her blood pressure and keep it low. I use a few cloves in recipes that call for garlic and I always have my jars of seer torshi. I usually make a jar with peeled cloves and also a jar with separated but unpeeled cloves too. The older garlic pickles get the better they taste. Garlic becomes soft and sweet and they melt in your mouth like jam.

Ingredients:

7-8 garlic garlic bulbs, remove the outer dried skins
2-3 cups vinegar/fill to the rim
3 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons honey

Directions:

Place the bulbs in a completely dry glass jar. Add salt and honey to the vinegar in a separate glass bowl. Mix well. Pour the mixture over the bulbs. Add more vinegar if needed. All the cloves should be covered by vinegar. Cover the lid with the plastic wrap and close tight. Place in a cool and dark place. They'll be ready to serve after a couple of years so that they can age, and the seven year seer torshis are known for their great appetizing taste.

Serve seer torshi with your your favorite food. I like to serve it along with lamb shank and lima beans rice (shevid baghali polow) and eggplant dishes. If we weren't turned off by the pungent smell of garlic wouldn't we serve them more often, during work days rather than the weekends. Perhaps we would even have a chocolate covered garlic candies for Halloween!

Enjoy!

Dopiazeh

I learned cooking dopiazeh several years ago from one of the mothers at my daughter's Persian school. We were there to pick up our children and our conversations turned to what we were going to make for dinner that night. I said something like "I don't have much time and I don't know what to make." That's when she introduced me to this simple and delicious Shirazi food and gave me the recipe. Luckily, I had all necessary ingredients for making the dish at home. Ever since that day I added it to my list of monthly menus. "Piaz" is a Persian word for onion and "do" means two. The name of this dish means two onions which refers to the fact that this recipe calls for two large onions added at two different times during the cooking process.

Ingredients:

One pound ground beef
2 large onions, peeled and finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 medium size potatoes, washed, peeled and cut in small pieces
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon turmeric
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

On a skillet heat oil on medium heat, add half of the chopped onions and saute until golden brown. Add turmeric and stir well before adding the garlic. Place the meat in the skillet and take it apart into tiny pieces and brown. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix in the chopped potatoes, the second batch of the chopped onions, water and the tomato paste. Stir well. Adjust the seasoning and cook on low heat for an hour. Serve hot with warm pita bread or some rice (kateh) and Shirazi salad.

Enjoy!

Mung Soup (Soup-e Maash)

This is a good and hearty soup for the early days of autumn. Growing up in the south of Iran, mung beans were used mainly in cooking mung rice (maash polow). However, I prefer them in soup than in rice. I think maash makes one of the best tasting soups out there.

I remember one day many years ago when I was in 3^rd grade I asked a classmate what she had for breakfast (even at that young age I was curious what people ate in the morning). To my surprise she said they have soup in the morning for breakfast! One day they would have lentil soup (soup-e adas) and the next day they eat mung soup (soup-e maash). After hearing this I couldn’t wait to get home and tell my mother that not everybody eats bread with cheese or butter in the morning. My mother’s response was that it was both nutritious and economical to feed a large family. Maash soup is not only delicious it cooks fast too. There’s no need to soak the beans over night prior to cooking. I cook them right after washing them. They are also light on the stomach compared to the other kinds of beans. The green maash has a lovely green color.

Ingredients:

2 cups green mung/moong beans picked over and rinsed

1 large onion, finely chopped

3-4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 bunch of parsley or cilantro, washed and finely chopped

2-3 table spoons oil

¼ teaspoon turmeric

Salt and pepper to taste

Juice of a lemon

5-6 cups water

Directions:

Place the beans in a large pan cover with water, bring to boil, reduce heat and cook for 40 minutes. Saute the onion and garlic in a frying pan on medium heat till golden brown, add turmeric, stir well. Add the garlic onion mixture and the vegetable to the soup and cook for another ten minutes on low heat. Add water if needed. Add the lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot with warm pita bread.

Enjoy!

Khoresh Ghaymeh

Khoresh Ghaymeh is a favorite dish amongst many Iranians. This is a simple meal with a few ingredients such as meat, yellow split peas, onion and tomato sauce. The only spices used are turmeric and a little bit of cinnamon in addition to salt and pepper. What brings the flavor together and makes it quite savory and delicious is the subtle taste of dried lemon (limoo amani). Also, the use of French fries as garnish is quite appetizing and pleasing to the eye. This isn’t a complicated dish to make and you’ll be amazed at how these few ingredients work well together and blend in and create this flavorful food.

Ingredients:

2 pounds meat (beef or lamb) rinse, cut into small bite size pieces

1 ½ cup yellow split peas, picked over, rinsed

1 large onion, peeled, finely chopped

1 can 16 ounces of tomato sauce

1 tablespoon tomato paste

4 limoo amani (dried lemon), rinse the dried lemons, with a fork make some holes in them before adding them to the pot or soak them in water for an hour then cut them in half.

