Herb Me Right

As you might have learned by now, Persians take their herbs very seriously.  If you take a trip to Iran, you will notice a lot of pharmacology stores where they sell all sorts of dried herbs, teas, dried nuts and dried fruits as well as herbal water (herb infused water).  Back in the day, these stores acted as pharmacies.  People believed in natural remedies and the power of herbs and their effects on human health.  My grandmother is still a huge believer.  I remember when we were kids, she would make these drink mixes all from herb extract fluids and add some sugar (for flavoring) and serve us.  She explained that each herb had its own positive effect on your body.  For example mint water was meant to have a cooling effect (perfect for summer time) and is also a digestive agent; dill water was great for weight loss; orange blossom water was used to cleanse and moisturize the skin; pussy willow water is meant o a have a calming effect on the stomach and people believe it has a soothing effect on those with heart problems.

Couple of years ago, when I started growing my very small herb-box garden just outside of my kitchen, I was inspired to make some of these tasty drinks that my grandmother used to prepare for us.  I also wanted them to be tasty and not-so-flavorless.  I started by making simple syrup (equal ratio of water to sugar) and infused it with different herbs.  One in particular, is my mint syrup that I use all the time.  You'd be surprised how easy it is to make and how many different uses you can have for it.  I bottle these syrups and keep in the refrigerator.  Since I end up making about 4 cups at times, it keeps well in my fridge for a year.  Because of the concentration, you only need to use 1-2 tablespoons of the syrup and then add water or whatever else you'd like.  You can make a lemonade/limeade and add this syrup for some extra flavor or even make yourself a Mojito!

Here's how you make them:
Start out by making simple syrup.  Boil 2 cups of water and 2 cups of sugar together in a sauce pan, until the sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture starts to boil.  Add about a bunch of washed mint to infuse the syrup and let it simmer.  You don't want the mint to turn so dark because it will give syrup a bitter taste.  Just watch and stir every now and again.  Then take the mint out.  You should be able to smell a minty mixture in your sauce pan.  Let cool and pour in a glass bottle then store in your fridge.

Watermelon-Mint Smoothie

1 cup seedless watermelon cut in cubes
2-3 tablespoons mint syrup (depending on the sweetness you desire!)
4 ice cubes

Blend all the ingredients in a blender and pour into a glass.  This should give you an 8oz glass of smoothie.  Drink up in this summer heat and cool yourself off!

Have a fabulous rest of the week.

Feeling Hot Hot Hot

It is hot, humid, sticky AND stinky here in NYC, but who's complaining...

Summer has officially arrived as of last week and it's quite brutal here.  In weather like this, not much cooking happens in this household.  Who wants to heat up the house - even more - by turning the stove on?  We tend to grill a steak outside and have a giant bowl of salad to chase it with.  Or buy a pack of frozen dumplings to steam and make a couple of different sauces to go with them.  But let's be honest, I'm not here to blog about frozen food or even a grilled steak.  So, read on as I prepare a dish that is tasty, light, and can be stored in your fridge for up to 3-4 days!  You can have this as a sandwich with potato chips or simply serve it at your next summer get together with crackers, chips or sliced baguette.  How awesome is that?  Make one dish, then shut the kitchen down for a few days in the heat.

I know Americans like to have their egg salad separate from their chicken salad and their potato salad.  Not Persians!  We don't discriminate... we mix them all in a bowl and even add more ingredients to make it tastier.  You guessed right: I'm going to make Persian Chicken Potato Salad.  Instead of heavy, greasy mayonnaise, I am using plain yogurt.  This will definitely cut back on guilt of eating this dish, not to mention that you will not feel so heavy afterwards.  I still use mayonnaise for binding purposes, but the main dressing is yogurt.  Didn't I tell you Persians love their plain yogurt?

