All posts filed under: FOOD

Reshteh Khoshkar – Gluten Free Sweet Pastry رشته خوشکار

Eid Mobarak! Today is Eid al Fitr and Reshteh Khoshkar is a crispy sweet specialty from Gilan in northern Iran, which is prepared for the sugar feast. The dough (Reshteh) is traditionally prepared from rice flour with water and filled with a mixture (Khoshkar) of walnuts, cinnamon, cardamom, and powdered sugar. The tricky part of these pastries is not the folding- method but the piping method. The dough is poured into a mold, then piped into a pan in a mesh pattern. The folding method is easy with this pastry, form them into packets and press the sides firmly. This dessert has warm properties and is very popular for preparation during Ramadan. Ramadan is this year from 22.03 to 21.04.23 and ends with a big celebration, namely Eid also known as Eid-al-Fitr. The homemade Reshteh Khoshkar – Gluten Free Sweet Pastries رشته خوشکار can be enjoyed not only during Ramadan, meantime they are available all year round.

Vavishka – A Quick Persian Skillet Dish

Vavishka is a quick and easy Persian skillet dish, a speciality from Gilan at the Caspian Sea. In Gilan it is called “Vavij” or “Vabij” which means steaming. There are various versions of Vavishka. I prepared Vavishka from minced meat, onions, tomatoes, and seasoned it with turmeric, lemon juice, Advieh – a Persian spice blend and topped it with eggs. The unique flavor of this dish is the spice blend Advieh – the jewel among the spices of the Persian cuisine. It gives the dish a warm, sweet floral flavor. If you don’t have Advieh use these ingredients: 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp mixed cardamom, 1 tsp rose petal powder, 1/2 tsp mixed saffron, 1/2 tsp mixed coriander, 1 tsp dried lime powder and some nutmeg. Vary the ingredients according to your own taste. It goes best with Nan-e Barbari – Persian flatbread, Nan-e Taftoon – Persian pan-fried Nan bread, Salad Shirazi – Persian tomato and cucumber salad and Sabzi Khordan – Persian herb platter, Sir Torsi – pickled garlic, Torshi – pickled vegetables or …

Valak Kuku – Wild Garlic Omelette

Valak Kuku is a delicious quick pan-fried egg dish blended with tasty wild garlic, eggs, crunchy walnuts, and tart barberries. Spices like coriander, cinnamon, and turmeric add this irresistible sweet and sour flavor. I soak the walnuts and barberries in boiling water, which gives the walnuts a nice fresh touch and makes them less floury, so try it out. For Sabzi Khordan – a Persian herb dish, I also soak the walnuts and enjoy the fresh taste. Do you want to learn more about wild garlic? I have posted about it here.

Valak Polo ba Mahi – Wild Garlic Rice with Marinated Salmon

Finally, it’s wild garlic time, and you can only find it on the market a few weeks of the year, so I prepared several Persian recipes with wild garlic. I made Valak Polo today, a traditional Persian Rice Dish with Wild Garlic, Sumac, and Saffron. We serve Chicken or meatballs with this dish in Iran. I prefer to fish with Valak Polo, so I made it with salmon in a lemony marinade. The marinade is to die for and consists of rose petals, ground dried lime, bay leaves, sumac, cinnamon, grated zest of a lemon, lemon juice, and lemon pepper tossed in olive oil. Salmon tastes best when you marinate it for about 2 hours. If you like wild garlic, you might also like my creamy One Pot Past with green asparagus and wild garlic, as I also show you the place near my home where wild garlic grows. Watch Video on Instagram (Wild Garlic Rice Preparation) Watch Video on Instagram (Marinated Salmon Preparation)

Wild Garlic Pesto with Cashew Nuts and Feta Cheese

Finally, spring is here, and from March to May is the wild garlic season. In fact, much too short, so I preserve the wild garlic as a delicious wild garlic pesto with roasted cashew nuts and spicy feta, and in a snap, you can spice up pasta, risotto, gnocchi, baked potatoes, grilled meat, or simply a sandwich or sandwich. You only need a few ingredients to whip up this delicious pesto in minutes. Ingredients like wild garlic, roasted cashews, spicy feta, some lemon juice, and the best olive oil are combined in this pesto to a perfect flavor.

