Okra Stew and a whole lot about it
Posted: 16 October 2013 Filed under: Okra Stew (Baamieh), Uncategorized | Tags: baamieh, Healthy_foods, lady finger, okra Leave a commentWhat do you know about Okra, also known as lady finger? Well, before doing some search for this post, I only knew that in Iran, especially in Khoozestan, it is used to make “khoresh-e Baamieh” or Okra stew with. Let’s get into some of the things I learned about Okra, before sharing the recipe I already knew for it:
Okra is a flowering plant in the mallow family; an annual herb that is widely cultivated for its edible green seed pods in tropical, subtropical and warm temperate climates, and a hardy plant that can grow even with less water and in hot conditions. For full Botanical description check out wiki .
What are you thankful for?
Posted: 9 October 2013 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: thanksgiving 1 CommentFor the upcoming Canadian thanksgiving – on Monday 14th of October, it occurred to me for the first time, to pause for an instant, celebrate the day with my family and be thankful for what I have. You see, thanksgiving is one of those western traditions I had never bothered to get into its spirit, never really identified with over the past three decades in my second home country Canada. This year seemed different in that I felt the need to cling on to something – ceremonially and symbolically I suppose – to express my gratitude.
No, I did not win the lottery, nor tumbled over youth formula! On the contrary, over the past few years I have lost several beloved companions, in addition to waking up to a nasty surprise (of health nature for me and people I love or care about) almost regularly. Feeling prone to disaster and finding no consolation in complaint and anxiety, I decided to focus on the things I have: I found ample to share from within; plenty to behold from without. Read the rest of this entry »
Beet, apple, carrot juice: Miracle drink, or is it!?
Posted: 26 September 2013 Filed under: Beet, apple, carrot juice, Uncategorized | Tags: apple carrot juice, apple juice, beet, beet juice, healthy-drinks, miracle drink 1 CommentEverybody’s posting and talking about this, so here I am with my own take and though on it:
The mixture of apple, beet and carrot juice is so full of good stuff – vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, that is referred to as “miracle juice”, good for maintaining and improving health and preventing common and nasty diseases such as cancer and heart attack. The way it should be prepared and taken varies slightly according to various sources, but the following instruction seems to be the most recommended: Read the rest of this entry »
Fabulous Fall with Andy Williams!
Posted: 18 September 2013 Filed under: Fabulous Fall, Uncategorized, Videos | Tags: video-Collection_afsaneh Leave a commentA Reviving Hope
Posted: 15 August 2013 Filed under: Uncategorized, YARD, for gardening | Tags: cancer, Coleus blumei, Hope, hosn-e yousef 2 Comments
“Hope” is the name of a Montreal-based charity, working for children in Iran with cancer. On the occasion of the Iranian New Year, Norooz, on March 21, this organization was one of many, holding especial booth at Noroozi Bazar and selling new year related material, except they allocated a percentage of the profit to the cause. To raise more funds the organization also sold small pots of Coleus blumei. I could not resist buying one, although I knew the trip back home would take me 2 hours and was not sure if the tiny thing would make it that long in minus 12 C. ! It did, and it sat on our Noroozi table as a sign of hope.
My tiny Coleus spent most of the spring indoors, half sleep I guess, until early June, when the weather was warm enough for me to re-pot and gradually transplant it so that it has now grown to a saturated red, full of leaves and medium size plant ready to survive yet another winter indoors.
Hope is the name of my Coleus – the name of the process whereby with love and care, any living could recover and revive.
Acanthus stew (khoresh-e kangar)
Posted: 5 August 2013 Filed under: Acanthus stew (Kangar), Uncategorized | Tags: Acanthus, kangar, khoresh, Persian cuisine 7 CommentsAmong the wide range of vegetables, herbs and plants used in Persian stews or khoresh, in combination with chopped lamp or veal and usual suspects for spice, kangar falls in to the category of a region-specific and less known type – even among Iranians inside the country.
