Stuffed Cabbage Leaves (dolmeh barg kalam) for Mehregan
Posted: 2 October 2015 Filed under: Stuffed Cabbage Leaves (dolmeh barg kalam), Uncategorized | Tags: dolmeh, dolmeh_barg_kalam, Mehregan2015, PersianFoodBloggers, PFBMehregan, stuffed_vegetables, vegetarian 5 CommentsHere we are again with the King of all Seasons, Autumn; Autumn, a spring fallen in love, as Iranian poet ErfanPour describes it. پاییز بهاریست که عاشق شده ست. And here we are again, with the much loved and cherished Persian Fall Festival, Mehregan, the ancient Persian tradition to celebrate September Equinox, honor the god of justice, Mehr, and to be grateful for the harvest season and fall products.
Eggplant wraps, Iranian style
Posted: 30 September 2014 Filed under: Eggplant wraps, Uncategorized | Tags: eggplant_wrap, Fall_food 4 CommentsAs a Persian saying goes “My eyes sees, my soul desires”, I initially just saw a picture of someone’s platter of eggplant wraps posted on her fb page.
The picture, posted from Tehran, did not contain any recipe and I was not personal enough with the owner to ask for one. So, I started looking into Persian food sites and blogs for the recipe without much success. Although the food itself is not Persian, the method of wrapping looked quite “Persianized”, pretty much in grape leaf dolemh fashion. I did however come up with a lot of scattered info, which coupled with my impression of the initial picture and some culinary creativity resulted in what you see and read below. It was my first experiment with eggplant wraps and I am delighted to say it turned just perfect – both physically and sensually.
Smoked meat @ Montreal Schwartz
Posted: 5 December 2012 Filed under: Montreal related, Smoked meat @ Montreal Schwartz, Uncategorized | Tags: food_photography, Hebrew tradition, Montreal, restaurant_review, Shwartz, smoked_meat Leave a comment
If you find yourself in downtown Montreal, passing through St. Laurent in Plateau area, make sure you’re hungry. Because right there is located Canada’s oldest Deli, the world famous Schwartz’s, offering the classic, Hebrew tradition smoked meat. And it is offering plenty of it in one single sandwich! You simply cannot miss the deli, as no what matter what time of the year, there is always a lineup in front of it. If you are willing to settle for a take out, you would be waiting less, but having the meal inside the tiny, crowded space is a part of the tradition if you ask me. Also my advise: Go for full or medium-fat smoked meat, the light one just doesn’t taste as rich; you’re not going to have it every single day of the week, so it couldn’t hurt that much! The fries aren’t great, but don’t miss its pickles. They are huge, but heavenly. The pictures below, say “some” of it all!
Smoked salmon bagel sandwich
Posted: 24 October 2012 Filed under: Smoked salmon bagel, Uncategorized | Tags: brunch; breakfast, food_photography Leave a commentOkay, there is no secret about this tasty fast sandwich – ideal for brunch if you ask me. I recently made a fuss over it and just had to share the pic and recipe!
Ingredients, let’s say for three: Bagels of your choice, 3, split and toasted inside. Cream cheese, 2 tbsp. Sliced smoked salmon, 300 gr. Caper, or caper berries, 7-8, sliced. Few slices of red onions.
Method: Everything is pretty much prepared if you followed the ingredients part! Just spread cream cheese, cover with salmon and top with onion and caper. It is great with fresh apple or orange juice!
Kookoo sabzi, the many faces of it!
Posted: 13 September 2012 Filed under: Kookoo sabzi, the many faces of it!, Uncategorized | Tags: booteh_recipes, food_photography, Persian_cuisine, side_dish Leave a comment
Do you remember my version of kookoo sabzi, or herb-omelette? Here it is if you don’t. There are many versions, of course- and this video and article posted at Radio Free Europe and the references that the article makes are among my favorites. The rule, however, is to always spoon or pour the whole mixture into the frying pan or in an oven-safe dish at once, and then fry, cook or bake it in whole. This time round, I felt like breaking the rules a bit just for the heck of it! I used the exact same ingredients and method as indicated in my initial recipe. Only when it came to frying, I spooned the mixture in to the frying pan in small circles, as we do with potato-based kookkoo, or kookkoo sibzamini. The result? Same taste, more time and oil consuming and more gorgeous looking!
By the way, these are barberries, or zereshk, spread on kookoo. Some cooks add barberries to the mix before frying or baking, which adds a pleasant sour taste to the dish. Berries usually loose their red hue though after being fried or cooked.
“Kotlet, the greasy companion”
Posted: 29 August 2012 Filed under: Kotlet, the greasy companion, Uncategorized | Tags: booteh_recipes, food_photography, Persian_cuisine Leave a comment
[This post contains excerpts from my culinary memoir]
Kotlet, an Iranian version of cutlet, is a perfect candidate for supper which also falls somewhere between an elaborate, home-made food and a delicious fast food for people of all walks of life, and is-always linked to community, intimacy and fun. It is the food one always chooses as a companion to a family picnic, as an on-the-road meal, and the food of choice on back-breaking days (Pizza just would not measure up!) Indeed kotlet has a great cultural significance- in my eyes anyway.
Ingredients: Ground beef, half kg. Potatoes, 5 medium to large, boiled and grated. Eggs, 2 small or 1 large. Onion, 1 medium, grated. Turmeric, ½ tea spoon. All-purpose flour OR bread-crumb, as coating. 3 tbs. Salt and powdered black pepper to taste, and LOTS of oil! Note: The proportion of ground meat to boiled potatoes is not fixed, although the standard is to have slightly more meat than potatoes in the mix. More meat makes the kotlet a bit more difficult to handle during the frying process, but results in a crispier final product (not necessarily more delicious though)
Egg and spinach breakfast (nargesi)
Posted: 5 March 2012 Filed under: Egg and spinach omelette, Jams, Yogurt and fruit/veg based, Uncategorized | Tags: booteh_recipes, breakfast, egg, food_photogaphy, Persian_cuisine, spinach Leave a comment
This simple and pretty breakfast is called naregsi in Persian, alluding to narcissus flower or narges.
Ingredients (1 Serving): Fresh spinach, 100-120 grams, washed, drained and chopped. Egg, 1. Small Onion, ½, thinly sliced. Olive oil, 2 tbsp. Salt and pepper to taste.
Method: In a small pot, cook spinach over low heat for 2-4 minutes, until slightly smaller in volume. Do not add water, it will steam cook itself, just be careful not to lose the green colour of the leave by overcooking it. Use the back of a spoon to squeeze the spinach and drain the water.
