Celebrating The Persian New Year

Before there was Passover and Easter there was the Persian New Year or Nowruz. This holiday brought in the new Spring season along with a variety of different dishes.It shows Iranian cooking at it's best,, full of colors and flavors.

Melissa Clark wrote about this precursor of Spring holidays in her A Good Appetite in today's New York Times Food section.Nowruz is one of those non-religious holidays, similar to our Thanksgiving in the sense that all religions, Muslim, Jewish and Christian celebrate this ancient Zoroastrian holiday that has been celebrated continually for 3,000 years, millenniums before Islamic conquest .Preparations for it include many rites that are familiar to us. There are dyed eggs, complete housecleaning and copious amounts of herbs. Nowruz occurred on March 13th of this year however the holiday dishes can be enjoyed all season long. the holiday lasts for thirteen days with feasting and visiting.Los Angeles has the most Iranians however it surprisingly lacks Persian restaurant. Most holiday dinners occur at home with home cooking and ancient recipes. The dishes are fragrant , diverse and highly refined, based on complex culinary techniques.The cooking influenced Middle Eastern ,Moroccan, Northern Indian and Turkish cuisines with its' highly sensuous recipes. Persian cooking is known for its' fragrant and flavorful tastes.

A Persian kitchen is full of aromas. It is perfumed with flowers and herbs such as roses fenugreek and mint along with spices such as saffron, sumac and cardamon .The Iranians were using pomegranates long before they became trendy and barberry a type of cranberry like berry.  Nowruz dishes contain these and are chock full of symbolism. There is sabzi polo mahi  an herbed rice with fish that represents life and rebirth , fresh green herbs that means renewal and rebirth while the rice symbolizes prosperity.Kuku sabzi a, type of frittata stuffed with herbs to represent fertility. Herbs are in abundance in Persian cooking which represent the earth Ms. Clark gives the recipe for Persian rice which is basmati rice redolent with such herbs as parsley, cilantro mint along with basil, fenugreek chives and tarragon.Saffron is also added along with ghee for flavor and color. Sweets are also a big part of Nowruz. Toot, a rose water flavored almond paste represents a life full of love and sweetness is also made.It's a homemade version of marzipan made with ground almonds, confectioners sugar and rose water that's molded into hearts or cute figures like bunnies.

Nowrus is the well that all spring holidays come from. It also is a showcase of Persian cooking at its best, full of flavor and fragrance. The dishes can be made even now as the season continues on.

It's A Wrap

Lunch can be a boring affair sometimes. It's either sandwiches or burgers with the occasional salad in the summer and soup in the winter. However there is something else to liven up the midday meal: the wrap. This is  versatile kind of sandwich that is easy to make and definitely more interesting to eat.

A wrap is nothing more than a burrito however Greeks, Mid Easterners,Armenians, Turks and Kurds have all variations of it. The bread is usually a tortilla, pita or lavash a kind of naan found around the Caspian area. They're usually made from wheat but can also be made from corn and flour.The wrap as we know it today was created in the early Nineties with three places claiming to have invented it. They were the southern California chain "I Love Juicy,New York's OVO Bistro and Stamford Connecicut's Bobby Valentine's sport's Gallery Cafe. The last clains that it ran out of bread and had t used the first thing handy -a tortilla. The US isn' the only country that's wrap happy. Australia has two chains Oportos and Burger Fuel that feed the wrap fire while Britain has happily embraced the sandwich as well. There is a caveat though. Plain wraps are usually fifty calories higher  than a slice of bread. Be careful with what you stuff them with  or they could have the same caloric weight as a burger.Companies like Toufayan do offer low calorie ones that start at one  hundred calories. Try these if you're watching your weight or are on a restricted diet.

Filling the wraps is the best part.You can add anything from leftovers to fresh  veggies to create an unique and tasty lunch . The first part is selecting  a wrap. Now they come in different flavors like pesto, garden vegetable and tomato along with plain and whole wheat. (again Toufayan, the leader in wraps produces all  of these). For a healthy one think chopped turkey or chicken with chopped tomatoes and shredded lettuce. This is an incredibly light lunch and you can even have  side of vinaigrette as a dipping sauce.Another good one that chock full of vitamins is an avocado wrap. Since  avocado is filling, meat is optional. Add layers of spinach and watercress for a truly green and tasty bite.Any sandwich can be turned into a wrap. Try a BLT or a club sandwich loaded with bacon and mayo.For a quick wrap on the go try ham and American cheese. Salads too can be stuffed into a wrap. Caesar salad is a popular wrap  filling in diners and it can be made with or without grilled chicken or shrimp. You can also try a chef salad stuffing  with its' variety of different meats  cheeses and veggies. Serve with your favorite dressing as a dipping sauce.

Wraps are a nice and different alternative to humdrums sandwiches and burgers. Stick to the classic fillings or create one that unique. Either way it's a great way to liven up a lunch!

Store Cooked - The Easy Way Out

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Springy Sauces From San-J

The warm weather is here and that means barbecues and sauces. San-J, creators of gluten free soy sauce has come out with two zingy sauces perfect for the grilling season. They will liven up any cook out and give that special oomph to any meat or fish.