2 tablespoons oil

1 teaspoon turmeric

Dash of cinnamon

Salt and pepper to taste

2-3 cups water, add more if needed

2-3 large potatoes, peeled, cut into thin strips for making French fries

Oil for sauteing the potatoes

Salt to taste

Directions:

In a large pan, heat oil, add onion and saute until translucent. Add turmeric, stir. Place the meat in the pan, add salt and pepper and brown on all sides. I like adding the yellow peas at this point and give them a toss along with the meat. Saute the mixture for another couple of minutes, then add the tomato sauce, paste and the water. Bring to boil, reduce the heat and cook for an hour until meat is tender.

In a frying pan saute the potatoes on all sides until golden brown. Remove from oil with a slotted spoon, sprinkle salt on top, set aside. If you prefer, you may deep fry them. But since it wasn’t customary in our home to deep fry potatoes or anything else for that matter, I fry them in a thin layer of oil.

Spoon out the Ghaymeh in a casserole dish, place the fries on top and serve hot with some saffron rice, yogurt, warm pita bread and pickles.

Enjoy!

Chicken with Green Beans and Carrots (Khorak-e Morgh)

I sometimes fall into the trap of making the same kinds of food that we like one too many times. Don’t you think most of us have a set menu of our favorite foods and we stick to it majority of the time? If you give me chicken, the first thing I make is zereshk polow or salad olivieh! However, this time I’m resisting the temptation of cooking the same things over and over. Honestly, in the summer time if I have yogurt, cheese and bread in the refrigerator I would probably forget to make dinner. Sometimes! Today, I made this wonderful chicken dish with green beans, carrots and tomatoes. Khorak-e morgh is an easy and delicious one skillet meal.

Ingredients:

1 pound chicken breasts/drumsticks or both
1 large onion; thinly sliced
2 cups frozen green beans or fresh green beans; cut in 1-2 inch pieces
1 1/2 cups of sliced carrots or baby carrots
2 medium tomatoes cut into thick slices
2 cloves garlic; finely chopped
1 can tomato sauce
2 table spoons of oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions:

In a large sauce pan saute the onions in oil over medium heat until till they become translucent, add the chopped garlic and saute for another 5 minutes. Add turmeric, stir. Place the chicken in the pan and fry on both sides. Add salt, pepper and cinnamon. Gently pour a cup of water in the pan, lower the heat and cook for about 30 minutes. Then add the tomato sauce and the vegetables (green beans, carrots and tomatoes) and the lemon juice. Cook for another 30 minutes on medium to low heat. This dish could also be made in the oven. After you cook the chicken in the pan, transfer it to an oven proof serving dish then add the vegetable and nicely layer them on top, cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about an hour when the chicken is well cooked.

Serve with some rice or warm pita bread, fresh herbs and pickles.

Sometimes I add a hand full of prune/plums towards the end of cooking to the pot. It is optional.


Enjoy!

Rice with Lentils (Adas Polow)

Adas polow is one of the traditional Iranian foods that I grew up with. It is a good meal to prepare when you don't have a lot of time on your hands yet you want something delicious with some nutritional value that is easy to make. Lentil rice is not considered as a fancy Iranian cuisine and it is not usually served in formal gatherings. However, you can make it for your family, close relatives and friends. That's what I do. This dish could be made with or without meat. Vegetarians can omit adding the ground meat to the rice in the pot.
Ingredients:

2 cups long grain rice
1 1/2 cup dried lentils
1 pound ground meat (lamb or beef) I used beef in this recipe.
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
1-2 tablespoons oil for sauteing onions
3 table spoons oil for rice
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground saffron, dissolved in 2-3 table spoons of hot water
1/3 teaspoon cinnamon
Salt and pepper to taste

For toppings you can use 1/4 cup of raisins and 1/4 of chopped dates, if you like sweet rice. It's optional. It softens the dates and raisins and brings out the flavor if you saute them lightly with a little bit of oil.


Directions:

Heat 1-2 tablespoons of oil in a medium size saucepan. Add the chopped onion and saute until the onion is translucent. Add 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric and stir. Add the ground meat and brown. Add salt and pepper to taste. I usually start with adding 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/3 spoon of pepper. Add cinnamon and mix well. I adjust the seasoning along the way if needed. When ground meat is cooked set it aside.

Pick over the lentils and rinse. Place in a pot and add about 2 cups of water, bring to boil. Then lower the heat to medium, cover the pot and cook for about 20 minutes. Set aside.

