Christmas Party 2009

I wish you were here with us....

Pickled grapes (Torshi Angoor)

Ingredients:

Red seedless grapes

Red wine vinegar or white balsamic vinegar

2 table spoon of salt

How to make it:

Put the grapes in a jar and add the salt & vinegar 

Leave in a cold place for 3 weeks

Great for food plate decoration or eating on the side of any stew

Yum!

Aged pickled Garlic (Torshi Seer)

Ingredients:

Few fresh whole garlic undivided attached to the root

Vinegar (half balsamic/half red wine)

Salt : Half tea spoon of salt for each garlic in the jar

One table spoon of honey

How to make it:

Boil the vinegar mixture then add salt & stir well

Pour the hot liquid on the garlic which are tightly placed in a glass jar

Add honey and close the jar tight while the mixture is still hot

 shake the jar well 

(this will kill the possible bacterias)

Store in room temperature for 1t least 2 months before you serve it. 

A good garlic Torshi is a seven year old one (according to older people)

Serve as a side  or eat one clove a day as snack to stay healthy

(A good garlic torshi is said to be aged at least 7 years so it melts in your mouth!)

Wow!

Torshi Meeveh (Pickled Dried Fruits)

 

You need:

Your favorite dried fruits such as mulberry (White berry) cherry (sour or bing with no Pitts), diced figs, diced mango, etc.

How to make it: 

Pour all the dried fruits in in jar

Bring vinegar to boil with added 2 table spoon of salt

Pour the liquid while still hot

Close the top tight and store for at least 2 weeks 

Serve at room temperature in very small portion

* You may add a pinch of hot red chilli pepper powder if you like it with a kick

* Adding a tea spoon of tamarind paste will make this unique picked fruit wonderful

Wow! 

Lentil & Raisin Rice with Fried Onions (Addas Polo)

Ingredients:

(Serving 4-6 persons) 

4 cups of basmati rice washed 

One cup of green lentils

One large onion, chopped or Julian sliced

One fistful of red seedless raisins

One teaspoon of cinnamon power

One teaspoon of turmeric powder

4 tablespoons or 1/4 cup of olive oil or corn oil

Salt

How to make it: 

Boil water with 2 tablespoons of salt in it

Add rice and let boil for 8-9 minutes, drain water and set aside

(See archive: how to make plain, fluffy Persian rice)

Boil the lentils in water until tender but not mashed, drain & set aside

While the rice & lentils are cooked saute' the onion in a frying pan until golden brown

Add turmeric to the onions and stir

add 1 tablespoon of oil

Add cinnamon powder and add raisins

Stir for 1 minute on low heat and then turn the heat or flame off

Mix all above**

 in a bowl very gently without mashing or breaking the rice grains

Heat 2 or 3 table spoon of oil in a pot

Put mixture into the pot with the lid shut and turn the heat on high for 2 minutes

Reduce the heat to low and let the rice mixture steam cook for 15-20 minutes

 *  It is better to to put the 3 main ingredients in layers back in the pot. It means you put a layer of rice, a layer of lentils, a layer of onion/raisin and so forth. This way you will avoid breaking the rice grains while mixing 

 

* TAHDIG = (The longer you steam the rice the crunchier the rice at the bottom of the pot. This crunchy Golden rice is called "Tah-Dig" which literary means "the bottom of the pot" can be taken out a large round piece and served on the side of this rice pilaf)

* You also can add fried egg on the top of this dish but it is mostly eaten with a side of plain yogurt, pickles, or fresh herbs such as mint or basil

This is the king of all the vegetarian rices and wonderful

Enjoy!

Herbs Stew with Red Beans (Gourmeh Sabzi)

Ingredients:

(serving 4-6 persons)

One Pound (450 grams) of beef stew meat or any cubed meat (except steak meat)

1 large onion, chopped

1/4 cup corn oil

2 cups of red beans or dark kidney beans cooked 

(1.5 can of precooked beans makes it easier)

4 dried lime or lemon

1 teaspoon of dried lime or lemon powder

1 cup dried or fresh parsley

1 cup dried or fresh cilantro

1/2 cup dried leek or chives, or 3 stacks of green onions -scallion- finely chopped

(I have the fresh herbs already cut in my freezer and mix them with the dried herbs)

1.5 tablespoons of dried fenugreek leaves

2 tablespoons of lime juice

1 tablespoon of tomato paste

1 teaspoon of turmeric powder

1 tablespoon of salt

1.5 tablespoons of black pepper

How to make it:

In a pot (I prefer pressure cooker) saute the onions in oil then add turmeric powder

Add the meat and stir until brown (about 2 minutes) 

Add the herbs and stir constantly, add more oil if needed

When the herbs look dark punch holes in the dried lemons and add

Add salt & pepper & dried lemon powder

Add 3 cups of water

Cook until the meat is tender (10 minutes in pressure cooker)

Leave on low heat for 40 minutes with the pot's lid open

Add tomato paste

Add beans & lime juice

Leave on low heat for another 20 minutes

Serve with plain fluffy rice

Enjoy!

