Dolm-e Sibzamini - Potato Wrap
Ingredients: (4 servings)
500 grams of potatoes
250 grams ground lamb or beef
2 medium onions, finely chopped
cooking oil
2-3 teaspoons of tomato paste
1 tomato (optional)
2 eggs
salt and pepper
1/3 cup parsley, finely chopped
1/3 cup mint, finely chopped
1/2 cup spring onions, finely chopped
1/3 cup garlic chives, finely chopped
1/3 cup tarragon, finely chopped (optional)
Directions:
Fry onions in cooking oil over medium heat
until golden. Add ground meat and fry further until meat
changes color. Add 1/2 cup water, salt, pepper and tomato
paste. Mix and cook further until water boils off. Fry
prepared vegetables in cooking oil over medium heat until
wilted. Mix well meat and vegetables.
Cook potatoes in water,
then peel and mash them. Add raw eggs, salt and black pepper,
and mix well.
Take a handful of potato-mix and shape it
into a ball, then create a hole in the middle and fill
with the meat-mix. Cover with some more potato-mix and
shape into a disc. Repeat until both mixes are used up.
Fry both sides of the discs in cooking oil over medium
heat until golden. Can be served with slices of tomatos
and bits of parsley.
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Dolm-e Felfel - Stuffed Bell Peppers
Ingredients: (4 servings)
4 large green or red peppers
250 grams ground lamb or beef
100 grams of long-grain or basmati rice
2 medium onions, finely chopped
cooking oil
3-4 teaspoons of tomato paste
salt and pepper
2-3 teaspoons of sugar
3-4 spoonfuls of fresh lime juice
1/3 cup parsley, finely chopped
1/3 cup mint, finely chopped
1/2 cup spring onions, finely chopped
1/3 cup garlic chives, finely chopped
1/3 cup tarragon, finely chopped (optional)
Directions:
Fry onions in cooking oil
over medium heat until golden. Add ground meat and fry further
until meat
changes color.
Add 1/2 cup water, salt, pepper and most of tomato paste.
Mix and cook further until water boils off.
Fry prepared vegetables
in cooking oil over medium heat until wilted. Boil two
cups of water in a small pot. Add
1 teaspoon of salt and rice and boil further until rice
softens. Drain the water and let cool slightly.
Cut a circle at the
top of the peppers and remove seeds. Boil 2 cups of water
in a large pot. Add 1 teaspoon of salt
and the peppers. They should be placed side by side (make
sure not to stack them). Cook until they soften slightly.
Take care not to overcook or they might fall apart later
on. Drain the water and let cool.
Mix well prepared meat,
vegetables, most of lime juice, most of sugar, and
rice. Sprinkle some salt inside peppers,
fill them with the mix and close the tops. Again place
the peppers side by side (avoid stacking them) in a
large pot.
Prepare sauce by mixing 1/2 cup of hot water with the
rest of sugar, lime juice and tomato paste. Pour the
sauce in
over the peppers and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Serve
this wonderful dolmeh hot with the sauce.
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Dolm-e Gojeh Farangi - Saffron Tomatos Stuffed
with Rice
Ingredients: (4 servings)
4 large and firm tomatoes
250 grams of ground lamb or beef
100 grams of long-grain or basmati rice
2 medium onions, finely chopped
cooking oil
3-4 teaspoons of tomato paste
fresh lime juice, 2-3 spoons
sugar, 2-3 teaspoons
salt and pepper
1/3 cup parsley, finely chopped
1/3 cup mint, finely chopped
1/2 cup spring onions, finely chopped
1/3 cup garlic chives, finely chopped
Liquid Saffron
to taste
1/3 cup tarragon, finely chopped (optional)
Directions:
Fry onions in cooking oil over medium heat until golden.
Add ground meat and fry further until meat changes color.
Add 1/2 cup water, salt, pepper and tomato paste. Mix and
cook further until water boils off.
Fry prepared vegetables in cooking oil over medium heat
until wilted. Boil two cups of water in a small pot. Add
1 teaspoon of salt and rice and boil further until rice softens.
Drain the water and let cool slightly. Mix in the Saffron
if desired.
Cut a small circle at the tops of the tomatoes. Remove the
contents of each tomato with a small spoon taking care not
to make the outer layer thin. Sprinkle some salt inside the
tomatoes. Mix prepared meat, vegetables and rice well. Fill
the tomatoes with the mix and close the tops.
Pour 2-3 spoons of cooking oil in a pot and place the tomatoes
inside without stacking. Do not add any water. Cook in the
oven at low temperature for 15-20 minutes.