After you pick over the rice, rinse a couple of times with cool water and let it soak in 4 cups of salt water for a couple of hours. In a large non-stick pan, bring 8 cups of water to a rapid boil. Drain rice and pour into boiling water. Bring water to boil for 10 minutes. Test to see if the rice is ready. Rice should be firm in the center and soft on the outside. Drain and rinse with cool water. Wash the pot and return to heat. Add a couple of tablespoons of oil. With a large spatula, place a layer of rice into the non-stick pot, place a layer of meat , then a layer of lentils, sprinkle. Then another layer of rice, continue building it into a pyramid shape. Spread the liquid saffron over the rice. In order to release the steam make 2-3 holes in the rice with the bottom of the spatula. Cover and cook for 10 minutes on medium-high heat until rice is steaming, lower heat and steam the rice for another 30-40 minutes.

Serve warm in a large platter. This dish is best served with either plain yogurt or yogurt with cucumber (mast-o khiar).

For making smaller portions you can easily cut down the suggested measurements. You can use 1 cup of rice, 2/3 cup of lentil and 1/2 pound of meat and one medium size onion.


Enjoy!

Yogurt with Herbs, Raisins and Walnuts

Today, it really feels like summer. It’s hot, humid and sticky. It’s the kind of weather that makes you not want to step in the kitchen, let alone cook a gourmet meal. Therefore, I’m sticking to a cool, smooth, and healthy yogurt and herbs for dinner. The combination of yogurt, aromatic and flavorful vegetables, walnuts and raisins makes a delicious and light meal ideal for hot summer days.

Ingredients:

2 cups plain yogurt
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup raisins
1 large cucumber; peeled, seeded and finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh chives or scallions, chopped
1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/4 cup fresh tarragon, chopped
1 clove garlic, finely grated
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

In a large bowl combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly. Adjust seasoning. Refrigerate for an hour before serving.

Enjoy!

Dill & Lima Beans Rice (Shevid Baghali Polow)

Combination of fresh finely chopped dill along with preferably fresh baby lima beans or Ava beans and aromatic rice make a very delicious meal. I think the person who came up with the idea of throwing these ingredients together must have been a culinary genius of her time. This mixed rice could be served as a vegetarian dish along with some yogurt and cucumber (mast o khiar) side dish. Dill and Lima beans rice is usually served with lamb shanks or chicken. I must say that it goes very well with turkey too. I have made it several times as a side dish for Thanksgiving dinner. I like the rice to be covered with fresh and some dried dill to cover every grain of rice. Also, I use equal portions of lima beans and rice. To me, cooking Persian food is not an exact science. I usually start with having the main ingredients for a dish that I like to make but I tend to kind of add my personal touches and preferences to it along the way. However, if there is bit of change to an original Persian recipe, I’ll make sure to point out and make a note of it in my posts. Many of you know that there may be many variations of a recipe. It depends which part of the country you are from, north or south or how your mom has taught you to cook.

Ingredients:

2 cups rice
2 cups frozen baby lima beans
2 cups finely chopped fresh dill or 1½ cups dried dill. I used the combination of 1½ cup fresh dill and ½ cup dried.
2 table spoons oil
1/3 teaspoon turmeric
Dash of cinnamon
1-2 tablespoons of melted butter for the topping (optional)

Directions:

Leave the frozen baby lima beans out in room temperature to thaw, rinse. Place the dill fresh or dried in a bowl, add turmeric and a dash of cinnamon. Mix well.

Wash rice with cool water a few times. Soak in 4 cups of water, add salt and set aside for a couple of hours. In a large non-stick pan that has a tight fitting lid, bring 8 cups of water to a rapid boil. Drain rice and pour into boiling water. Bring water to boil for 10 minutes. Test to see if the rice is ready. Rice should be firm in the center and soft on the outside. Drain and rinse with cool water. Wash the pot and return to heat, add a couple of tablespoons of oil. With a large spatula, place a layer of rice into the non-stick pot, place a layer dill, then a layer of lima bean, sprinkle some dill on top. Then another layer of rice, continue building it into a pyramid shape. In order to release the steam make 2-3 holes in the rice with the bottom of the spatula. Cover and cook for 10 minutes on medium-high heat until rice is steaming, lower heat and steam the rice for another 30-40 minutes.

Serve in a platter along with lamb shanks or chicken pieces or just by itself as a vegetarian dish. If you find the rice a bit on the dry side distribute the melted butter on top of the rice.

Enjoy!

Quick Eggplant Pickles (Torshi Bademjan)

If you’ve grown up with having torshi everyday with your lunch like me, then you’ve probably got your assortment of torshi jars stored away in a cool place. Like those people who know what kind of wine goes with which kinds of food, you know torshis well and know when to serve the mix pickles (torshi makhloot) or garlic torshi, etc.

My mother was an avid torshi maker. Every time she came here to visit making eggplant pickles was one of the first things she’d do. She believed eating torshi with lunch not only enhances the taste of the meal but is also good for you. This is my mother’s recipe, an easy, quick and simple way to may torshi-e bademjan. This torshi does not require a long time to ferment. In fact it is ready to be served in a couple of days.