San Jirushi or San-J is one of Japan's oldest soy sauce manufacturers. The company was started in 1802 by the Sato family. Their sauces derive from ancient recipes for miso and tamari or soy sauce. Unlike American brands that dilute theirs with wheat which means there's also gluten in it as well. San J has always made the purest sauces using only one hundred per cent soy. This creates a richer sauce with a smoother flavor and texture. Now they're expanding into sauces - perfect for the upcoming barbecue season. Like the other sauces they are gluten free, perfect for those who suffer from celiac disease.The flavors are varied, from Thai Peanut to Mongolian to Szechuan. I like their sauces tremendously, especially for turning boring chicken and soy nuggets into exciting eats.The Sweet and Tangy has a tropical fruit taste , ripe with pineapple and the tang of garlic. The Orange sauce starts out with a burst of sweet orange followed by a nutty aftertaste. This is due to the addition of the fermented tamari sauce . Another reason to like both sauces is that they're made with organic ingredients like apple and pineapple juices for the Sweet and Tangy and orange juice and organic honey for the Orange Sauce.

Home chefs are going to go crazy over the many different dishes they can create with these two sauces.The Sweet and Tangy is perfect for any chicken recipe.Think kebobs marinaded in it
along  with extra pineapple juice for a sweet South Pacific treat.Marinate diced chicken, green pepper strips and pineapple chunks in the sauce foe two hours. Layer on six inch skewers and grill. Have a bowl of the Sweet and Tangy on the table too for dipping. You can also make Polynesian shrimp this way too.Another fun idea is having the sauce as a dip for  barbecued  jerk veggies, chicken and shrimp . can get a sweet spike from the sauce too. Pork is a great medium for  this sauce and the Orange Sauce. The pineapple juice or orange juice enzymes will be perfect in tenderizing the meat. Marinate a one pound  roast with half a cup of the Sweet and Tangy  before roasting. Orange sauce and duck go together and home chefs can make an exotic outdoor cooked  version of duck l'orange.Instead of making an involved  sauce use San-J's Orange. It can also be used on Cornish hens along with chicken breasts to create tasty, crisp and sweet barbecue.The sauce would also be good slathered on chicken wings and also as a dipping sauce for them.

The barbecue season is fast upon us . Try San-J's Sweet and Tangy and Orange sauce to liven up those kebobs and wings along with outdoor roasts.It's a tasty and exotic spin on American cook outs.

That Spring Favorite Asparagus

There are a lot of harbingers of Spring. The first robin, lighter clothing, picnics and asparagus. The last is everywhere now, indicating a time for lighter cooking and lighter eating. It's a wonderful side for any Spring holiday dinner as well as a nice accompaniment to any salad. Best of all it's versatile, going from a supporting player to star with ease.

Asparagus is an ancient plant with the Egyptians first planting it 3,000 (!) years ago.It was also big with the ancient Syrians and Spanish.The Greeks and Romans ate it fresh while in season and then dried it for fall and winter cooking.In fact the last could be credited it for turning it into the first frozen food. Legions of Romans soldiers, under Emperor Augustus, hauled it to the Italian Alps to be frozen. They were dubbed "The Asparagus Fleet". The emperor even coined the phrase "faster than cooking asparagus" for quick action and it was one of the earliest recipes from Apicus.It fell out of favor during the Medieval Period but was a favorite again  of the French court. Louis XIV's mistress Madame du Pompadour to nickname them "love tips" and to make them trendy again in french dining rooms. Asparagus is high in the B vitamins, namely folate which makes it a great dish for expectant women who need the vitamin on a daily basis.The stalks are extremely high in Vitamins A and K along with being an excellent source of calcium.Unfortunately there is a side effect, namely
 strong smelling urine. How ever this is a small price to pay , considering all the benefits asparagus has to offer

It is in season now and ready to be turned into a variety of dishes. There is a caveat for home chefs. Try to get tender baby stalks. They become very woody and hard to chew as they get older.White asparagus, vastly popular in Germany and the rest of Northern Europe.is a little more tender but has the sale delicate, fresh taste as its' green cousin. One of my favorite recipes is simply boiling the stalks in salt water until tender for about five to ten minutes and  then drizzling them with melted butter or margarine followed by a heavy dusting of Parmesan cheese. Both are perfect in complimenting the stalk's fresh green sweetness. Asparagus can also be grilled.Marinade them first, usually in a lemon-olive oil marinade before putting over a low fire.It goes great with any grilled meat  from beef to chicken to even fish . The grilled stalks can also be cut into one inch pieces and added to a salad. Quiches get an extra  boost of sweetness and  freshness by adding a cup or two to the recipe. The veggie pairs surprisingly well with bacon, with each bringing out the other's flavor. Parmesan cheese can also be added for even more flavor.

Make asparagus a part of Spring cooking and eating. The stalks will go well with any roast or as the main player in a quiche or salad. Try them to experiences their fresh, green goodness!