Persian Chicken Potato Salad

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken cooked (recipe to follow)

1 box frozen peas – blanched and cooled

1 hard-boiled egg peeled and diced

3 large sour pickles in brine

2 baking potatoes cooked, peeled and diced

1 medium carrot cooked, peeled and diced

1 ¼ cup yogurt

¼ cup mayonnaise

¼ cup olive oil

Zest & juice of 3 large lemons

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

In a large bowl, shred the chicken by hand or chop it fine with knife.  Make sure all the ingredients are cool before you start peeling and dicing.  Peel and dice potatoes, carrots, pickles and egg in small pieces.  Add the blanched peas.  Make sure they are completely drained and not wet.  In a separate bowl, combine the yogurt, mayonnaise, olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper.  Mix well and then add to the other ingredients.  Either using your hands or 2 forks, toss the mixture until it’s well mixed.  Cool in the refrigerator and then serve.

 

Whole cooked chicken

1 – 3lb chicken

1 large onion – peeled and diced

1 medium carrot – peeled and diced

1 celery stalk – peeled and diced

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon sea salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

9 cups of water

Put all the ingredients in a pot and cook for about 2 hours until the chicken is fully cooked and tender.  Pull the chicken out and place on a plate until is cool.  Meanwhile, you can make a stock out of the remaining liquid.  Pull the bay leaf out and blend the remaining.  You can keep the stock in your freezer and use when you are making soup next time.

If you really want to eat this the Persian way, make yourself a sandwich on a baguette and top it with plain potato chips.  Yes, put the chips in your sandwich!  Sounds weird, but oh so good.  Be sure to eat it quickly before the chips start getting soggy.  No one likes soggy chips ;)

 Yummy Sandwich

P.S. If you are having a "lazy" day, feel free to buy an already made roast chicken and go on from there.  We won't judge ;)

Note: in Farsi we call this salad "Salad Olivieh." 

Dream on, Dreamer

I don't know about you, but I fantasize a lot about a lot of stuff.  Sometimes, these fantasies are bigger than life (and I know it); therefore, they are parked on the back of my mind and every now and again bring a huge smile on my face... then I carry on!

I am a huge fan of the food network and cooking channel - of course.  I don't watch nearly as much as I used to since I don't have a lot of free time anymore.  It's usually my late night/falling asleep on my bed indulgence!  Over the past few years, I've known a lot of these TV chefs/personalities and some I truly admire.  Don't worry, my dream is not to be a TV chef, but I would love to work with one.  As you all know already, I don't have any formal training in cooking, I just love and enjoy it.  So, I dream about teaming up with a couple of these people to write my book!  Is that so wrong?  These people have made it big... One - in particular - is not a chef (anymore), but rather a food writer.  She has written so many cookbooks many of them in collaboration with some of New York’s most celebrated chefs. She is also a food columnist for the New York Times as well as other magazines.  I have been told that she lives in or around my neighborhood.  So you can imagine how badly I want to run into her!  Although, not sure what I would say to her... "Will you please co-write my cookbook with me?!"  Writing with someone like her will be a huge opportunity.  Can you imagine?  Once her name is on my book, my book will get not just noticed but will probably sell pretty well too.  Who needs a publicist when you can co-write with a well-known author?

Yes, this fantasy is definitely sitting on the back of my mind...

Hungry anyone? 
Remember how I told you about my grandmother and her fabulous cooking?  Well, she sometimes took the easy route and made things that were simple in the process but so tasty.  She was so creative with the items in her pantry and could easily come up with a dish based on whatever ingredients she had in the fridge/pantry.  There was always a surprise factor for me and my cousins when we were at her place.  I'm definitely not claiming that she came up with the following dish.  All I'm trying to say is that she was really good at creating dishes that were really tasty yet simple.  This dish is very simple to make, but hard to pull off!  I have made it a few times and each time it came out very different.  Temperature, texture and technique play a huge role here.