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Kufteh Berenji - Herb & Beef Rice Dumplings
Ingredients: (6 servings)
* Basmati or Long Grain Rice, 100 grams
* Ground Beef or Lamb, 500 grams
* Chick-pea Flour, 100 grams
* Herbs (spring onion ends, parsley, common-dill, sweet-fennel, mint, tarragon),
500 grams
* 3 Eggs
* Split-peas, 100 grams
* 3-4 onions
* 0.5 cup of cooking oil
* 2-3 spoons of turmeric (or tomato paste)
* Salt
* Black pepper
* Barberries, 100 grams
* Walnuts, 100 grams
Directions:
Kufteh Berenji is a great side dish, snack
or main meal and consists of meat, rice
and herbs.
Cook
rice
in some
water with a
bit of salt until it softens, then filter out the water.
Do the same to split-peas.
Mix rice, split-peas, chick-pea
flour, meat, eggs, salt and pepper very well. Cut the herbs
very finely and mix in
with the rest. Chop the onions and fry in oil until golden.
Save some of the fried onions. Add 5-6 glasses of water to
the rest of the onions with a bit of salt, pepper and turmeric
(or tomato paste) and bring to boil.
Make balls about the
size of an orange from the mix, leaving a bit of barberries,
walnuts and fried onions at the center.
Place the balls in the boiling water and cook for a few minutes.
Then continue cooking at low temperature until the koofteh
is completely cooked. Make sure the container is not covered
during cooking.
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Kufteh Nokhodchi - Chickpea lamb Dumplings Ingredients: (4 servings)
ground lamb (or beef), 500 grams
chickpea flour, 300 grams
onions, two regular
fresh lime juice (or vinegar), one cup
sugar, 3-4 spoons
cooking oil
saffron, 1/2 teaspoon
salt and pepper
Directions:
Dissolve half of saffron in a cup of hot water and add with
salt, pepper and chickpea flour to ground lamb (or beef)
and mix well. If necessary, gradually mix in some more water
so that the mix does not stick to the hand.Slice
onions and fry in oil until golden. Add five glasses of
water and some salt and bring to boil. Make 3-4 cm balls
from the mix and fry in oil for about 10 minutes over medium
heat. Transfer balls to boiling water and add lime juice
(or vinegar), sugar and the rest of saffron, and cook over
medium heat for 15 minutes.
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Shaami - Persian Meat Donuts
Ingredients: (6 servings)
lean ground lamb or beef, 500 grams
medium eggs, 2-3
medium onions, 2-3
bread crumbs, one cup
tomato juice, 3-4 glasses
lime juice, 3-4 teaspoons
milk, one cup
baking powder, one teaspoon (optional)
cooking oil
Salt and pepper
Directions:
Add bread crumbs, salt and pepper to milk, and mix well.
Peel and grate onions. Add meat, eggs, baking powder, onions,
and lime juice to the mix, and again mix well.
Heat up cooking oil in a frying pan. Remove balls from the
mix about 4-5 cm in diameter. Form into a round shape with
a thickness of 2-3 cm, and poke a hole in the middle.
Fry on both sides until golden. Add salt and pepper to tomato
juice and mix well, then add to shaami and cook over medium
heat until tomato juice is quite thick.
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Poor-e Esfenaj - Spinach Puree
Ingredients: (4 servings)
spinach, 1 kg
milk, 1/2 cup
butter, 2 teaspoons
baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon
salt and pepper
Directions:
Wash spinach well.
Dissolve baking soda and salt in two glasses of hot water.
Add spinach and cook
over medium heat
for 5-10 minutes. Pour spinach in a drain and press using
the back of a spoon to remove excess water, then chop finely.
Place over low heat. Add milk slowly while stirring so that
milk is fully absorbed by spinach. Add butter, mix well,
and serve.
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Naan-e sangak - Stone-Baked Bread
Ingredients: (6 loaves)
dry yeast, 1 tablespoon
warm water, 2 1/2 cups
whole wheat flour, 3 cups (sifteD)
all purpose white flour, 1 cup
sesame seeds, 4 tablespoons
salt, 1 1/2 teaspoon
cooking and peanut oil, as needed
baking stone
baker's peel
Preparation time: 30 minutes (plus 3 hrs rising time)
cooking time: 7-10 minutes per loaf
Directions:
Naan-e Sangak or Noon-e
Sangak is a favorite Iranian bread, usually made in bakeries
using hot gravel
stones (sang means stone). You may bake the bread without
using any stones if you wish, although the special flavor
and shape
of the
bread
does come from using stones.
Mix the yeast and 1/4 cup
of warm water in a bowl. Let the mixture
stand
for
5
minutes
and
then add salt and 1 1/2 cups of warm water. Let this
stand for 10 minutes. Slowly add the rest of the warm water,
and
flour while mixing until it becomes smooth and consistent.
Use a new bowl that has been lined with 2 tablespoons
of regular cooking oil. Put the dough in the bowl, cover
with
a damp
cloth
and leave in a warm, dark place overnight. The dough
will
have a chance to rise in this manner.
