Persiana

I’m going to wrap up this exploration with an assortment of Persian dishes that have two things in common. First, they don’t fit into categories, as all the others, so far, have done. And, second, they’re dishes we’ve tried and enjoyed; and will certainly do so again.

PANIR

(Fresh Cheese)

 

Although I especially enjoy this as a breakfast cheese, it’s good anytime.  I found the use of lime juice as the coagulating agent to be particularly interesting.

     Similar to feta, it’s not quite as crumbly, and lacks the high salt content of that popular cheese.

 

2 quarts whole milk                                                                

½ cup lime juice

2 tbls sea salt (optional)                                                         

1 cup plain yogurt

2 tsp nigella or cumin seeds, or, ¼ cup thyme or mint leaves, chopped

½ tsp sea salt        

1 tbls plain yogurt

 

Line a strainer with three layers of cheesecloth and place it in a large container.

 

Pour the milk into a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the lime juice and salt. Stir once. Add the yogurt and stir again. Boil over medium heat 3-5 minutes until milk turns yellowish and curds appear.

 

Remove pot from heat and let sit 15 minutes. Add the nigella seeds or other flavorings, and immediately pour the milk mixture into the cheesecloth. Allow to drain several minutes. Hold the ends of the cheesecloth bundle and tightly tie together to enclose the cheese.

 

Put the cheese bundle in the center of the strainer and place a heave weight on top of the bundle. Let stand for about 2 hours to get rid of excess moisture and let the cheese set.

 

Remove the cheese from the cheesecloth. It is ready to use at this point. To store, put the cheese in a glass container. Cover it with the strained liquid and add ½ tsp salt and 1 tbls yogurt. Cover tightly and refrigerate until ready to serve.

 

SHAMI-E-LAPEH

(Persian Split Pea Patties)

 

This highly popular dish is also made, with slight variations of the ingredient amounts, with chickpeas. While both good, I actually prefer the split pea version.

 

1 lb boned leg of lamb or beef or turkey cut in 2” pieces

1 med onion, chopped                                                           

2 tsp sea salt

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp turmeric

1 lb split peas, rinsed                                                             

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp ground saffron bloomed in 2 tbls hot water

3 eggs                   

2 cups oil for frying

 

In a medium saucepan, combine the meat, onion, 1 ½ tsp salt, pepper, turmeric, and 2 cups water; cover and cook over medium heat for 45 minutes or until tender. Remove from the heat and drain (reserve the juice to use later if meat is too dry). Puree the meat in a food processor and transfer to a large mixing bowl.

 

Meanwhile, in another saucepan, combine the split peas with 4 cups water and ½ tsp salt. Bring to boil, reduce heat, and cook for 30 minutes or until tender. Drain and reserve the juice. In the same food processor, puree the split peas and transfer to the bowl with the meat. Cover and refrigerate 2-24 hours.

 

When the meat mixture is cool, add the baking soda, saffron, and the eggs one by one, and knead for a few minutes until a soft paste is created. If it is too dry, add some reserrved liquid.

 

In a wide skillet, heat ¼ cup of oil over medium-low heat until hot but not smoking. Place a bowl of warm water next to the skillet. Scoop the meat paste into lumps the size of walnuts. Moisten your hands and flatten each lump into a round shape and press a hole in the middle with your finger. This helps to cook the inside of the patties.

 

Fry the patties on each side about 5 minutes until golden brown. There should be enough oil so the patties are about half submerged. Gently remove patties with a slotted spatula and place in a wide container lined with parchment paper. Continue making patties, separating each layer with parchment paper. Allow to cool. If not using immediately, cover and keep in the refrigerator up to 3 days.

 

Serve wrapped in leaf lettuce with traditional sweet & sour sauce or quince paste.

 

SWEET & SOUR SAUCE

 

1 onion, chopped 

3 tbls oil

1 tsp turmeric       

1 tsp dried mint

½ cup water         

½ cup vinegar

½ cup grape molasses

 

Fry onion in oil. Add the turmeric and mint. Stir-fry 20 seconds. Add the water, vinegar, and grape molasses. Bring to a boil.

 

Serve hot.

 

KOTAH DOLMEH

 (Fried Dough with Lentils)

 

Most cultures have a dish based a filling of some kind wrapped in dough. These are particularly tasty. And, for those so inclined, provide a vegetarian option.

     Although butter can substitute, they really work better using ghee.

 

For the dough:

                             

2 tsp active dry yeast                                                             

1 cup warm water

2 tsp rose water    

3 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt               

½ tsp ground cardamom

¼ cup ghee, melted & cooled

 

For the Filling:     

 

1 cup brown lentils                                                                 

3 cups cold water

2 large onions, finely chopped                                              

1/3 cup ghee

Salt                       

2 tbls brown sugar

 

To finish:              

 

Oil for deep frying.

