March 04, 2011

Kookoo Sabzi with Walnuts and Barberries



This is a variation of the traditional کوکو سبزی kookoo sabzi/kuku sabzi recipe that is served for Nowruz (Persian New Year) and throughout the year! For the traditional recipe please see the kookoo sabzi that I posted a while back. For a New Year's meal, my suggestion is to make the simple and basic kookoo that most of us grew up eating. A bite into a soft slice of aromatic fresh herbs with the right amount of seasoning that has been cooked to perfection, and you are home again at your mother's table! You may want to give this delicious recipe a try, along with the popular traditional recipe!


 This recipe is by far my favorite kookoo sabzi recipe other than the one my mother used to make. The addition of walnuts gives it a nutty flavor and a bit of a crunch to the dish whereas barberries (zereshk) add a refreshing sour zing that many of us love in Iranian cooking. I have cooked kookoo sabzi in many different ways, using different herbs and spices, changing the number of eggs or amount of vegetables, method of cooking, and stovetop vs. the oven. Sometimes, I would use a couple of tablespoons of crushed walnuts and barberries but this time I increased the amounts of both walnuts and barberries, added a few layers of lettuce, and only used parsley, cilantro and scallions (green parts only). The result is absolutely delicious!


Kookoo Sabzi with Walnuts and Barberries

Ingredients:
Serves 6-8

1 large bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley, remove the hard stems, wash and chop finely, makes about a cup
1 large bunch of fresh cilantro (geshniz), remove the hard stems, wash and chop finely, makes about a cup
1 large bunch of fresh scallions - green parts only (piazcheh) or chives, makes about a cup, use tareh instead if you can find it in your area
3-4 layers of fresh lettuce, finely chopped (I used inner layers of the iceberg)
1 cup of walnuts, finely chopped
1/3 cup of barberries, soak in water for 10-15 minutes and rinse a few times to get rid of dust and dirt
5-6 large eggs, break in a separate bowl, beat vigorously before mixing it with the rest of the ingredients
Extra virgin olive oil, 2-3 tablespoons
Butter, 1 tablespoon or as needed to coat the bottom and the sides of the pan
1 tablespoon flour
1/3 teaspoon turmeric
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Generously butter the bottom and the inside of  your ovenproof dish
  3. In a large mixing bowl, combine all the finely chopped vegetables, ground walnuts, barberries, olive oil, flour, turmeric, salt, pepper and mix well. Pour the well-beaten egg over the rest of the ingredients, mix thoroughly until everything is well coated.
  4. Pour the mixture into the ovenproof dish and place in the middle rack of the oven, cover loosely with aluminum foil, and bake for 40-50 minutes. After 20 minutes remove the foil.
  5. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before slicing.
Place the slices on a platter and serve with bread, yogurt, and pickles.

Kookoo Sabzi
 
Enjoy!

24 comments:

  1. yumm, looks delicious, do you eat this with bread?

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  2. Oh, delicious!! I love this dish, so thank you for the recipe. Love holiday feasts.

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  3. Very unusual and interesting dish, like a herb pie with nuts and berries

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  4. @Nammi,Yes, I love eating it with lavash or pita bread. Thanks!
    @Belinda,I'm glad you enjoy this dish! Thank you!
    @Three-Cookies, it may seem unusual but it actually is delicious!

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  5. What a beautiful recipe - I usually make something very similar with spinach, walnuts and raisins, a recipe I found in a vegetarian cookbook. I didn't know it was Kookoo Sabzi then. It must be really wonderful with your herb suggestion and the barberries, I love their tang.

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  6. Yummy! I am bookmarking this. Thanks Azita.

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  7. I love all Persian cuisine and you just gave me a great idea on how to use all these herbs I have leftover sitting idly in my fridge! Happy Nowruz.

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  8. Azita, what an interesting dish...looks delicious with all the greens in it. We love Persian food and have yet to try this one :-)

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  9. What a beautiful kookoo sabzi! Do you think I can replace barberries by cranberries or pomegranate seeds? I have never seen them here. :-(

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  10. @Sweet Artichoke, Thank you! Yes, I think you can use dried cranberries instead.

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  11. Azita, thank you so much for the beautiful blog. I will direct my friends to it for your beautiful photos, recipes and information about Norooz. It is also helpful for my children since they don't live at home anymore and sometimes want Persian food (and have to cook it themselves!!). Ade-e shomah moborak!!

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  12. Beautiful! I love your variation here, and you're right--this is a very flexible dish. One of my faves that brings back such happy memories.

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  13. azita joon, you must be really looking forward to nowruz- wishing you all the best. i love kukusabzi w walnuts- this is a lovely recipe. x shayma

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  14. Fantastic recipe--cannot wait to try this! We just found a wonderful and new (to us) Persian grocer in our area this weekend and purchased some lovely barberries (and other treats)...Happy Nowruz and thanks so much for the beauty, inspiration and positive energy you share here :D

    Spring is budding!

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  15. This makes my mouth water and it will be great as a compliment to a dinner table. Can this be made on 2-3 days ahead of time? I have 25 people coming over and won't be able to do everything the same day.

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  16. @April in Paris, thanks so much! You can make this dish a day or two in advance, cover and refrigerate. Best wishes,
    Azita

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  17. Looks delicious! I love kookoo-yeh sabzi. Aid-e shoma mobarak!

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  18. dear azita i ate once bought frm my persian friend..instead of using oven any other way i can cook it :)

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  19. @Emily, You can cook it the frying pan on the stove top.

    Stove-top method:

    *Set your stove-top burner to medium-high.
    *Add 3-4 tablespoons vegetable oil/olive oil. *Gently pour the vegetable mixture onto the hot frying pan.
    *Then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 20 minutes or until the edges turn brown. *Cut kookoo into four quarters and turn each one over and cook for another 15-20 minutes.

    Thank you for visiting. Best wishes,
    Azita

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  20. I have never tasted this dish but it sounds like a frittata without the cheese....
    absolutely delicious!!

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  21. Hi Azita, I made this recipe just a few hours ago and it came out very well. I'm happy that I got to use up the left over herbs from another one of your recipes. Keep up the good work on your blog!

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  22. Gobsmacked! This recipe is amazing. I found you through Laurie's post. Am I ever happier for spring now!

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  23. Just love the look of your site. Simpe, yet elegant and captures the whole Persian vibe. You must have a very strong design bkg. And judging by the taste of the first recipe I tried - ash-e somagh - , which was pretty awesome and I'd never even heard of before, I'll be spending a lot more time here!

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  24. I did it with cranberries and liked it very much. Really unusual and versatile dish. It is so different from most of the food we are accustomed to. I will be cooking it more times. Thank you Azita for that.

    And amazing that the green leaves stay green after 50 minutes in oven but the taste is not raw anymore. Just beautiful.
    Wioletta

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