Potato Pancake

4 large baking potatoes

2 eggs - cold

1 teaspoon sea salt

½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper

¼ teaspoon turmeric

Pinch of ground saffron

¼ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

¼ cup vegetable oil for frying

In a large pot, steam the potatoes over medium heat until baked.  Let cool completely and then peel them.  In a bowl, using either a potato masher or food mill, mash the potatoes with a medium-size grate.  

 Potato Masher

Add eggs, salt, pepper, turmeric, saffron, baking powder and baking soda.  Mix well by using your hands.  Heat the oil in a non-stick pan.  Meanwhile, scoop out the mixture with a large ice cream scoop and make round patties about ¼” thick.  Fry them for 3-5 minutes on each side over medium heat until golden brown.

This recipe makes 15 patties.

 Potato Pancakes

These will make a great lunch or an appetizer platter.  You can serve these patties with salad, especially the Persian Cucumber Tomato salad. I had mine with Spinach Yogurt (June 7th blog - Yogurt Is a Must).


Have a wonderful weekend!

Cupcakes Anyone?

When was the last time that you had a cupcake that you absolutely loved?  Personally, I'm not a huge fan of them or their icing.  That being said, there is only one place that I absolutely LOVE to go for cupcakes.  At this place even their icings are AMAZING.  These cupcakes are perfect in size - 3 bites and they are gone!  No mess what so ever.

Since trying these cupcakes, I was so inspired to make my own.  I have made this recipe - that I am about to share - a few times and have been changing it quite a bit each time.  They are not too sweet; they are fluffy; they have an amazing aroma and most of all taste great.  Instead of icing, I decided to make a simple whipping cream with a touch of Persia!  So, I think I finally nailed it this time!  But who am I to judge?  You can do that for me...

Persian Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

Pinch of sea salt

2 large eggs at room temperature

½ cup sugar

½ cup vegetable oil

½ cup plain yogurt

½ teaspoon ground cardamom

1 teaspoon rose water

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon chopped pistachio nuts

Preheat oven to 350 degree F.  Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a bowl.  Line the cupcake pan with liners.  Combine the eggs and sugar in a bowl and mix with an electric mixer on a medium speed until it’s thick and pale for about 10-15 minutes.  Mix in the oil, yogurt, rose water, vanilla extract and cardamom on a low speed until mixed well.  Add the flour in 3 batches and fold into the mixture with a spatula until well mixed.

Spoon the batter into the prepared cupcake molds filling them only ¾ full.  Sprinkle the chopped pistachio on top.  Bake in the oven for 25-35 minutes.  Check with the toothpick to be sure they are done.  Let cool for 15 minutes before taking them out the pan.  This recipe makes 12 cupcakes.

 Persian Cupcakes

Simple Whipping Cream Icing (optional)

Ingredients:

1 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoon powdered sugar

1 teaspoon crushed dried edible rose petals for garnish

Beat the heavy cream and the powdered sugar with an electric mixer until it forms a peak, but do not over beat.  Apply a spoonful to top of each cupcake & sprinkle with a pinch of crushed dried rose petals.

 Persian Cupcakes with "Icing"

These cupcakes are so great with a middle-eastern flare. Hope you will enjoy them as much as I do. 

Note:  I got my dried rose petals when I was in Iran.  I keep them in a tightly sealed zip lock bag and keep in a dark, cool, dry place (AKA my pantry).  It has kept well for several years.  You can purchase these either from your local middle-eastern stores or online.  From what I understand, making them can be a very long and tedious process.  This is what they look like:

Dried Rose Petals

Feeling Ballsy

Hi.  I am back...

