Monthly Archives: March 2011

Chicken Kabab

Posted on March 31, 2011 | 1 Comment

It’s the last day of March, so we say farewell to Persian cooking. But not completely, because for April I have planned a 6-month retrospective. So I’ll probably come back to Iran for a meal or two during the next month. Chicken, beef or lamb kababs are very popular in the region, so I finished with chicken kabab. Since it’s a rainy week, I didn’t get to break out the grill as planned, but made these under the broiler in the kitchen. The marinade gives the meat a very nice flavor and moisture.

Chicken (Jujeh) Kabab
1 1/2 lb. boneless chicken thighs
1/2 tsp. saffron, powdered and dissolved in 1 Tbsp. hot water
1/2 c. lime juice
1 Tbsp. canola oil
1 Tbsp. yogurt
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. orange zest

Cut up the boneless chicken into large bites. Make a marinade with 1 tsp. of the dissolved saffron water and the remaining ingredients. Whisk and add chicken to the marinade. Marinate the chicken in the refrigerator, turning every 8 hours or so, for at least 24 hours.

Skewer the chicken and grill or broil it until nicely browned and cooked through, using the following basting sauce;

the rest of the saffron water from above
2 Tbsp. lime juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 Tbsp. canola oil

Grill tomatoes or other vegetables on separate skewers. Serve meat and vegetables with lavash or pita bread, fresh herbs and/or lime wedges.

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Posted in Iran (Persian), Main dish

Dill-icious side dishes

Posted on March 30, 2011 | Leave a comment

If you’ve been following this month of Persian cooking, you’ll know that the cuisine uses a lot of different herbs, fresh and dried.  Dill is a popular herb that is showcased in two recent side dishes I made.  My favorite was this celery & walnut dill salad.

Celery & Walnut Dill Salad
2 stalks celery, chopped small
1/3 c. chopped walnuts
1 Tbsp. vinegar
2 tsp. olive oil
Dried dill, salt and pepper to taste

Simply mix everything together except the walnuts and let sit to blend the flavors for a couple of hours. Then mix in the walnuts just before serving. This makes about 2 servings as a side dish or snack, I think feta cheese would be a good addition too.

Another dill dish was Baqali Polo, or rice with fava beans and dill weed.  I used canned fava beans, my first time cooking with that ingredient!  The recipe states that lima beans can also be substituted.

Baquali Polo (rice with fava beans and dill weed)
1 1/2 c. uncooked basmati rice
5 oz. canned fava beans or lima beans, drained (can also use fresh or dried and reconstituted beans)
1/4 c. dried dill weed

Boil the rice in salted water until al dente. Drain and rinse the rice briefly. Mix in beans and dill weed.  Steam on low heat until rice is cooked through.  The traditional rice preparation as done in a previous post for adas polow is preferred. I used brown basmati rice in this case, so I still didn’t acheive the tah dig crustiness on the bottom. One of these days I’ll use the right rice and the right pan to make that work!

Both recipes adapted from Persian Cuisine, by M.R. Ghanoonparvar

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Posted in Iran (Persian), Salad, Vegetable Side

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Gush-e Barreh – Ravioli soup

Posted on March 28, 2011 | Leave a comment

I have always loved any kind of pasta, and ravioli stuffed with cheese or meat (or whatever!) are a favorite. So when I saw this recipe for Persian ravioli, I had to give it a try. These are meat and onion-filled homemade ravioli boiled in salted water.  At the very end of cooking, fresh parsley, dried mint and cinnamon are mixed in for a refreshing kick. The soup is served with a little bit of vinegar and/or yogurt to round out the flavors.  I don’t know what it is about Persian soups with mint and parsley, I know it might sound especially weird with cinnamon in this case, but it’s an absolutely divine combination! Exotic and comfort food all at the same time.

Gush-e Barreh (Ravioli Soup)
1 c. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 c. cold water

Mix dry ingredients together, gradually adding water until it forms a ball. Knead the pasta dough on a floured surface until it’s smooth. Let rest, covered with a dish towel for about 10 minutes.

1/2 lb. ground beef
1/2 onion, diced very small
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt

Mix beef, onion and spices together well. When dough has rested, roll it out on a floured surface very thin. Cut into squares of the desired size and sandwich a small amount of the meat mixture between two pasta squares. Pinch to close edges (the pasta is fairly sticky, so edges don’t need to be brushed with water or anything). Use a fork to seal edges and set aside completed ravioli in a single layer on a lightly floured surface. When all ravioli are formed, roll any remaining meat mixture into small meatballs (I probably wasn’t supposed to have extra but I did, and didn’t want to waste the meat).

Bring 4 c. water to a boil with about 3/4 tsp. salt. Add ravioli and meatballs gently to the boiling water. Bring it back up to a boil and reduce heat to a gentle boil. Cook the ravioli for about 15 minutes.

1/4 c. minced fresh parsley
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. dried mint, crushed

Mix these spices together and mix them into the soup just before removing from the heat. Serve with vinegar and/or yogurt to taste.

Adapted from: In a Persian Kitchen, by Maideh Mazda

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Posted in Iran (Persian), Soup