Passover Classics

Passover will be here within the next two weeks and home chefs are wondering to go with classic recipes or new spins. There are recipes that straddle both. They have the traditional holiday dishes ingredients but are mixed and cooked in new ways. This creates tasty holiday dishes that adhere to Kosher dietary laws.

Melissa Clark and Joan Nathan wrote about these in yesterday's New York Time's Food section..ms Clark decided to give the traditional Passover brisket a rest in her A Good Appetite column. She opts for another cut from the cow's rear - a more tender and lighter beef tenderloin. A  London Broil cut can also be used too.It only takes thirty minutes to cook up instead of the usual two hours.The sauce with it is a homemade garlic aioli but you can also used bought mayo too.The first is a fresher version made with one whole egg along with a yolk of a second one along with lemon juice for emulsion. . Horseradish is a must on the Passover table and once again Ms Clark changes it up.She replaces the traditional with beet horseradish, a vibrantly magenta topping for the beef. The root has a barely standable flavor as is so the beets add a much needed shot of sweetness.They are grated together and then chopped, pickled with white wine vinegar sugar and kosher salt.It can not only be served with the beef but also with Hillel sandwiches and gefilte fish, along with even tuna, turkey and roast beef sandwiches.

Gefilte fish is another Passover standard however it 's not always the top of the list. Contributor Joan Nathan knows this and offers a spin  on it. She created a very flavorful patty, a complete turnaround from how it 's usually made. The dish came from Eastern European Jews  and is usually made with lake carp., whitefish or pike. Traditional recipes call for the fish carcass to be stuffed with its' meat mixed with matzoh meal and onions. Eggs are used to bind everything together and then it's stuffed back into the fish. Ms. Nathan takes a modern approach to this. The usual white fish is mixed with other scaled and finned fish in accordance to Kosher law.Fatty fish such as salmon, striped bass even trout can be thrown into the stuffing, She eliminates the fish stock that they simmer in and replaced it with a vegetable court bouillon infused with colorful and fresh herbs such as tarragon, dill , parsley and chives. The court bouillon is made with the highly flavorful fennel, celery another onion and carrot. This will infuse the patties with a fresh garden flavor. Another plus of this recipe is that the patties only take twenty minutes to simmer up as opposed to the two long hours for traditional gefilte fish. The result is a firm yet tender patty that won;t fall apart while cooking.

Passover demands traditional dishes. However the tradition can be changed up to create tasty dishes that will highlight the holiday. Try these to create new traditions and new favorites.

Open To Sesame

\Mention sesame to most  Americans and they'll automatically think of a decorative topping for a hamburger bun. Mention the same seed to people from the Middle East, Turkey or Greece and they'll think tahini or halvah. Now it's becoming big stateside

Julia Moskin wrote about this extremely versatile seed in today's New York Times Food section.Sesame seeds can be turned into tahini if crushed or into the classic sweet halvah if mixed with sugar.It was long looked down upon as poor people's food, a treat for those who could not afford expensive pastries made with butter white flour and sugar. However Isreali, Turkish, and Greek chefs, long familiar with both are using both to create interesting main dishes and desserts. It is grown around the world and was one of the first plants cultivated for is' oil.It grows primarily in hot weather climates such as China, India, Myanmar and sub saharan Africa.Black sesame paste is used in East Asia, mostly for sweets.it creates a sugary inky black soup and is being used by trendy Japanese bakers to create elegant dove grey cheesecakes and chiffon cakes.Sesame is a part of the Chinese New Year treat jian due, fluffy rice balls coated in golden sesame seeds.Indians turn the seeds into brittle and candy balls for winter snacking. They're considered warming in the ayurvedic tradition Africans brought them to the american South where they're still known by the Bantu name benne, where they're made into melting savory crackers.

Home chefs too are fully embracing both  as they now crave Mediterannean and Middle Eastern foods.Hummus lovers already have been introduced to tahini. It's one of the ingredients in the chickpea dip.It gives foods a salty nutty under taste that actually works just as well with dessert recipes. In a way tahini is similar to peanut butter with grinding an oily seed or nut until the solids are minuscule enough to form a smooth, silky emulsion with the oil.Halvah also has the sesame seed paste  but it's blended with boiled and whipped sugar foam  to create a fluffy , feather light melt in your mouth treat/. Ms Moskin gives interesting recipes with the article. Home chefs can try it in salted chocolate chip cookies. It creates a different kind of cookie , one with savory notes that work well with the dark chocolate/ There is also a halvah semifreddo, a delicious mix of halvah, pistachios and whole cream frozen in a loaf pan.Another recipe is a fun candy like mix of Rice Chex or cornflakes, tahini and milk chocolate melted and mixed together to form crunchy  sweet rounds. These can be crumbled and sprinkled over ice cream too. For those who cannot get enough of halvah try the Greek pasteli, soft wedges of  sesame seeds, thyme honey and orange made for thousands of years on the island of Kea. Halvah can be bought on line and in different flavors such as chocolate and pistachio.

Sesame seeds are not just for decorating hamburger buns. They can be turned into a creamy sauce used for both savory and sweet dishes  as well as a feather light candy. Try tahini and halvah to experience a different side of the seed,