Spring is here, and it brings with it warmer weather and an abundance of fresh foods. One of my personal favorites is rhubarb. It has a deliciously tangy taste! Today, I would like to share a simple recipe for Rhubarb and Date Chutney. This chutney can be paired with grilled meat, cheese, or bread. Give it a try and savor the delightful taste of spring.
Macaroni – Persian Style Spaghetti is a delicious pasta dish that is commonly enjoyed in Persia. In Iran, macaroni refers to any type of pasta, including spaghetti and macaroni noodles. My personal favorite is spaghetti with Persian bolognese and crispy spaghetti tahdig. The pasta is served as a warm spaghetti cake and is cut and served in slices like a cake. Although spaghetti is a quick dish, we prepare it slowly and carefully like a rice cake in Persia. If you’re ready to try something new and experiment with your taste buds, this is the perfect dish for you.
Celebrate Easter with a delicious oriental dish: Baghali Polo ba Mahiche – Braised Lamb Shanks with Dill Rice and Fava Beans. This dish consists of slow cooked lamb shanks infused with Advieh Khoresti spices, served alongside fragrant dill rice and fava beans. The blend of coriander, aniseed, dried rose petals, saffron, nutmeg, pepper, and cumin (Advieh Khoreshti) creates a festive flavor perfect for Easter or Nowruz.
While not excessively laborious, this dish does require patience as the lamb shanks simmer for at least 2-3 hours until they are tender and almost falling off the bone. To ensure availability, please order lamb shanks in advance from your butcher. This slow braising process guarantees a melt-in-your-mouth experience. Take advantage of the simmering time to prepare your starter and dessert for a complete and satisfying Easter feast.
Ranginak – Persian Date Dessert رنگینک خرما is a Persian date dessert that is also known as Ranginak-e Khorma or Halva-ye Khoshk. It is a sweet and delicious specialty from the southern region of Iran, particularly popular in the regions of Bushehr and the provinces of Fars, Kerman, Hormozgan, and Khuzestan where date palm plantations are abundant. As Dates play a significant role in the cuisine of these regions, whether for dishes, desserts, or sweets.
To make Ranginak, Medjool dates and walnuts are used and coated with a fragrant mixture of flour, cardamom, butter, powdered sugar, and vegetable oil to achieve a delicate and lightly crispy outer layer. The dessert is then generously sprinkled with ground pistachios, which adds extra crunch and a beautiful green color to the dessert. Every bite of Ranginak is a flavor explosion. Sweet, sticky date meets crunchy nuts and aromatic spices, making it a heavenly treat!
Reshteh Polo ba Morgh – رشته پلو با مرغ is a traditional and popular Persian rice dish from the cities of Tehran, Mashhad, and Kermanshah. The dish immediately takes me back to my grandmother’s house, when the whole family gathered for the Norooz festival at her home, where we lived together for many years. It is an aromatic composition of rice, roasted noodles, caramelized onions, raisins, and dates, refined with aromatic spices such as saffron, turmeric, and cinnamon, and topped with rose petals and pistachio sticks. The brown noodles in the batter provide a crunchy Tahdig. Top it with a slowly braised saffron chicken fillet or without chicken for a filling vegetarian dish. Reshteh polo has warm properties.
Today, I celebrate The International Waffle Day with an irresistible creation: Wild Garlic Waffles with Salmon and Green Asparagus. Wild garlic adds an unmatched flavor to the waffles. Its intense aroma and health benefits make it a perfect addition to this recipe. The wild garlic adds a wonderful green color, making the waffles delicious and beautiful. The highlight on the waffles is the grilled salmon. Its tender texture and rich taste make it a treat for any occasion.
The fresh and aromatic grilled asparagus has tender tips and a crunchy texture that harmonizes well with the wild garlic waffles. To round off the taste experience, I serve a delicious lemon-dill sauce, which gives the dish a fresh touch. Garnish with lemon slices, and this combination of spicy wild garlic, tender salmon, and crunchy asparagus is unbeatable.
Eydet Mobarak! Sale No Mobarak! Happy Nowrooz 😍 Welcome to the new Persian year 1403. May the new year be full of health, joy, love, and success for you. Like every year, I show you my Haft Sin impressions 2024 هفت سین ۱۴۰۳.
Happy Nowruz! Nowruzetoon Pirooz! Sending you lots of love and warm wishes for a beautiful Persian New Year. My Nowruz bakery is going ahead, and for our Persian New Year celebration, I made this no-bake gluten-free treat using a mixture of chocolate and halva. Have you ever heard of Breshtok-e Shokolati – Chocolate Halva بروشتک? If not, it’s about time, as this treat is a must-have for Nowruz, especially for all Esfehanis! My father was born near Isfahan, and my grandma loved to prepare this treat for Nowrooz.
In Isfahan, Breshtok is made with chickpea flour and egg whites, topped with pistachios, and then cut into diamonds or rectangles. Nowadays, it comes in different shapes and flavors and is very easy to prepare at home, like my Breshtok-e Shokolati – Chocolate Halva بروشتک. Yes, you heard right – you can make this treat yourself and give your friends and family an extra surprise. Have fun and enjoy!
Nowruz, a Persian New Year, is just around the corner, and Toot – Colorful Persian Marzipan, is a traditional treat, which we serve on this festive occasion. “Toot” means mulberry in Farsi, our persian language. This delicious treat, which takes its name from the Persian word for mulberry, is vegan, gluten-free, and requires no baking. It’s a perfect addition to your Nowruz celebration, bringing a burst of color and flavor to the festivities.
The recipe for Toot is simple and calls for only a few basic ingredients like ground almonds, rose water, and powdered sugar. The ingredients are processed together to form a smooth mixture, which is then shaped into the characteristic mulberry form. In this recipe, I show you how to make a colorful version of Toot that captures the festive spirit of Nowruz. Instead of using artificial food coloring, I use natural ingredients to dye the marzipan in yellow, green, red, and white. Give it a try!
Are you craving for a heavenly dessert? Look no further than Shirini Latifeh – Snowbites with Rose Cream, a delightful Persian pastry that originates from the enchanting city of Tabriz. The name “Shirini Latifeh” translates to “delicate softness,” and this pastry truly lives up to its name, offering a blissful experience with every bite. Picture this: two light and airy sponge biscuits embracing a luscious, creamy filling infused with the delicate flavors of vanilla and rose. Topped with a sprinkle of chopped pistachios, each bite of Shirini Latifeh is a symphony of flavors and textures.
