Oddly enough, I felt compelled to blog this evening after finishing a first time Persian-Mediterranean meal. Having had a lot of time on my hands the previous week, being laid up at home, healing from the effects of having my last two wisdom teeth removed (which Tom so lovingly chronicled) I spent my days off from work resting in bed with my furry companions tortuously watching Food Network. The act itself was not out of the norm for me--but being unable to eat solid foods I could only satisfy the food cravings with Boost Nutritional Drinks, Pudding, Applesauce, Sorbets, and Sherbets--this just doesn't cut it when Rachel Ray is cooking pasta with Gorgonzola sauce. In any case, I found myself planning future "solid food" meals. I kept a running list in a notepad file--short term memory was suffering a bit from the pain medications they gave me and I was afraid I would forget.
Somehow my thoughts drifted to Persian food. It has been a long time since I have had a good Persian meal. We don't have Persian restaurants in the Toledo area; the closest we get is Lebanese which, although similar, uses different flavor profiles--it is just not the same. I really wanted a Chelokebob--Khoobideh, saffron infused basmati rice, yogurt sauce, and a grilled tomato. Knowing that we could not just hop in the car and go to a beryani like back home, I came to conclusion that I had to make it myself. My former boss, Fatemeh, had tried to tell me how to make the Persian classics, but I admit, I did not pay as close attention as I should have. I remember thinking to myself--it takes so long just to make rice, forget it! Growing up Japanese with a rice cooker, other than rice in box, I don't know how to make rice on the stove top!
Being older, and I like to think, wiser and more patient, I scoured the Internet for Persian recipes. I was surprised that I didn't come up with more hits from my search. I ended up finding recipes for Khoobideh and saffron infused basmati rice with potatoes. The yogurt sauce I improvised, basically making tzatziki like I would for the Chicken Souvlaki Pitas we make; and the tomatoes we grilled, I bought from our neighbor's front yard veggie stand. I was concerned getting the ground meat marinating--one, I had no idea what to look for, and two, it bore no resemblance to what I was used to eating. In the end it turned out well, different than what we have had in the restaurants and at friends' houses, but good nevertheless. The rice was more complicated that what I am accustomed to (but pretty much anything is going to be more difficult than adding rice, rinsing, adding water up to the appropriate mark, and pushing a button) as it needed to be pre-boiled and then steamed for 45 minutes. The aromas from the pot told me I was on the right track, and the end result was wonderful. The meat accented by the creamy cucumber yogurt and some grilled pita was awesome!
The Saffron--which cost as much as a 20 lb. bag of basmati rice
A side note: The picture below is of some green onions I have started growing in a jar on my kitchen windowsill. Next Food Network Star Melissa D'Arabian had given a tip that you can grow your own green onions from the ones you bought from the grocery store. I had to try it out for myself--it is true! I asked Tom to buy a bunch Wednesday for a salad I was making. I had them cut down pretty far; they were completely submerged in the jar. To be completely honest, I was a bit skeptical, but I found about a quarter inch of new growth by the next morning! Since then I have had continued growth, and as you can see, it is already sticking out of the jar.
Tomorrow I move on to Italy. We finished the last of our homemade Bolognese Sauce (courtesy of Anne Burrell) right before my surgery. This sauce takes 4 hours to cook and makes a ton, so we like to freeze it in smaller portions for future use. It goes great with frozen spinach mozzarella raviolis from Costco!
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