 

B.B.Q in the Park

Persian Rice (Fluffy Basmati Rice)

How to make it:

Bring water to boil in a pot 

Add 2 tablespoons of salt

Pour in the rice

(Rice can be soaked in warm water for 10 minutes for the grains to separate and enhanced in size)

Boil the rice for about 8 minutes (half cooked)

Drain the water (this makes the the rice less starchy and lower in carbohydrate for a better diet)

Put the oil in the pot and heat on high

Add the rice and pile up like a mountain pick 

Cover the pot tight and heat for 1 minute until the steam accumulates inside

Turn the heat to low and leave on for at least 15 minutes

You may add sliced potatoes (better with skin) at the bottom of the pot and let fry for 2 minutes before returning the rice back into the pot

Garnish the rice with rice colored &  flavored with saffron dissolved in warm water mixed separately in a small bowl

Serve with stews or kabobs 

Noosh-e Jaan (Enjoy!)

Herbs Suffle' (Koo-Koo Sabzi) (Vegeterian)

Ingredients:

(Serving 6-8 persons)

1 bunch of parsley finely chopped

1 bunch of cilantro finely chopped

2 branches of green onions finely chopped 

(garlic or onion chives or fine leek is preferred instead of the green onions)

6 large eggs

4 whole walnuts chopped or crushed

2 tablespoons of barberries (Zereshk or Persian berries) (optional)

1 tablespoon of salt

One tablespoon of flour

Dash of black pepper

How to make it:

Heat the oil in a non-stick pan until hot

Add eggs to the chopped herbs/flour/salt & pepper and stir well for 2 minutes

In  a non-stick flat pan heat the oil

 Pour in the egg & herbs mixture into the pan

Flatten the mixture to be evenly spread in the pan

Leave the heat on low and cook for 10 minutes with the lid on, or covered with foil if your pan has no lid

Turn the pie around and let the top side fry and get golden brown too 

(You can slice the pie into 4 pieces to make it easier to turn around)

* Serve warm in a plate with bread & yogurt or fill a baguette with this to make a  sandwich 

Enjoy!

Istanbul Rice (Estanboli polo)

Istanbul Rice
(vegetarian)

Ingredients:

(Serving 4-6 persons)

4 cups of basmati rice

1 can of tiny chopped tomatoes

1 medium onion chopped or Julian sliced

1 teaspoon of turmeric powder

1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder

1 tablespoon of salt

How to make it:

In a large pot saute' the onions in olive oil until golden but not burnt

Add chopped tomatoes, stir in oil  for a minute

Add salt, turmeric & cinnamon powder

Wash the rice and add to the pot

add 7 cups of water or enough water to cover the rice 1 inch (about 2.5 Centimeter) above 

Bring to boil, cover and leave the heat on low

Let steam for 10 or 15 minutes 

Serve with yogurt or any meat dish if you want to go non-vegetarian

Enjoy

My last Christmas party

Grilling chicken with friends

Persian Chicken Kabob (Joojeh Kabob)

 

The meat:

Boneless breast of chicken with no skin cut into small 1 inch pieces

(Skinless, boneless chicken thighs can be used or you can do half white meat & half dark meat)

 The marination:

Mix these in a bowl:

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons of fresh squeezed lime juice (or bottled lime juice)

1 teaspoon of turmeric powder

4 tablespoons of saffron finely grind & dissolved in warm water 

1 teaspoon of mild hot chilli sauce (Sriracha brand is my choice, not too hot but it has a kick)

A pinch of parley flakes mashed in the palm of your hand

1 table spoon of salt

How to make it:

Pour the marination mixture over the chicken mix and leave in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours (or overnight for the next day cooking)

Put the meat on metal skewers and grill

(While grilling you can brush the chicken with the marination liquid that was left in the bowl or some melted butter mixed with saffron powder)

* Instead of metal skewers you may use tiny wood sticks, in that case grill on the aluminum screen with holes that can be placed on the top of the grill or place the on a piece of aluminum sheet with punched holes. A pizza tray with holes can also help here for the meat not to stick to the grill bars

You also pan fry them with a bit of olive oil or lite butter

Serve with rice/corn/potato with salad on the side

Best drink for the cook while grilling is ice cold beer or scotch on the rocks!

Happy grilling!

Grilled or B.B.Q Corn (Balal)

How to make it:
Grill the corns on the grill turning it around before it becomes popcorn
Dissolve 2 tablespoons of salt in a bowl of hot or warm water
soak the grilled corns into the salty water
Take the corns out and serve warm
(You can rub butter on the corn with a dash of salt or  brush with hot sauce)

This makes a great side dish


Bite into it & enjoy

Persian Kabob (Koobideh)

 

I grow my own herbs in the backyard!

Ingredients:

(5 to 6 skewers)

1.5 Pounds (about 700grams) ground chuck (beef or veal)

(For a good juicy kabob you need a bit fatty meat, like 85/15. Most of the fat will drip from meat while grilling)

1 medium onion

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons of turmeric powder mixed with water (optional)

5-6 small tomatoes

How to make it:

Grate the onion or use blender to puree it

Mix the meat with grated onions

Add salt & pepper & turmeric liquid

Make a small ball of meat (about 4 oz.) in your hand and spread the meat on the skewer evenly

Grill on open fire, turning the skewers frequently

(Do not overcook the meat)

You can grill tomatoes on the same type of skewer along with the kabobs 

*

Serve with basmati rice or eat with bread (like a wrap)

& 

Don't forget fresh herbs and or fresh raw sweet onions on the side

Vodka, Scotch Whiskey, and of course red Australian Shiraz wine go well with this kabob!