Thursday, November 15, 2012

Zucchini Stew (Khorest-e- Kadoo)









You need:
8-19 zucchini
1 pound (450 grams) cubed beef (beef stew meat)
1 can tiny diced tomatoes
1 large onion chopped
1 tablespoon salt
1 tea spoon black pepper
1 tea spoon pf cinnamon powder
1 tea spoon of turmeric powder
2 table spoon of lemon or lime juice
4 tablespoon of corn oil or olive oil

How to make it
With a knife scratch the skin of the zucchini and remove the skin (Do not peel)
Cut the zucchinis in half length-wise
Put the oil in the pan, heat up and saute' the zucchinis until browned
Take the zucchinis out and dry on a piece of a paper towel
In a pot saute the onions in oil, add the meat, stir and saute again
Add salt, pepper, turmeric, cinnamon powder
Add the can of diced tomatoes, stir and simmer for 5 to 6 minutes 
Add 1/2 cup of water and cook the meat for 15-18 minutes until soft (Pressure cooker time 8-10 minutes)
Add the lemon/lime juice and adjust the spices/salt
Lay the zucchinis in a bake-ware Pyrex dish
Pure the cooked stew meat/sauce on the top of the zucchinis
Cover with foil and leave in the oven for 15-20 minutes on 275 degree

Serve on the top of plain basmati rice or eat with bread 


Enjoy!
 

Friday, November 9, 2012

Lentil and Red Cabbage Soup (Soup Addas Va Kalam)



You need:
8 to 10 Oz. lentils (or a cup and half)
1 cup chopped green or red cabbage
1 can of tiny diced tomatoes
2 tablespoon of tomato paste
2 tablespoon of olive oil
1 bunch of flat leave parsley
1 carrot stick shredded
2 medium potatoes finely diced
1 onion and one bell pepper diced
1 tablespoon of salt 
1 teaspoon of black pepper
1 teaspoon of turmeric
1 teaspoon of paprika (optional)
1 fresh lime squeezed
1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar or red wine

How to make it
in a pot cook lentils in 4 cups of water adding salt/pepper/turmeric/paprika
when lentils are tender but not mashed add the potatoes/bell pepper/carrots and the cabbage
Add the can of tomatoes and the tomato paste
leave on medium heat for 15 minutes 
 stir the soup occasionally so it would not stick to the bottom of the pot
Add the parsley
Add olive oil, vinegar or wine and juice of the lime
leave on low heat for another 15 minutes

Serve in a bowl with bread on the side
(you may add hot sauce, heavy cream or sour cream as garnish)

enjoy!



   


Sunday, November 4, 2012

Persian Lunch Box!






Mortadella (Italian style ham & Bloglines but made by the Christian Iranians in California!)
Sliced thick
Sliced Pickles
Sliced Tomatoes
Good crusty bread for a sandwich 
or
Flat Taftoon bread (Pita) for little bite size delights

You may have a garnish of chopped onions/parsley and or Mayonnaise/mustard

 Enjoy!

Persian zucchini Meatballs (Koofteh Kadoo)









You Need:
2 Pounds of lean ground beef
3 zucchinis
1 can of tiny diced tomatoes
1 medium size onion chopped
1 tablespoon of salt
1 teaspoon of black pepper
1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder (or nutmeg)
2 cloves of garlic graded or finely chopped
1 tablespoon of dried savory leaves
2 tablespoon of olive oil
How to make it
Grade the zucchinis and saute in the olive oil until golden and soft. Set aside and let it cool down to room temtrature. drain access water before adding to the oil
In a bowl put the ground beef and add salt, pepper, cinnamon, garlic and the chopped onions
Add the zucchini to the mixture and mix well by hand
Make small balls as big as a ping-pong ball
Preheat the oven on 350f and put the meatball there and bake for 12-15 minutes until firm and browned
In a pot or deep pan pour in the can of tomatoes adding the savory leaves with a cup of water and cook on medium low heat for 5-10 minutes until tomatoes get consistency and loose the water in them
Take the meatballs out and after draining the access oil, place one by one in the tomato sauce that you made in the pan or pot
Let the meatballs cook in the sauce for 8-10 minutes(add water if the sauce is too thick)

Serve with plain rice or pasta
 or
 have it as a meatball soup with crusty/toasted bread

 Enjoy!
 


Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Persian Nuts

The art of packing!

  
A friend brought me a gift from Iran


Quick Persian Chicken Stew (Khorak-e Morgh)

You need:

2 Lbs. skinless chicken (breast, thigh and legs) or skinless/boneless chicken breast
2 large potatoes skinned and cut in small peices
1 can of tinny cut tomatoes
1 large onion Julian cut
2 cloves of garlic tinny cut
1 tablespoon of turmeric powder
1 teaspoon of cinnomon
1 tablespoon of salt
1 teaspoon of black pepper
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 can of sliced mushrooms (optional)

How to make it:

In a pan or a pot saute' the onions in oil until they are soft and a bit browned
Add chicken
Stir on high heat
Add salt, pepper and turmeric, cinnamon. Mix well
Add tomatoes from the can
Stir for 3 or 4 minutes
Add one cup of water then cover the pan or pot and let the chicken cook (about 10-15 minutes)
Add the potatoes and mix
Let it cook on low heat until the potatoes are done and soft but not mashed
(Option: Add the can of mushroom while adding the can of tomatoes)

Eat with bread as a stew or serve with rice

Enjoy!

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Lime-Cilantro Chicken Steak-kabob (Joojeh Geshneez Kabob)





You need:
6- 8 pieces of flat chicken meat (Steak style) that can be breast or dark meat
one lime 
2 tablespoon olive oil
3-4 branches of fresh cilantro chopped
1 teaspoon of salt
Pinch of crushed black pepper
Pinch of crushed red pepper (optional)

How to make it:
Marinate the chicken meat in olive oil, lime juice and chopped cilantro
Add salt and pepper
Leave for 1 or 2 hours 
Grill on open fire or broil in oven (preheated on 400f) for 12-15 minutes

Serve with rice or veggies

 Enjoy! 


Sunday, September 9, 2012

Fava-Dill Rice (Baghali-Polo)




You need:

4 cups of aged basmati rice
1 package of frozen fava beans (peeled and split. Usually found in Iranian or oriental stores)
1 cup of fresh dill-weed chopped (or 4 tablespoon of dried dill-weed)
2 tablespoon of salt
1 tablespoon of cinnamon powder
1 teaspoon of Persian saffron grinned and melted in 2 tablespoon of hot water 
2 tablespoon of corn oil or olive oil

How to make it:

Bring water to boil with the salt added
Add the rice (wash the rice before putting it in the boiling water)
Let the rice cook for about 8 minutes
Add the frozen fava and dill-weed
Cook another 4 minutes
Drain the water while trying not to loose any of the dill-weed from the draining process (use a fine colander)
Add oil in the bottom of the pot (or an electric server pot)
Pour the rice mixture into the pot
Add 3-4 spoon of the rice mixture into the melted saffron (this is for the garnish)
Sprinkle the rice mixture with the cinnamon powder
Add the saffron rice and spread lightly on the top
Cover the pot and have the heat on high for 1 minutes
Reduce the heat to low and let the rice steam for 15-20 minuts

Serve with you favorite meat (stewed lamb shank, pot-roast beef, baked chicken) 
or if you don't feel like meat, top it off with one or 2 fried eggs

Enjoy!
   

Sunday, August 19, 2012