Ingredients:

7 small Italian eggplants, rinse, dry; do not peel and make a long cut on the side
7 cloves of garlic, peeled, keep them whole
2 cups apple cider or white vinegar
½ teaspoon turmeric
2-3 tablespoons salt
2 small red hot peppers
1 teaspoon angelica powder (golpar)
1 teaspoon caraway seed (siah-daneh)
1 teaspoon coriander seeds (tokhm-e geshneez)
1 table spoon of dried dill, mint and tarragon

Directions:

Mix all the dried ingredients together in a small bowl. Pour the vinegar in a large and heavy pan and place on a medium to low heat. Place a garlic clove in each eggplant along with some of the dried herb and spice mixture. Gently place eggplants in the pan, sprinkle the remaining spices over the eggplants, and cook them for 30 minutes. Let it completely cool before transferring them into a clean glass jar. Add more vinegar if needed. Store in a cool place. They are ready to be served in two days.

Enjoy!

Herbed Koofteh

I make koofteh 3-4 times a year, perhaps once every season, and every time I serve it I tell myself that I should make it more often but I don’t follow up on that. However, it is such a joy to gather the ingredients, chopping the onions, making the sauce, preparing the vegetables, mixing them all together, making small balls and finally letting them cook slowly. The aroma of fresh herbs, tomato sauce and green peppers fill the room and that is just the beginning of making this delicious and fragrant one dish meal. This koofteh is made with rice, meat and several kinds of herbs.

I must say that my mother would make the same koofteh without the use of tomato sauce and green pepper. One day I added a little tomato paste to the liquid in the pan to give it some color, I liked the enhanced taste and color so much so that now I don’t make koofteh without it. Also, in the authentic Persian Koofteh, there are no green bell peppers either but that started as an experiment too. One day I added pieces of green pepper to the sauce and the final product was a mouth watering, colorful and aromatic meal. I usually add the green peppers towards the end so they can keep their beautiful colors and stay a little bit on the firm side. If you are new to Iranian food I strongly recommend making this dish. It makes about 15-20 koofteh balls.

Ingredients:

1 pound ground meat (beef, lamb or turkey)
1 cup rice
½ cup yellow split peas
2 eggs
2 onions (one finely diced for frying and one grated to be used in the rice/meat mixture)
2 cloves of garlic
2 table spoons of oil for sautéing the onion
1 cup chopped parsley
1 cup chopped dill
1 cup chopped cilantro
A few sprigs of mint, tarragon and basil, washed and finely chopped
2 medium size green peppers (optional)

For the Sauce:

1 can of tomato sauce (16 ounces)
1 can of crushed tomatoes (16 ounces)
2 cups water
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/3 teaspoon liquid saffron
Salt and pepper to taste

For filling:

Chopped walnut, raisins, barberries (zereshk) or prunes
I used the combination of walnuts and raisins this time.

Directions:

Place the rice and the yellow split peas together in a medium size pot, add 3 cups of water, add ½ teaspoon of salt and cook 20 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and set aside to cool. In a wide and large pan sauté the onions in oil, when they become golden brown add the garlic and a dash of turmeric. Stir well. Pour both cans of tomato sauce into the pot, add some salt and pepper and also pour in 2 cups of water. Cover and let it simmer while you make the meat mixture.

Cooked rice and yellow split peas

In a large bowl combine the rice/peas, meat, grated onion, eggs, herbs, salt and pepper, turmeric and saffron and mix thoroughly but gently with hands. All the ingredients should be well distributed. Using a scoop take about 1/3 of a cup of the mixture, round it into a ball, poke a hole in it to stuff the fillings in, close the gap and one by one, slowly place into the gently boiling sauce. When done, place an upside down colander on the pot to let the steam out. Cook on medium to low heat for an hour. Adjust seasoning if needed. Serve with yogurt or pickles (torshi) and warm bread.

Enjoy!

Celery Stew (Khoresh Karafs)

Celery stew (Khoresh Karafs) is another healthy and delicious Iranian dish. It is a combination of meat, evenly sliced celery, finely chopped parsley, a little bit of mint (preferably fresh), fresh squeezed lime juice and the right amount of seasoning. In my opinion, what makes Iranian food tasty, especially for most of the casseroles and stews (khoreshes), is the slow cooking process and the taking time to let the food simmer in order to bring out the flavors and as we say in Iran, (ja biofteh). Khoresh-e karafs like ghormeh Sabzi and fesenjoon will be fully cooked in 1 1/2 to 2 hours. However, it is better to cook them on the lowest heat setting for an additional hour at least. Most of us Iranians agree that the next day khoresh left-overs usually taste better. So, you may want to plan ahead for your next meal and cook them in advance.

