Persian Best

Persian cooking is one of the oldest in the world, yet the flavors are vibrant and fresh.It's a cuisine of color and brightness, texture and flavor. It incorporates a multitude of herbs and even flowers to create different and unique tastes.

The ultimate Persian-American chef, Samin Nosrat gave the New York Times Food section a wide array of the different dishes she grew up on.Ms Nosrat who writes regularly for The Times and Sunday magazine also has a Netflix show "Salt Fat Acid Heat" where she deconstructs cooking. She and her brothers embraced all things American yet they came home to a strictly Persian home. There were Saturday lessons in Farsi,setar music and celebrating the Persian New Year Nowruz. The biggest influence were the recipes her mother brought with them. For the article which contains a cross section of the best of their recipes Ms. Nosrat relied on family recipes along consulting with Iranian cooks .(Iranian and Persian can be interchangeable although there are differences). Ms. Nosrat's family comes from the northern part where herbs are a mainstay. They're treated like a vegetable which explains the huge amounts in the recipes. One kuku sabzi -  a Persian herb frittata - has a pound of cilantro and Italian parsley . A yogurt dish has a wide variety of parsley , dill, tarragon and basil.

This is my favorite issue . I was excited to see the recipes and plan on making a few.The first on my list is the kuku sabzi.It's an interesting mix of herbs with eggs, butter and even baking soda.Some ingredients such as barberries ,I'll have to get through Amazon. There are also leeks and fenugreek added. The greens are cooked first , cooled and then added to egg mix. Another must cook is the polo ba tahdig ,a giant rice cake - which comes with some fun instructions. Ms. Nosrat writes on flipping it by first gathering up your courage and praising your ancestors.A dish for a cool Spring night is the khoresh-e ghormeh which is a Persian herb bean and lamb stew.Of course it has a pound of cilantro and Italian parsley but also has a pound and a half of lamb shoulder along with turmeric and kidney beans. It is a lengthy cook, taking three hours . Ms. Nosrat also gives us a chicken stew that's sweetened with both pomegranate juice and molasses.Ground walnuts are also added. As a side there is mast-o khiar a Persian cucumber and herb yogurt that  is a mix of herbs,raisins, and dried rose petals.

Persian cooking is must have experience for any home or professional chef. It is a whirl of colors and flavors, textures and tastes. Make some of these amazing recipes now.

A Middle Eastern Seder

Yesterdays Dining section in The New York Times had an interesting article about Iranian seders. it's not so much about the religion, but about the country. Persians . Iranians make their holiday meals according to the custom. They tend to follow their former country's culinary traditions as opposed to strictly adhering to their Jewish ones.

The article, expertly, written by Joan Nathan,. tells of the Iranian Jews in Southern California. Many left during the Sixties during the reign of the last shah. They incorporated So Cal staples such as fresh dates into heir Passover dishes. These were mixed with the traditional and ancient spices of turmeric and cardamon. Some dishes such as charoset have bananas added along with pears and pomegranate juice. This is also heavily laced with dried fruits and spices such as cardamon and cinnamon reflecting more the country's tastes than the religious. Also the Iranians add basmati rice, something that American Jews forbid during Passover.

Many dishes have a distinctly Middle Eastern feel to them. There are grape leaves stuffed with dried fruit such as plums, dates and raisins. This is normally not seen in any of the Ashkenazi or even Sephardic dinners. Another variant is the dessert cake. It's a take on the flourless ones using ground almonds with but this time with a variety of spices as a base. Pistachios, a nod towards ancient Persian taste, are added on top. There are also dairy products involved in Passover especially for soon to be married couples. An engaged daughter and her family will have what's called a hametzy that features yogurt and an Iranian version of creme fraiche. The groom's family is supposed to supply the dairy products.

Middle Eastern Jews have the best of both worlds when it comes time for Passover. The combine ancient traditions with their native dishes. This creates a unique blend of the secular and religious world. which is usually separated during this holy time. This provides a strong hold of both cultural and Jewish pride.