All posts tagged: After Work cooking

Kisir - Turkish Bulgur Salad

Kisir – Turkish Bulgur Salad

Kisir – Turkish Bulgur Salad is one of my favorite salads from Turkish cuisine. Bulgur salad is delicious, healthy, and easy to prepare. It’s a savory vegan salad with a nutty flavor due to the bulgur. Cucumbers, tomatoes, and green onions add a fresh touch. The dressing of pomegranate molasses, parsley, mint, lemon, and olive oil adds a lovely juicy touch. Paprika paste, pul biber, salt and pepper add spice. My favorite way to eat Kisir is in lettuce. Take a tablespoon of Kisir and place it in the middle of a lettuce leave and roll it up to form a wrap. It is an explosion of flavor on your palate. Try it out for sure!

Nan-e Barbari – Persian Flatbread

Nan-e Barbari – Persian Flatbread

Nan-e Barbari is a Persian flatbread, usually 70 – 80 cm long, and tastes best fresh from the oven. It is most baked and sold in Iran. The bread is very similar to the Turkish flatbread, but not quite so thick and round but thin and oval. If you plan a trip to Iran, you should visit a Noonvai – a persian bakery. The bread is baked in the morning, at noon and in the evening ,fresh and in front of your eyes. Each bakery is specialized in one type of bread and bakes it in a stone oven. In Iran, we have four different types of breads baked in stone ovens, for example Nan-e Sangak is from rye flour and is baked on pebbles, Nan-e Lavash is wafer-thin patties made from wheat flour without yeast, and Nan-e Taftoon is from whole wheat flour.

Vavishka – A Quick Persian Skillet Dish

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 Polo ba Mahi – Wild Garlic Rice with Marinated Salmon

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

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.

Kuku Sabzi - Persian Herb Frittata کوکو سبزی

Kuku Sabzi – Persian Herb Frittata کوکو سبزی

Just eight more days to Norooz! I would love to know, what do you prepare for the Persian new years feast? For me and the most iranian people Kuku Sabzi – Persian Herb Frittata کوکو سبزی is an aromatic herbal omelet and is a Must-Eat at Norooz. Persian Kuku announces spring for the many green herbs included in as parsley, cilantro, dill, chives, spring onions, dried fenugreek leaves, ground walnuts, and barberries. The herbs symbolize rebirth and the eggs fertility. The red barberries give the Kuku Sabzi a slight sour taste. Imagine fragrant herbs wafting through your kitchen as you spend a quiet afternoon concocting the Persian herb frittata. Give this Persian vegetarian dish a try! Watch preparation video on Instagram

Salt Baked Sea bream

Salt Baked Sea bream

*Ad book review The Breton Cookbook*. We are about to celebrate the Persian New Year Norooz, 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!

Mini Pistachio Tiramisu Charlotte - تیرامیسو پسته

Mini Pistachio Tiramisu Charlotte – تیرامیسو پسته

One of our favorite desserts is the Italian Tiramisu. For the National Day of Pistachio, I pimped the traditional dessert with a new look. Bye Bye retro style, Hello new cool look – Mini Pistachio Tiramisu Charlotte – تیرامیسو پسته . To make this look, place ladyfingers dipped in vanilla essence all around a jar and line the bottom with ladyfingers. A pistachio cream made of mascarpone is whipped creamy with white chocolate, cream, homemade pistachio butter, and caster sugar and layered with chopped pistachios and more ladyfingers. Fruity raspberries, white chocolate drops, and chopped pistachios finish off the new look. By the way, my Mini Pistachio Tiramisu Charlotte is eggless and alcohol-free. It’s not only an eye-catcher but also tastes perfect. Getting to that perfect result is quick and even easier than you think. Try this royal dessert for Norouz to treat your guests.

Kabab Tabei Morgh – Easy Pan Chicken Kebab کباب تابه ای مرغ  

It is impossible to imagine Persian cuisine without Kabab, as Kababs of all types are the most popular dishes in Iran. Kabab Koobideh beats all other Kabab dishes on the scale of preference. Kabab Koobideh typically is made with ground beef or lamb or a mixture of both. Also very popular is Djudje Kabab, which like the other kababs, is best grilled on skewers. Today I have a kabab version made with minced chicken, which doesn’t require skewers. It’s easy to prepare in a pan, in the oven, or even in the Airfryer. For Kabab Tabei Morgh – Saffron Chicken Mince کباب تابه ای مرغ, chicken mince is combined with onions, saffron essence, and lemon and coated with a butter saffron essence. It is also great with salads or wraps. An incredibly delicious recipe that you should try.

Big Bean Burger Plant Based

Big Bean Burger Plant Based

It’s Veganuary and I made vegan pinto bean burgers with smokey flavors. Now you probably think a burger without meat, but does it taste good at all? Well, everyone here in this house is absolutely blown away. The vegan option is made with very simple ingredients and lots of flavor. A savory patty made of pinto beans, mushrooms, walnuts, parsley and chickpea flour is packed into the burger buns. Special spices provide a wonderful smoky aroma. They are topped with crisp lettuce, fresh tomatoes, and sour burger pickles. They become juicy with pickled red onions or with a delicious onion jam. Add some ketchup or burger relish on top and the vegan delight in a healthier fast food version can begin. The vegan burger is plant-based, gluten-free, and simple and inspires vegans, vegetarians, and all those who find vegan not so great.