Ingredients:

1 pound meat (beef or lamb), washed and cut into cubes
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
1 celery stalk, washed, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 bunches of Parsley, washed and finely chopped (2 cups dried parsley)
1 bunch of mint, washed and finely chopped (2-3) table spoons dried mint)
2 cloves of garlic peeled and finely chopped
Juice of 1-2 limes or whole or powdered dried lemon (limoo amani)
½ teaspoon turmeric
Salt and pepper to taste
5-6 table spoons oil divided in two parts (for frying onions and celery separately)
2-3 cups of water

Directions:

In a large saucepan heat some oil. When hot, add onion and sauté until transparent, add garlic and sauté for an additional 5-6 minutes, add turmeric and stir. Place the meat in the sauce pan and brown on all sides. Add salt and pepper as needed. Usually start with adding ½ teaspoon of salt and ¼ of teaspoon of pepper. Then add 2 cups of water, bring to boil then reduce heat, cover and cook.

In a large frying sauce pan sauté the cut up pieces of celery until they become soft and turn slightly brown on the outer edges, add chopped parsley and mint sauté a little more.

Add all the vegetables to the meat mixture; sprinkle some salt on the celery, check to see if there is enough water in the pot, add more water if needed, cover and cook for an hour and a half. Pour the lime juice over the meat and celery towards the end of cooking. Check to see if additional seasoning is needed, (salt and pepper) or perhaps a little more lime juice or limoo amany for that extra sour zing that I personally prefer. Serve with rice.

Enjoy!

Tas Kabab

Tas kabab is usually an autumn/winter meal when quince (beh) is in season and readily available in the markets. This combination of meat and vegetables is tastiest when made with fresh quince. Since I like tas kabab and find it simple, easy to make, nutritious and very delicious, I make this meal regardless of the season. I’d use granny smith apples instead of quince. I think it’s a rather good substitute when quince is not seasonally available. You can even make this dish without the use of quince or apples; it’ll still be a tasty food. Some people add eggplants to this dish, but as much as I love eggplants I prefer not to add it. This is also a one dish meal and there’s no need to serve rice with it. It is best served with some warm bread, yogurt and pickles (torshi).

Ingredients:

1 pound meat (beef or lamb), washed, cut in small pieces

3 medium onions, peeled, sliced

3 carrots, washed, scraped and sliced ( I used baby carrots this time) (optional)

3 potatoes, washed, peeled and sliced

2 large quinces, cored and sliced (or apples) (optional)

2 large tomatoes, sliced

½ cup of prune (optional)

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1-2 cups of water

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon dried lemon powder (limoo amani)

½ teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon saffron

Dash of cinnamon

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Pour the oil in a large heavy skillet. Place a layer of onions at the bottom; add a layer of meat, then a layer of tomatoes, carrots, and quince, in that order. As you add each layer, sprinkle them with a dash of salt. Add potatoes and prunes at the end. Add the remaining spices, lemon powder, turmeric, saffron and a dash of cinnamon on top of the mixture. Pour in the water and the tomato paste. Cover and cook for an hour and a half on low heat. I set it on the lowest heat and let it cook slowly. There is no need to stir the food; this way when served the vegetables won’t turn into a mush or too watery. Serve gently in a platter.

Enjoy!

Pan Kabab (Kabab Deegi)

With the fresh air and the nice days of spring ahead one of the great Iranian dishes to make outdoor is kabab. There are a variety of kababs to prepare on the grill such as the ground meat kabab (koobiedeh), barg kabab, or chicken kabab to name a few. We haven’t had a chance to assemble the new grill yet, therefore I have to settle for the stove top pan kabab (kabab deegi) for now. I don’t know of any Iranian who doesn’t know how to make kababs. I think the love of a good kabab along with the method of preparation and cooking was passed down to us through our genes from generation to generation! However, this recipe is for people like my daughter who one day might get tired of eating campus food and may want to try to make something quick, simple and delicious such as this kabab.

Usually, we use 2-4 pounds of ground meat (ground beef, lamb or a combination of two) for the flat metal skewer grilled kabab. Always making sure that there is enough food for everyone in the family and also having enough to serve an uninvited neighbor or a guest who happen to drop by unexpectedly. I must say this has almost never happened to me here, but it was common back then when I was growing up in Iran. I have cut down and reduced the amount to serve 2-4 people. It doesn’t take long to cook the meat on the stove and you can also cook it in the oven.

Ingredients:

1 pound ground meat (beef, lamb or a combination of the two) 1 medium onion grated; discard juice
1/2 tablespoon turmeric, 1/4 teaspoon liquid saffron (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 black pepper

Directions:

In a mixing bowl combine all ingredients and knead well or use the food processor. Choose a medium size fraying pan and flatten the mixture in the bottom of the pan, starting at the center and working it to the outer edges. Place the frying pan on the stove for 20-30 minutes on medium heat. Once the bottom is browned, cut the meat lengthwise into strips (or if you prefer like pizza slices)and then turn them over one by one to cook the other side.

Sprinkle some sumac powder (available in Iranian grocery stores) on the kabab. Serve with rice, grilled tomatoes, onions and yogurt drinks (doogh).