Puff Pastry Carrots with Turkish Carrot & Garlic Yoghurt Filling

With a ready-made puff pastry from the fridge, these golden crispy puff pastry carrots are quick and easy to prepare. You only need Cream Horn molds to shape them into perfect puff pastry carrots*. A spicy, creamy, and crunchy filling of a Turkish carrot-yogurt salad (Yoğurtlu Havuç salatası) gives the delicious finger food that special something. A stalk of dill provides great taste and replaces the carrot greens. A true eye-catcher on your buffet or Easter brunch and also truly tasty. Not only the vegetarians at the table will be delighted by the Puff Pastry Carrots with Turkish Carrot Garlic Yogurt Filling. A real feast for the palate!

Sabzi Polo – Persian Herb Rice سبزی پلو

Monday was the beginning of spring and the same time as our New Year Norooz. On this day, many dishes are prepared with fresh herbs traditionally, for example, Sabzi Polo – Persian Herb Rice سبزی پلو ، Sabzi Polo ba Mahi – Persian herb rice with orange stuffed trout, Kuku Sabzi – Persian Herb Frittata , Ashe Reshteh – noodle soup with herbs, and Sabzi Khordan – Persian herb platter. Sabzi means herbs, and polo means rice, that is herbed rice. Tender fresh herbs are the first signs of spring, and in my Sabzi Polo, chopped dill, parsley, cilantro, scallions, a whole bulb of garlic, ghee, and saffron add a delicious touch to the rice. As in many Persian dishes, the herbs in Sabzi Polo vary, and each family has its favorite recipe. Watch Video on Instagram

Shirini-e Ghifi – Persian Cream Horns شیرینی قیفی خامه ای

Shirini-e Ghifi – Persian Cream Horns شیرینی قیفی خامه ای are a fluffy treat and a simple pastry made from puff pastry. With this recipe, a touch of nostalgia for Nowrooz blows into your kitchen. The crispy baked Cream Horns are filled with creamy rosewater-vanilla-cream and melt in your mouth. The best part is that although they look sweet, they aren’t. They are slightly sweet and yet just irresistible. Serve them along with other sweets on holidays like Nowrooz and at weddings. They are easy and quick to make, and an eye-catcher on your festive table. If you’ve never tasted Cream Horns, you should do it! View Video on Instagram

Shirini-e Zaban – Persian Puff Pastry شیرینی زبان

Are you getting prepared for the Persian New Year Nowruz? Part of this is spring cleaning, making sabzeh, and baking cookies. Shirini-e Zaban – Persian Puff Pastry شیرینی زبان, is besides of Cake Yazdi and Nan-e Nokhodchi, a popular and nostalgic sweet to treat guests on celebrations. In Farsi, Shirini means sweet, and Zaban tongue, as they have the shape of a tongue. Shirini Zaban is a traditional sweet from the city of Qazvin in Iran. It’s a simple recipe, all you need is ready-made butter puff pastry, butter, honey, rose water, and cardamom. The golden Shirini-e Zaban is quick to prepare, flaky and crispy and not too sweet. Once they come out of the oven, brush them with the honey-rosewater-glaze, and sprinkle them with ground pistachios, grated coconut, or sesame seeds, depending on your taste. With Nowruz just around the corner, check out my blog for plenty of Nowrooz recipes and ideas. View Video on Instagram

Salt Baked Sea bream

*Ad book review The Breton Cookbook*. We are about to celebrate the Persian New Year Nowrooz, and for this special day we prepare fish and herb rice. I’m quite experimental in my kitchen, and every year I prepare the fish a little differently, see here, here and here. This year I decided to choose one of my favorite methods of preparing fish. I got inspiration from the Breton cookbook with Commissioner Dupin’s favorite dishes by Jean-Luc Bannalac. I serve it with Mamie Fouesnant’s Shallot Cream Sauce. Salt Baked Sea bream and the Breton Cookbook are must-haves for Foodies and fish lovers. Cooking the whole fish in a salt crust inside an oven, the Dorade gets tender, juicy, flavorful and even low in calories. A healthy way of preparation, easy, with little effort and simply delicious. My husband and our youngest sit at the dining table and wait to see the salt crust cracking, and the tasty secret unveiled. Try this recipe, and you will be thrilled. Bon appetit!

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