Pickles (Torshi)

Ingredients

Cauliflower 1 Large
Cucumbers 2 pounds
Carrots 1 pound
Tomatoes 1 pound
Apples 2 (any kind)
Bell peppers 3 (any color)
Celery 1 small bunch
Green bean ½ pounds (optional)
Egg plants 3 pounds
Garlic 2 cloves
Hot peppers 1 to 5 (if you like more hot add more hot pepper)
Aromatic herbs (basils, tarragon, parsley, mint, rosemary, etc) about 2-3 cups chopped.
Vinegar (apple cider or grape or even rice vinegar)!
Cumin 2tbsp
Turmeric 2tbsp
Salt 2-3 tbsp


Directions:

Wash the eggplants do not remove skins but remove caps. Boil them until cooked.
Drain water and put some clean heavy thing on them. Drain eggplants water as much as possible. Mash eggplants. Wash other veg. and let get dry chop all of them in small pieces (you can use an electrical chopper but not for cauliflower, I prefer to chop most of things with a knife on a kitchen board and electric chopper would be good for carrots, apples, garlic and herbs only).
Put all ready ingredients in a large bowl. Add all salt. Cumin and turmeric pour vinegar as much as you can see all ingredients inside it, if you preferred less sour pickles you can add some pre boiled cold water to the vinegar then add to the other things.
You should taste the salt after mixing well and if needs add some more.
Fill glass containers with pickles and close lids. Put on refrigerator It will be ready after a few weeks but you can also have it from the day first (as I do)
Enjoy:)

Lentil and Rice (Adas polo)

Ingredients:
1.Lentil 1 cup
2.Rice 3cup
3.Onion 1 medium size
4.Oil ½ cup
5.Turmeric ½ tsp (optional)
6.Salt

Directions:
Chop Onion in small pieces. Pour 2 tbsp of oil in your cooking pot and heat to get warm and onion stir until turn golden brown. Wash lentil and add it to the fried onions add water, bring it to boil then turn heat to low and let cook for about 20 minutes or until cooked.
Wash rice in a bowl and add washed rice to your pot.
It needs to have about 5 cups water. If remained any water in lentil for example 1 cup you should add 4 cups. Add turmeric and salt (as you like) and 2 tbsp oil and stir (some people like to add a spoon of tomato paste too). Turn heat to medium high, bring it to boil and let boil until most of water absorbed.
Turn heat to low or sometimes very low. Cover your pot lid with a clean towel or one or two paper towel and put it on. Steam the pot for about an hour.
You can also serve it with fried raisins and/or Chicken. Enjoy!!!

(I wrote this upon a dear friend request (Narges Jaan) I hope it works for her).

Barley soup (Ash-e jo)

Ingredients:


1. Barley 2cups
2. Chickpea ½ cup
3. White bean ½ cup
4. Pinto bean ½ cup
5. Lentil ½ cup
6. Spinach 3 cups (chopped)
7. parsley 1 cup(chopped)
8. Cilantro 1 cup(chopped)
9. Dry mint 2 tbsp
10. Onion 1 large
11. Garlic (optional)
12. Turmeric 1 tsp
13. Salt
14. Whey(Kashk) or vinegar (optional)
15. Canola oil


Directions:

Wash barley and soak it in about six cups of water over the night. Use a large pot.
Put on hit early in the morning if you wish have it ready for afternoon. Bring to boil don’t put the pot led to tight. Let boil about an hour then add prewashed chickpeas, white beans and pinto beans. Add water if need. You should check the soup several times because water will absorb so quickly and you may need to add water several times through cooking.
Chop onion and add 2 tbsp oil to a pan and fry onion until turn golden brown.
Add half of fried onion to soup. (Stir time to time) also add ½ tsp turmeric and a little bit of salt.
When the beans and barley cooked (maybe after 3 to 4 hours) you can add lentil and you’re green vegetables. Let the soup cook for another half an hour.
Add more oil to the rest of onion and dry mint and the rest of turmeric let fry a few minutes. (If you like garlic you can also fry some).
When lentil and veg. cooked you can add about 1 to 2 cups of whey (kashk) and let it boil for 10 minutes.
You can have this dish with vinegar if you like or even plain.
Pour some in a bowl for each serving and add a little of fried onion and dry mint (and fried garlic if have some) on the top. Serve hot!
It is a very delicious vegetarian dish.
Enjoy!

Tahchin (rice and chicken dish)

Ingredients:
1. Rice 2-3 cups
2. Chicken 1 pound
3. Yogurt 2 cup
4. Egg 1 large
5. Onion 1 small
6. Saffron powder half of tsp
7. Canola oil half cup
8. Salt

Directions:
Cook chicken with about ½ cup water onion and a pinch of salt.
Remove bones and skins if there are any, Chop the meat to small pieces. Set aside.

In a bowl mix yogurt and egg and saffron powder, stir to mix completely.

Wash rice and add about 6-8 cup of water and a little bit of salt, bring to boil and let boil for 10 minutes then drain it.

Pour half of the canola oil in a non stick pan and turn stove on in medium heat a couple of minutes later pour the mix of yogurt, egg and saffron. Add drained rice as well stir to mix.

Now add the chicken pieces, which would be better if chickens don’t be in the bottom.
After spreading chicken in surface push them softly into other ingredients and try to flatten the surface.
Put an appropriate led on pan mix rest of oil with a half cup of water and pour everywhere on dish replace led when steam appears in the pan turn low the stove heat and let cook for about 1 -2 hour depend on quantity and how much you like the food be fried.
After cooking time you should upside down the dish on a serving dish and bottom of dish is now surface and should be golden brown. Cut it to pieces and enjoy, again watch your fingers.

(You could also make it on the oven)

 

Stuffed Bell Pepper

Ingredients:

1.Medium size bell pepper 8
2.Ground meat (lean beaf or 7% fat Turkey) 1 pound
3.Rice 2 cups
4.medium size fresh tomato 2
5.Large onion 1
6.Tomato paste 2 tbsp
7.Chopped herbs (Basil,Taragon,parsely,Mint and any other good smell herb whitch you like)
2 cups
8.Salt and seasoning (optional and as you whish)
9.Canola oil 10tbsp

Direction:
Add 7 tbsp of oil to a big pan chop onion and add to oil and let it fry when the onions turned golden brown add meat and continue to mix to prevent the meat pieces attached to each other when all meat juice absorded add spices and let them fry a few minutes make tomato puree and mix with paste and add to meat and let cook for another few minutes add herbs mix and fry for a few minutes then turn off the stove( when turn of the stove the herbs should be tender).
wash the rice in a medium pot and add about 8 cups of water add some salt bring to boil and boil the rice for about to 8 minutes or until rice is almost cook but not done,drain the rice and add drained rice to meat and other ingredients and mix well.
cut bell peppers caps and take out the seeds fill peppers with stuff left some space about a spoon for rising the rice put the cap on you can cook the food either on pan on top of stove(pan should have a fit led) or in your oven. Mix the rest of oil with a half cup of water and add to pot or you oven long walls tray.
For stove cook :when the water start to boil set temprature on low and let cook for about 1and a half hours check time to time if no water left and dish is not done add some more water and some more time.
For oven cook: set oven on 350 (F degree) cover the tray with aluminium foil and let cook for two hours and also check sometimes between cooking.
With this filling you can also can make stuffed tomatos or eggplant.
Enjoy and watch your fingers please;)

Hello everyone,
I am not a profisional cook!
But I am really good in my kitchen:)
I would like to share my experience with anybody who loves cooking!
I will try to improve my english so don't worry about some gramer or other mistakes!please wait for my next post, a very deliciouse persian food.