Enjoy!

Cabbage Rice (Kalam Polow)

This is another variation of making rice which is a stable in Iranian cooking. Even though I’ve had Kalam polow in the past, I must say that I didn’t particularly cared for it until recently. I think liking cabbage is an acquired taste. Now that I’ve grown smitten by it, I add plenty of it to the pickles (torshi) I make. I eat it raw as a snack or mix it with rice. For this dish, vegetarians can skip making meatballs altogether. Cabbage rice is a rich and fulfilling meal on its own. And for those days that there isn’t enough time to patiently make little meatballs, just use cooked ground beef instead, it’s equally delicious.

Ingredients:

2 cups long grain white rice, washed and soaked in 4cups of salted water
1 cup ground beef (make small meatballs) 2 cups white cabbage, washed, drained, cored and shredded thinly
1 large onion, finely chopped 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons tomato sauce 1 teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon cinnamon or Iranian allspice (advieh)
½ teaspoon liquid saffron Salt and pepper -- to taste

Directions:

In a large skillet sauté onion in two tablespoons of oil over medium heat until transparent, add turmeric and stir. Place little meatballs into the pan, add salt and pepper to taste, brown on all sides then add tomato sauce. Cover and cook for additional 20 minutes on low heat.

In a frying pan, sauté the shredded cabbage in oil over medium heat for ten minutes, add salt and pepper to taste until cabbage becomes soft and tender. Set aside.

The next step is to make the rice. Wash rice with cool water a few times. Soak in 4 cups of water, add salt and set aside for couple of hours. In a large non-stick pan that has a tight fitting lid, bring 8 cups of water to a rapid boil. Drain rice and pour into boiling water. Bring water to boil for 10 minutes. Test to see if the rice is ready. Rice should be firm in the center and soft on the outside. Drain and rinse with cool water. Wash the pot and return to heat, add a couple of tablespoons of oil and a couple of drops of saffron. With a large spatula, place a layer of rice into the non-stick pot, place a layer of shredded cabbage, then another layer of rice, building it into a pyramid shape. In order to release the steam make 2-3 holes in the rice with the bottom of the spatula. Cover and cook for 10 minutes on medium-high heat until rice is steaming, lower heat and steam the rice for another 30-40 minutes.

Serve cabbage rice on a platter and gently spread the tiny meatballs all over the rice. Serve along with yogurt and cucumber side dish (mast-o-khiar), fresh herbs and torshi.

Enjoy!

Zereshk Polow & Chicken

I have written about rice and barberry (zereshk polow) before. There are different ways of making and serving this dish. There is also more than one way to prepare the chicken for this meal. Some prefer the chicken breast while others cook and serve the whole chicken. I don’t have a preference one way or the other, sometimes I use only the white meat and other times I cook the chicken and serve both the white and the dark meat. Basically it depends on what I have in the freezer at the time. The chicken could be broiled, baked or cooked on the stove. What I like to do these days is use readymade rotisserie chicken, my favorite, and give it some more flavor, taste and color. The following steps to add some turmeric and saffron to chicken are totally optional and depending on your personal taste you can skip over them or cut the amounts in half. Or if you have some chicken breasts or a whole chicken in your freezer at home, defrost, cut into small bite-size pieces and cook with the following ingredients.

Ingredients:

1 rotisserie chicken, cut into small serving pieces
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons of oil
1/3 teaspoon turmeric
¼ teaspoon saffron dissolved in hot water
Salt and pepper to taste
Juice of a lime

2 Cups of long grain (basmati) rice
4 Cups water
2 tablespoon salt
½ cup oil

½ cup of barberries (zereshk), picked over, cleansed, washed and drained
1 tablespoon butter
½ a teaspoon Saffron dissolved in hot water
1 tablespoon sugar

Directions:

In a skillet, fry chopped onion in oil, add turmeric after onions become golden, stir, add chicken, salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle the lime juice over the chicken. Cook for 5-7 minutes over medium heat. Set aside.

Wash rice with cool water a few times. Soak in 4 cups of water, add salt and set aside for couple of hours.In a large non stick pan that has a tight fitting lid, bring 8 cups of water to a rapid boil. Drain rice and pour into boiling water. Bring water to boil for 10 minutes. Test to see if the rice is ready. Rice should be firm in the center and soft on the outside. Strain and rinse with cool water.

Wash the pot and return to heat, add a couple of tablespoons of oil and a couple of drops of saffron. With a large spatula, place a layer of rice into the non-stick pot, place a layer of chicken, then another layer of rice, building it into a pyramid shape. In order to release the steam make 2-3 holes in the rice with the bottom of the spatula. Cover and cook for 10 minutes on medium-high heat until rice is steaming, lower heat and steam the rice for another 30-40 minutes.