 

Dissolve yeast in ¼ cup warm water. Add remaining water and rose water.

Sift flour, salt and cardamom into a mixing bowl and remove ½ cup of the mixture. Add the yeast liquid to flour and mix to a soft dough. Work in ghee with reserved flour and knead until smooth, about ten minutes.

Cover and leave in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 45-60 minutes.

 

Meanwhile, wash lentils well, place in a pan and add the cold water. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer over low heat for1-1 ¼ hours, or until water is absorbed and lentils are soft. Mash with a fork.

 

Gently fry onion in ghee until transparent and lightly browned, add lentils and fry 5 minutes. Stir in salt to taste and brown sugar. Cool.

 

Punch down dough and divide into two portions. Roll out each portion thinly to an 18-inch circle. Cut dough into 3-inch rounds and place a generous tsp of lentil paste in center of each round. Moisten edge of dough lightly, fold over, and press firmly to seal. Crip with tines of a fork.

 

Deep fry in batches for 3 minutes, until golden brown and puffed, turning to brown evenly. Drain on paper towels or a rack.

 

GERDU MAST MAHI

(Fish Baked in Yogurt with Walnut & Dill Topping)

 

This has become high on my list of favorite fish dishes. I make it with haddock, mostly, but any firm white fish will do.

 

2 lbs firm white fish filets

 

For the sauce:       

 

½ cup plain yogurt                                                                 

1 tsp cornstarch

1 tsp sea salt         

1 tsp black pepper

2 tbls lime juice    

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp red pepper flakes                                                           

2 tbls olive oil

2 garlic cloves      

1 inch ginger, peeled

2 spring onions, chopped

 

 

For the topping:   

 

¼ cup plain bread crumbs                                                      

1/4 cup walnuts

½ cup chopped parsley                                                           

1/4 cup chopped dill

2 garlic cloves      

¼ cup olive oil

Zest of one lime   

Juice of one lime

½ tsp sea salt        

¼ tsp black pepper

 

Preheat oven to 350F. Oil a baking dish big enough to fit all the fish filets side by side.

 

In a food processor, mix all ingredients for the yogurt sauce for 5 minutes (to prevent the yogurt from curdling) and spread on top of the fish.

 

In the same food processor combine all the ingredients for the walnut topping and pulse until you have a grainy mixture. Sprinkle evenly on top of the fish.

 

Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown on top.  Serve with plain rice.

 

FISTIKLI KEBAP

(Persian/Turkish Lamb & Pistachio Patties)

 

What we have here is a classic cross-over dish that appears along the Persian/Turkish border. Doesn’t matter which you use as the source, as they are indistinguishable.  There’s also a Turkish variation that uses walnuts, which is equally good.

 

5 ¼ shelled pistachios                                                            

2 large eggs

1 lb 2 oz ground lamb                                                            

1 onion, finely chopped

2 tsp ground cumin                                                                

2 heaped tsp sumac

1 tsp ground coriander                                                           

1 tsp ground oregano

Zest of 1 lime       

3 tbls fine sea salt

Black pepper to taste                                                             

1 tbls oil

 

Blitz 2/3 of the pistachios in a food process until finely ground. Lightly pulse the remaining pistachios, then give them just a little rough chop and put in a large bowl with the finely ground nuts. Add the remaining ingredients except for the oil and mix together well. Really work the mixture, like bead dough, until the texture has broken down and the egg and pistachios are evenly distributed.

 

Preheat a large nonstick frying pan over medium heat and preheat the oven at its lowest setting.

Divide the mixture into 10 balls and shape them into flattened patties. Drizzle enough vegetable oil to coat the base of the preheated frying pan and fry several of the patties at a time, without overcrowding the pan, until the undersides form a nice brown crust, which should take about 6 minutes, then flip them over and cook until both sides are done.

 

Transfer the cooked batch to an ovenproof dish and keep warm in the oven while you fry the remaining patties.

 

This by no means completes my personal exploration of Persian food.  Since starting this project the cuisine has moved to the top of my list; rivaling my fascination with the foods of North Africa.

 

Hopefully, you’ll give some of these recipes a try, and begin your own tour of this amazing contribution to world cuisine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As mentioned above, I’m not a big fan of Shish Kabab. 

To be sure, from Russia to the Arabian Sea, westward to North Africa and the eastern Med, grilled skewers of mixed meat and veggies are endemic to the region, under variations of that name. 

To me, however, there’s a fundamental problem: cooking times.  There is no way, for instance, that you can mix fairly large hunks of meat with soft veggies like tomatoes and mushrooms, and have them all come out correctly cooked.  Typically, the skewers are over the coals for 8 to ten minutes.  I can’t imagine doing that and not have tomatoes turn to mush.