Did you think I was dropped off the face of the earth?  Well, close... I was dropped off on South Beach, Miami for a vacation with my family (not a bad place to vanish to, huh?).  It was literally last minute and not long enough, BUT MUCH NEEDED.  Since our return and bouncing back to reality, we had the Father's Day to celebrate of course.  With the new smoker in the house, naturally that's what my husband wanted to do on his special day.  So the Friday before, he showed up home with 20 pounds of ribs and chicken - just for us!  "Are you kidding me?"  We need to have at least 10-12 people to take care of this amount of meat!  Beside my mother-in-law, couple of friends were able to come over.  We are still 50% under the number of people we need to have, but that's okay... we'll eat smoked ribs and chicken all week long (like that has never happened before)!  That's what has been happening all week.  You know what that means: not much cooking on my part...

I have a couple of recipes in mind that will be just great for summer days and I cannot wait to share them with you. You should know that one of the most popular dishes in Iran is Kabob.  I would say that it's a traditional weekend "eat" for most Iranians, especially the ones who live in Iran.  It is also a meal that is most served for weddings, funerals and most other occasions (Iranians will look for any excuse to eat Kabobs).  There are different variation of Kabobs: beef, lamb, chicken, ground meat, fish and etc.  Kabobs are generally cooked on a charcoal grill.  The traditional way of serving Kabobs is over steamed white rice, saturated with butter and saffron and some sumac with roasted tomatoes and grilled onions.  It is absolutely delicious.  If you get a chance to try this delicious meal, do not pass up because you will regret it!  Most of our non-Persians friends have also become fans of this dish.

Today, I decided to simplify this recipe.  I will be making the ground beef version of this in the oven and served as a sandwich with Persian cucumber and tomato salad.  This dish is so easy to make and is perfect for the hot summer days.

Sumac Balls

Ingredients:

1 pound ground sirloin

1 small onion grated

½ teaspoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper

¼ teaspoon sumac powder + extra for garnish

¼ teaspoon turmeric powder

Pinch of saffron powder

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl.  Using your hands, mix well.  Either using your hands or an ice cream scoop, make 1” to 1.5” round balls.  It is very important that the meat is at room temperature so it can cook evenly.  Place them on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and put in preheat oven at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

As for the salad, I must also say that this too is quite popular among Persians as well as non-Persians.  Perhaps you might have had the Greek or the Turkish version of this salad, but the Persian variety is quite awesome.  We also refer to it as "Salad Shirazi."  It is named after a city in Iran, Shiraz, which is located in the southwest of Iran.  Shiraz is known as a city of poets, wine and flowers.  I have never been to Shiraz myself, but from what I have heard, it's an amazing place.  I hope to visit some day with my family.

The following recipe is what I grew up with.  It is so refreshing and will go perfectly with the sumac balls as well as so many other dishes - Persian or not.

Persian Cucumber and Tomato Salad

Ingredients:

3 Persian cucumbers cut into small dice (no need to peel)

2 round tomatoes cut into small dice

3 scallions thinly sliced (both green and white parts)

2 tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint (you can also use dried mint but use 1 tablespoon only)

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

3 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice

½ teaspoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper

In a bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix well.  You can either refrigerate it or serve immediately.  This is one of those salads that it tastes better the longer it sits.

Persian Cucumber and Tomato Salad

 Note: It is recommended to use Persian cucumbers since they are seedless and also have very thin skin.  If not handy, use European cucumber.  If you have waxy cucumbers, you need to peel and also scoop the seeds out. 

We made ourselves sandwiches with pocket pitas filled with the sumac balls and the salad.  They were delicious.  You should try them some time ;) 

Pita Filled with Sumac Balls & Salad

Note: Minted yogurt doesn't really need a recipe... a bowl of yogurt mixed with a pinch of dried mint + salt and pepper.  You can serve these sumac balls as an appetizer dish over a thin layer of sumac with the minted yogurt dipping sauce.  They will be a hit at your next gathering!

Have a wonderful weekend.

Yogurt Is a Must

It's a lovely morning here in NYC before we hit another heat wave.  My son is in school and my younger one is napping which allows me to sit down and write peacefully...