Sauté zereshk in a tablespoon of butter in a small pan for five minutes, add the liquid saffron and sugar. Mix thoroughly. Set aside.To serve the rice, place a large and round serving platter on top of the non-stick pan. While wearing kitchen mittens, hold on to both sides of the plate and the pan, turn over carefully and slowly.Sprinkle the mixture of zereshk and saffron on top. This would be the upside down zereshk polow with the crusty bottom (tah dig) on top.



Enjoy!

Vegetable Pickle (Torshi Makhloot)

Mixed vegetable pickles are usually served with rich and meaty dishes like abgusht, different kinds of khoresh and mixed rice dishes. It’s a very appetizing side dish and a great taste enhancer, torshi adds more taste “mazeh” to the meal. There are many different kinds of torshi. This one is the combination of some vegetables, herbs and spices.

Ingredients:

2 medium eggplants, peeled and chopped

2 large cucumbers, peeled and finely chopped
2 green peppers, washed, cleaned and finely chopped
3 large carrots, washed, peeled, finely chopped (steamed for 10 min.) or shredded
3 red medium onions, peeled and finely diced
1 small cauliflower, washed, finely chopped

1 small celery, washed and finely chopped

½ cup shredded white cabbage

1 cup of each of the following herbs: (parsley, coriander, dill), washed, dried and finely chopped
2 tablespoons of the following fresh herbs chopped or use dried (tarragon, mint, basil)

2 tablespoons dried lime powder (limoo amani)
2 tablespoons crushed angelica (golpar)

2 tablespoons caraway seeds (siah daneh)
2 tablespoon fennel seeds (razianeh)

2 tablespoons coriander seeds(tokhm-e geshneez)
3-4 quarts white wine vinegar, it must cover all of the veggie pieces
6-7 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4-5 tablespoons salt

2 red hot peppers, dried or fresh, chopped
2 teaspoons turmeric

Directions:

Salt the eggplants and either bake them in the 350 degrees oven for 30 minutes or cook with 1/2 cup of vinegar on medium heat for fifteen minutes. Set aside to cool.
All the herbs and vegetables must be completely dried before mixing them together. Spread out the washed herbs on a table cloth for several hours to dry.

In a large container mix all the ingredients together. Using a clean wooden spoon fill the glass jars with torshi up to the rim. Press down on them to make more room as you are filling up the jars. Sprinkle a teaspoon of salt in each jar before closing the lid tightly. Store in a cool place for at least 2 weeks before serving.

Enjoy!

Eggplant Stew ( Khoresh Bademjan)

Any dish with the combination of eggplants and tomatoes is just divine. If you happen to love eggplants and tomatoes this stew has them both, in addition to meat, split peas and sour grapes (ghooreh), which can be found in most Iranian grocery stores. This is a rich, flavorful food and one of the favorites among many Iranians.

Ingredients:

1 pound of beef or lamb, washed and cubed
2 large eggplants, peeled, sliced and salted--with 2 tablespoons of salt
2 medium tomatoes, peeled
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic minced
3/4 cup yellow split peas, cleaned, washed
3 tablespoons oil for sautéing onion, garlic and meat
½ of oil for frying eggplants
1 can of tomato sauce
3-4 cups water
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon turmeric
Juice of 1 lime, or to taste—or 2-3 table spoons sour grapes (ghooreh)


Directions:

Place the salted eggplants in a large container filled with water; put a heavy bowl or a heavy lid on top of the eggplants to hold them down for ten minutes, this will get rid of the bitterness. Remove from container and pat dry completely before frying.

Fry the eggplants in ½ cup of hot oil until brown on both sides. Remove from oil and place on a thick paper towel to take out the excess oil.

Place tomatoes in a pot of boiling water for five minutes before pulling off the skin, then chop or slice them thinly. Or use a can of crushed tomatoes instead.

In a large saucepan, heat the oil, add chopped onions, sauté until translucent then add the garlic, stir well. Put in turmeric, meat, salt and pepper and cinnamon. Mix thoroughly. Cook until meat is brown on all sides. Add dry split peas, fry for five minutes, this would keep the peas more firm in the khoresh. Add chopped tomatoes, tomato sauce and three cups of water to cover all the ingredients. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, cover and cook for an hour on medium heat. Add the fried eggplant to the mixture, adjust the seasoning and add more water if needed. Add the lime juice or two tablespoons of sour grapes (ghooreh). Cook for another 30 minutes, until meat is tender. Serve hot with rice, fresh herbs and torshi.

Enjoy!

Kookoo Sabzi

Kookoo sabzi is another vegetable dish served during the Persian New Year (Nowruz) celebration. It's also a great one meal vegetarian dish made of several herbs (sabzi)and if you bake it in the oven rather than frying it on the stove it would absorb less oil, which is always a good thing for the heath conscious cook. Once you have all the vegetables cleaned, washed and chopped finely, the rest is very easy. I use my food processor to chop the herbs. It saves a lot of time.