Warm the baking
stone in the lower level of the oven at 500° F for
approximately 15 minutes. Knead the dough with well-oiled
hands for 15
minutes.
Use an oiled surface to divide the dough into 6 pieces.
Flatten the pieces to be 1/2 an inch thick. Sprinkle some
flour
on the baker's peel and place the dough on one end of
the peel. Using wet fingers, perforate the top of the loaf
and sprinkle it with sesame seeds. You may also use poppy
or nigella seeds or a mixture of all three kinds of seeds
to taste.
Brush the oven rack
with some peanut oil. Transfer the loaf onto
the hot stone and return the rack
to the oven. Bake for 1 minute and then press down the
dough with the baker's peel. Bake for an additional 3
minutes, turn over and bake for 2 minutes. Using the baker's
peel,
remove the bread from the stone. Cover the bread to keep
it warm. Repeat this procedure for all remaining loaves.
Sangak bread is best served hot. You may keep the Sangak
hot in the oven on a low temperature. You can also use
clean towels to wrap before serving, and you may freeze
the
Sangak bread and reuse when needed.
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Poore-ye
Sibzamini - Mashed Potatoes with Dill
Ingredients: 2 pounds potatoes, washed, peeled and cut into large pieces
Cold salted water
6 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup heavy cream, heated
1/4 cup dill, stems removed, rinsed and finely chopped
2 green onions, rinsed and finely chopped
Salt
White pepper
Place potatoes in a 6 quart pot. Add enough cold salted
water to cover the top of the potatoes by one inch. Close
lid and bring to boil over medium heat to cook until tender.
Drain thoroughly.
Transfer the hot, drained potatoes to a large bowl and
mash the potatoes either with the paddle atachment of an
electric mixer on low speed, or the bottom of a heavy glass.
Whip in the butter and gradually add in the heated cream
until you reach the desired consistency.
Stir in the chopped dill and green onions into warm mashed
potatoes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Special thanks to our
Persian Cuisine expert Azar Kamarei. For more about Azar,
visit
the
Persian Pantry.
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Sibzamini Torsh - TORSH SWEET POTATOES
Ingredients: 5 pounds sweet potatoes, washed and peeled
8 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup Balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cut the sweet potatoes
into 1 inch strips (similar to country style french fries).
In a large bowl, mix olive oil, vinegar, thyme, salt
and pepper. Toss sweet potatoes to coat.
Place sweet potatoes onto baking sheet in a single layer,
drizzle with some of the marinade, place in oven and roast
until the sweet potatoes are caramelized, stirring occasionally
(about 45 to 50 minutes).
Special thanks to our
Persian Cuisine expert Azar Kamarei. For more about Azar,
visit the
Persian Pantry.
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CRANBERRY QUINCE CHUTNEY
INGREDIENTS:
3 cups orange juice
1 cup water
1 lemon, juiced and zested
2 small quinces, peeled and diced
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon cardamon
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
4 cups fresh cranberries, washed
1/2 cup crushed walnuts
In a large saucepan, heat orange juice, water, lemon
juice, zest and quince. Cook over medium heat until tender,
about 20-25 minutes.
Stir in sugar, brown sugar, ginger, coriander, cardamon,
cinnamon, and cranberries and cook until the chutney thickens
and the cranberries pop, 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add in walnuts and remove from. Set aside and allow to
cool before serving.
Special thanks to our
Persian Cuisine expert Azar Kamarei. For more about Azar,
visit the
Persian Pantry.
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Aabgoosht Va Deezee
Ingredients:
1 cup of Garbanzo beans (nokhod)
One cup of dried white beans (loobia sefeed)
1/2 pound of meat with bones (mAheecheh)
1 onion, peeled
1 potato, peeled
1 tomato
1/2 cup basmati rice
1 table spoon turmeric (zard-choobeh)
Two heads of whole dried lemons (leemoo-amAanee) or
4 tablespoons of lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
This is a very traditional Persian meal which can be had as an appetizer or as a main course in larger quantities. The food is usually served in an old fashioned copper pot named "Deezee".
To make aabgoosht, prepare the meat and place in a pot with some water. Add the beans, the onion, turmeric, salt and pepper and let it slow-cook for 1-2 hours on medium to low heat.
Then add the rice, potato, and tomato. Let pot simmer until ingredients are all cooked. What is in the pot is now the Aabgoosht. The meal can be eaten, like soup and also as a paste.
To eat the mixture as paste, separate the juice from the ingredients and pour the ingredients in a bowl, separate the bones and using a potato masher (goosht koob) or similar, mach the contents until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.
The remaining juice is traditionally served in a separate bowl and mixed small pieces of Persian bread. This is called "Teeleet kardan" (the act of ripping bread into pieces with your fingers and throwing them into the soup. It's fun!
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