Iranian Chicken with Walnuts - Fesenjan
Yield: 4 Servings
Ingredients:
1 Chicken or Duck quartered
2 Onions sliced
10 oz Ground walnuts
2 1/2 c Water
Salt Pepper to taste
4 tb Pomegranate syrup
2 tb Sugar or jaggery
2 tb Lemon juice
Instructions:
Brown the quarters lightly in a large casserole. Lift out the duck and fry the onions until bowned then add the walnuts and 2 1/2 cups of water. Season with salt and pepper. Return the duck to the pan adn bring the sauce to the boil. Simmer for about an hour until the duck is almost tender. Stir the pomegranate syrup and sugar into the lemon juice. Stir in the juice mixture. Simmer for another 30 minutes until the sauce is quite dark. If the sauce is too thick add a little more water. Serve with rice.
Spiced Lamb Skillet - Timen Ajami
6 Servings
Ingredients:
2 tb Vegetable oil
1 lg Onion chopped
1 1/2 lb Ground lean beef or lamb cut in cubes
1/4 ts cinnamon ground
1/4 ts curry powder Salt & pepper to taste
2 tb Rose water
1/2 c Currants dried
1/2 c Almonds
Instructions:
Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onion. Saute until onion is tender. Add meat. Cook until browned and crumbly. Drain off fat if necessary. Add spices, salt and pepper to cooked meat. Cook 3 minutes to blend flavours. Add remaining ingredients. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer over low heat 15 minutes stirring to prevent sticking. Serve hot.
Dolmeh Seeb-Zamini
(4 servings)
1 lb. / 500 grams of potatoes
1/2 lb./ 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
black 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)
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 tomatoes and bits of parsley.
Herbal Souffle - Kookoo Sabzi
8 large eggs
1 teaspoon spoon white flour
1 tablespoon red currants; (zershk) or cherries
1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts; (gerdoo)
1 teaspoon spoon salt.
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup cooking oil or butter
1/2 cup fresh chives/scallio, finely chopped (tarreh/piAzcheh)
2 cups finely chopped fresh parsely; (jafaree)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro OR; (gheshneez)
2 tablespoon dried parsley
1/4 cup fresh or dried dill weed; (sheveed)
1/2 tablespoon dried fenugreek; (shanbelileh)
Soak the currants in cold water for 15 minutes before cooking. Drain before adding them in.
In a bowl add the eggs, 1/2 of the cooking oil and all other ingredients, with the exception of fresh and dried herbs. Beat it with a fork until the ingredients have been mixed well.
Add the herbs, and stir the mixture until the herbss have blended in (do not beat it any longer due to the delicate nature of fresh herbs).
Put the oven setting to bake at 250 degrees (F). Pour the remainder of the cooking oil in an oven safe dish. Pour the herbs mixture in the dish. Bake at this setting for about 40-45 minutes. You may cover the dish with aluminum foil at the beginning to prevent over-drying of the top crust. Remove the foil half way during the baking process.
Cut in square pieces before serving.
Prawns with Wheatberries (4)
Ingredients
1.5 lbs. or 600g Large Prawns, peeled
4 tbsp. wheat berries or pearl barley
4 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
2 squeezes lemon
2 green peppers
6 tbsps fresh coriander leaves
sea salt & black pepper
Yoghurt Marinade
1 cups greek yoghurt
1 garlic clove, crushed to a paste with salt
1½ tsps cumin seeds, freshly ground
Instructions...
Place the marinade ingredients in a mixing bowl, stir together, then add the peeled prawns. Leave in the fridge for 30 minutes to 2 hours.
While the prawns are marinating, cook the wheat berries or pearl barley. Put in a small saucepan, cover with 1 litre of water and simmer over a medium heat for about 45 minutes until tender. Drain in a colander, transfer to a bowl and season with a little salt and pepper, 2 tbsps of the olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice. Set aside.
Char the peppers under a hot grill until the skin is blackened on all sides. Put in a bowl and cover with clingfilm. When cool enough to handle take out the salt and central core, remove the seeds and peel off the charred skin.
Tear the flesh into strips, transfer to a small mixing bowl and add the remaining olive oil and lemon juice. Season with some salt and pepper and set aside.
When you are ready to assemble the salad mix the coriander with the green peppers and put on a plate.
Now warm the wheatberries in a saucepan with the prawns and any extra marinade over a medium heat until just hot.Spon the warm prawns, wheat berries and any extra sauce on top of the peppers and serve immediately.