Ingredients:

2 cups of chopped parsley
2 cups of chopped scallions or (leeks, chives, Iranian tareh)
2 cups of spinach
1 cup of dill
1 cup of cilantro
2 tablespoon zereshk (barberies), optional
2 tablespoon chopped walnuts, optional
5 eggs
1/3 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon flour
4 tablespoons vegetable oil

Directions:

In a large mixing bowel, beat the eggs well with a whisk. Then add all the above ingredients except the oil and mix thoroughly until well blended. To this mixture add one table spoon of the oil and stir well.

In an oven proof baking dish place the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil. Gently pour the herb mixture into the dish evenly, cover lightly with an aluminum foil and place in a 350 degrees preheated oven for 40 minutes. Half way through cooking remove the foil. Once cooked, remove from oven and let it cool for a few minutes before cutting kookoo gently into small pieces. Place on a serving platter. It could be served hot or cold with warm bread and yogurt or torshi (pickles).

Enjoy!

Herb Rice & Fish (Sabzi Polow & Mahi)

Sabzi Polow and Mahi is one of the main traditional meals of the Persian New year Nowruz celebration. With almost three weeks to go before the official start of the spring season, I am all ready for the cold winter to be over. The weather is still very cold, the grass is brown and there are no blossoms on the trees. However, yesterday I felt like making this traditionally Nowruz dish. Sabzi polow is aromatic long grain basmati rice mixed with herbs. The fish usually is either smoked or fried.

In our home both kinds of fish were prepared for the celebrations. Few times, I have made the smoked fish in the past but somehow I was not happy with the taste. I use the fried white fish for the New Year occasions and the rest of the year I’ll make the herb rice with grilled fresh salmon or any other kinds of fish.

Ingredients:

Clean, wash, dry and finely chop the following vegetables and mix them well afterwards except the cloves.
1 cup of parsley
1 cup of dill
1 cup of coriander
1 cup of scallions (the green part), use tareh instead if you can get them in markets where you live.
3-4 garlic cloves (optional)

It’s better to use fresh herbs for this dish; however there are always the dried Sabzi polow vegetables that you can find in Iranian grocery stores for those with a very busy schedule.

2 Cups of long grain (basmati) rice, 4 Cups water, 2 tablespoon salt, ½ cup oil, ½ teaspoon saffron dissolved in hot water

Wash rice with cool water a few times. Soak in 4 cups of water, add salt and set aside for couple of hours.In a large non-stick pan that has a tight fitting lid, bring 8 cups of water to a rapid boil. Drain rice and pour into boiling water. Bring water to boil for 10 minutes. Test to see if the rice is ready. Rice should be firm in the center and soft on the outside. Strain and rinse with cool water.

Wash the pot and return to heat, add a couple of tablespoon oil and a couple of drops of saffron. With a large spatula place the rice into the non-stick pot, layer rice and vegetables building it into a pyramid shape. Place the garlic cloves in the middle of the rice. In order to release the steam make 2-3 holes in the rice with the bottom of the spatula. Cover and cook for 10 minutes on medium-high heat until rice is steaming. Lower heat and steam the rice for another 30-40 minutes.With a large scoop take some rice, mix in with the dissolved saffron and set aside. Serve rice in a platter; sprinkle the mixture of rice and saffron on top. Gently remove the crusty bottom (tah dig) and serve in a separate plate.

On a separate platter serve the fish. I lightly padded the fish with a little flour mixed with salt, pepper and some garlic powder and fried on both sides. Sprinkle a tablespoon of lime juice over the fish or leave the lime wedges on the side of the dish.

Enjoy!

Persian Shaami

My grandmother used to make the best kind of Shaami that there is out there. They were not only delicious but looked interesting too. Shaamis are meat patties that look like donuts. I call them donut burgers. Grandma's kitchen consisted of a small portable gas cook top next to her bed and a small table filled with spices and the entire cooking gadget she needed because of her severe case of rheumatoid arthritis. Amongst all the spices, her jar of turmeric stands out in my mind after all these years. At a very young age I was fascinated by her cooking especially the way she prepared shaami kabab. I don’t remember the exact measurements of the ingredients she'd use but this is my best attempt to make shaami as close in taste to hers as possible.

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef
2 cups cooked chickpeas (mashed or grind)

1medium onion (grated)
Clove of garlic (minced)

1 potato, cooked or raw (grated)
3 Eggs
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/3 of teaspoon dissolved saffron in hot water
Dash of cinnamon
Salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup oil for frying

Directions:

In a large bowl combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly until well blended.
Heat oil in a large frying pan on medium heat. Take a handful of the meat mixture, shape into a small ball, flatten it as the size of the palm of your hand, make a hole in the middle with your finger. Fry the meat patties on both sides until brown. Serve with fresh herbs, yogurt, pickles and warm bread.

Enjoy!