Even so, I felt I should give it another go, particularly as it’s a favorite in Persia and its nearby neighbors.   

Despite the similarity of names and methods, there are, literally, hundreds of variations on the Shish Kabab theme. Seasonings and marinades vary not only country to country, but within countries as well. Indeed, it’s often the case that neighbors living next door to each other have their own way of flavoring this ubiquitous meat on a stick.  Naturally, I decided to use a Persian approach, and chose Najmieh Batmanglij’s recipe, as presented in her “Food of Life.”

I did make several significant modifications, however.  First, because I lack any sort of pan large enough to hold the large skewers I’d be using, I decided to marinate the meat and veggies first, then string them on the mini-swords. Second, and perhaps more to the point, I decided that the soft veggies would go on their own skewers, to avoid the overdone/underdone syndrome. Thus, the tomatoes and mushooms were grilled separately. This is, by the way, a common approach in modern Persia, where the meat is grilled on its own skewers, and tomatoes---usually cherries or small Roma types—are done on their own skewers. This worked out perfectly, with the meat, onions, and peppers on one set of skewers, and the tomatoes and mushrooms each on their own. Just the right amount of doneness was achieved for every component. 

Another change: Although Shish Kabab is most often served with rice, I choose to use bulgur instead. As with most such things, you pays yer money and takes yer chances.

All that said, here is Batmaglij’s recipe:

PERSIAN SHISH KABAB

 

Marinade:            

1 lg onion, chopped                                                              

4 garlic cloves, sliced

½ cup cider vinegar                                                                

Juice of a lime

½ cup olive oil     

2 tsp black pepper

2 tsp sea salt        

1 cup fresh dill, chopped                                                       

1 tsp dried thyme 

2 cups plain yogurt

 

Kababs:                

 2 lbs lamb, sirloin, or chicken thighs cut in 2” cubes

4 bell peppers in 1-inch squares                                             

6 lg tomatoes, quartered

10 garlic cloves   

3 onions cut in 2” cubes

10 button mushrooms                                                             

10 bay leaves

 Baste:                   

½ cup butter or ghee                                                              

Juice of 1 lime

 Garnish:                

 1 pkg lavash bread                                                                 

2 cups yogurt, drained (or use Greek style yogurt)

Bunch fresh spring onions                                                     

Bunch fresh basil

In a long, shallow dish combine all marinade ingredients. Set aside.

Thread each piece of meat onto skewer, alternating them with pieces of pepper, tomato, garlic, onions, mushrooms, and bay leaves. Place the skewers in the marinade. Agitate the dish so marinade coats all sides of the kababs. Cover and marinate at least 8 hours and up to 3 days in fridge.

Prepare a charcoal grill. Arrange skewers on grill and cook 6-10 minutes, turning frequently.

In a saucepan melt the butter and add the lime juice. Just before removing kababs fro the fire, baste both sides with the mixture.

Arrange the skewers on a serving platter and serve immediately with lavash, yogurt, onions, and basil.

PERSIAN SHISH KABAB 

Marinade:            

1 lg onion, chopped                                                              

4 garlic cloves, sliced

½ cup cider vinegar                                                                

Juice of a lime

½ cup olive oil     

2 tsp black pepper

2 tsp sea salt        

1 cup fresh dill, chopped                                                       

1 tsp dried thyme 

2 cups plain yogurt

Kababs:                

2 lbs lamb, sirloin, or chicken thighs cut in 2” cubes

4 bell peppers in 1-inch squares                                             

6 lg tomatoes, quartered

10 garlic cloves   

3 onions cut in 2” cubes

10 button mushrooms                                                             

10 bay leaves

Baste:                   

½ cup butter or ghee                                                              

Juice of 1 lime

Garnish:                

1 pkg lavash bread                                                                 

2 cups yogurt, drained (or use Greek style yogurt)

Bunch fresh spring onions                                                     

Bunch fresh basil

In a long, shallow dish combine all marinade ingredients. Set aside.

Thread each pice of meat onto skewer, alternating them with pieces of pepper, tomato, garlic, onions, mushrooms, and bay leaves. Place the skewers in the marinade. Agitate the dish so marinade coats all sides of the kababs. Cover and marinate at least 8 hours and up to 3 days in fridge.

Prepare a charcoal grill. Arrange skewers on grill and cook 6-10 minutes, turning frequently.

In a saucepan melt the butter and add the lime juice. Just before removing kababs fro the fire, baste both sides with the mixture.

Arrange the skewers on a serving platter and serve immediately with lavash, yogurt, onions, and basil.

As noted earlier, one of the greatest culinary contributions from Persia is the combining of fruits with proteins.

Margi,

It already comes in jars, Margi. At least it does from every supplier I've checked.