You might have noticed another commonly used ingredient in Persian cooking: Yogurt.  Plain that is!  Persians love their yogurt and always have it in their fridge.  They have yogurt with just about anything.  They have it as a meal, as a condiment, as a side dish, in a soup, salad dressing, or even dessert!  Plain white rice and yogurt is an all-time favorite in our household.  I have a cousin who eats his spaghetti with plain yogurt and I must say it's not bad at all.  I have tried it myself and even give it to my kids.  I got my kids used to eating plain yogurt very early on and there's not a day that I won't send my son to school without a yogurt in his lunchbox.  Yogurt is so good for you... I am no doctor, but I'm sure you know the benefits of it.

On that note - you guessed right - I'll be telling you about yet another yogurt dish that is very common in my culture.  Again, this dish will be a light great lunch on warm days or you can serve it as an appetizer (as my mother used to do) with potato chips.  You will love it! 

Spinach Yogurt

Ingredients:

1-10 oz frozen chopped spinach (or fresh if you like)

½ teaspoon vegetable oil

1-32 oz tub of plain yogurt

½ teaspoon of sea salt

¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper

2 teaspoon fresh squeezed lemon juice

Unpack the frozen spinach and place in a small pan on low heat until it’s completely thawed out and all the water is evaporated.  Add the oil and lightly sauté on low heat for about 7 minutes.  Set aside in a bowl until it is cool.  Then add yogurt, sea salt, pepper and lemon juice.  Mix well, chill in fridge and serve cold.

 Spinach Yogurt

Note: In Farsi yogurt means "Maast" or "Must."

Excuse Me While I Was in a Food Coma!

HELLO!  In case you were wondering where I have been, I was in a food coma for about a few days!  It all started as an innocent Sunday afternoon in my hood, walking around and through one of the main street fairs, which by the way are my absolute favorite things to do in NYC.  I love munching on different food and getting to know my local restaurants without having to dine - just grab and go.  It started out with ordering 2 empanadas, then washed it down with some lemonade.  But the corn on the cob looked so delicious too and reminded me of the street food in Tehran.  How could I resist the magnificent lobster roll - so refreshing after the empanadas.  Few blocks away, we spotted gigantic smokers and of course we had to find out what was being smoked.  Have I mentioned that my husband loves to smoke meat/ribs and eat them?  Well, I just did!  Naturally we were drawn to that corner... We ordered one pulled pork sandwich AND IT WAS THE BEST PULLED PORK THAT WE HAD EVER HAD.  We were seriously debating our second... My husband started chatting with the guy who was smoking; the guy was a professional who used to own restaurants and now he just caters for parties.  After one funnel cake and eating my son's leftover chocolate ice cream, we decided to go home.

My husband was so inspired that as soon as we got home, he got online and started searching and researching smokers!  Before I knew it - 2 days later - there was a delivery of a giant smoker to my front door!!!  What a h---?   When I order shoes, they don't arrive at my front door that quickly!  It was impossible to move this box; therefore, it was parked in my front hallway for 3 days.  After the third day, my husband decided to assemble this monster.  I must say though it was a pretty cute monster and I couldn't wait to see what it was capable of.  Naturally we wanted to test it out.  The following weekend we decided to smoke a pork shoulder and why not buy a couple of spare ribs and baby back ribs.... we ended up with 10-12 lbs of meat.  Luckily, one of my Mommy friends (from my son's school) with her family were able to join us at the last minute.  Hubby started smoking at 6am and by 4pm, he wasn't sure if the pork shoulder was ready yet!  We decided to eat anyways... I must tell you though, both the ribs and the pork were divine.  We however ended up with SO much leftover that from Sunday to Wednesday all we ate was pulled pork.  We literally pigged out on pork; therefore, the long story for explaining the food coma situation

I know it's totally unrelated to my Persian food blog, but it explains my lack of cooking and my lack of blogging.  Stay tuned though... I'll be posting some Persian cooking this week.

Have a wonderful evening.