Kangar or acanthus, according to English and Persian Wikipedia, is a genus of about 30 species of flowering plants in native to tropical and warm temperate regions, and originated in Mediterranean, Basin and Asia. It has thick, spiny leaves, stalks not dissimilar to celery and flower spikes bearing white or purplish flowers. Kangar grows in central and southern Iran in mountains and in dry climate for a short period in March-April.
Creamy, crusty French tomato soup
Posted: 17 July 2013 Filed under: Baked in Oven, Creamy, crusty French tomato soup, Uncategorized | Tags: creamy soup, crusty French soup, puff pastry, tomato soup Leave a commentHave you ever searched the words “Tomato soup” in the internet? The variation is amazing, isn’t it?
Well, I was looking for a particular type – the creamy type with a crust on top, and came up with California-based Bistro Jentil’s world’s famous tomato soup. Chef Jason Hill has been kind enough to explain the details of this recipe in a video. And I did as he (and the recipe) said, except for replacing butter, reducing cream and simplifying it a little bit. The result was absolutely amazing, both the look and the taste. And my pictures are the proof I hope! Making this VERY French soup is not complicated at all, although it does involves several steps over two days (in my experience) for the best result. Read the rest of this entry »
Ghooreh (sour grape) and its many modes
Posted: 10 July 2013 Filed under: Ghooreh (sour grape) and its many modes, Uncategorized | Tags: ghooreh, Iranian cuisin, Persian_ cuisine, sour grape, unripe grape, verjuice 2 CommentsIf you think all cooks and foodies in all cultures are looking forwards for grapes to ripe, think twice! We Iranians have many uses for ghooreh, “unripe, sour grape”, for the lack of a better translation, in our cuisine.
That’s right, next time you stroll through an Iranian grocery store in North America and come across ghooreh beware this is not a fruit to nibble at casually; the eye-watering and lip- sewing sour green grape is used in cooking, mainly as spice or seasoning whether it is in whole (fresh or frozen), pressed, dried and grounded, or processed and made into paste or torshi (a type of pickle). Here is a taste of the variety in forms and usages of ghooreh: Read the rest of this entry »
Introducing “Fizzy Sauce”
Posted: 2 July 2013 Filed under: Introducing "Fizzy Sauce", Introducing "Fizzy Sauce", Uncategorized | Tags: Fizzy Sauce, Kebab sauce, Strained yogurt Leave a commentOccasionally, I “e-meet” people – mostly my blog’s followers – who seem to love cooking even more than I do. Some are quite creative and inspirational and kind enough enough to share with me their recipes. Here is an example at hand. This sauce goes very well with Iranian Kabab koobideh, I know the traditional way of barbecuing and eating it is so hard to diverge from; but if you’re game for experiments and new joys, here is an easy way of going about it:
Ingredients: Strained yogurt (also called Greek yogurt) or Lebanese “Leban”, 5 tbsp. Powdered saffron, ¼ teaspoon dissolved in 1 teaspoon of lukewarm water. Salt, 1 teaspoon. Powdered black pepper, about ½ teaspoon. Dried mint, 1 teaspoon. Fresh mint, 2 leaves, finely chopped. Fresh lime juice, 2 teaspoon.
Food Trucks start rolling in Montreal, or do they!?
Posted: 28 June 2013 Filed under: Montreal related, Uncategorized | Tags: Food Truck, Montreal_summer, street food Montreal Leave a commentHow do you like buying a plate of salad and smoked meat sausage for $8.00 off a food truck right outside your workplace in downtown? What if you have to line up for it for an hour or so, and what if the sausage is not made on the spot? Would you still consider it “street food”? The way some of us have come to know taco trucks, pizza trucks, falafel and whoopee pies carts in New York, Seattle, and recently in Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary?
Well, sometime in April 2013, Montreal’s Mayor announced that starting this summer, the 66-year ban on street food will be removed, allowing Montrealers to buy food off the street. …
My Caldron 