Stuffed grape leaves (Dolmeh)

Ingredients:


1. Rice 2 cups
2. Yellow split peas ¾ cup
3. Ground beef/turkey 1 pound (low fat ground meats are preferred)
4. Dry or fresh herbs (basil, tarragon, parsley, mint, rosemary and …) ½ cup dry or 3 cups fresh copped.
5. Onion 1 large
6. Vinegar 1 and ½ cup
7. Sugar 1 cup
8. Turmeric 1 Tbsp
9. Salt to taste

10. Oil 1 cup
11. Grape leaves as much as need.

Directions:

Chop onion in small pieces, sauté in half of oil, when turned to a golden color add meat stir frequently so you wont let meats pieces attach to each other, meat should be cooked and a little bit fried at the end, now add turmeric and herbs, mix well cook on medium heat for 5 minutes.

Wash the rice and add 2 tsp of salt and 6 cups of water bring to boil and let it boil until rice is almost done drain it and add it to meat mixture.

Cook the yellow split peas in the separate pot and add it to other ingredients as well.

Pour all ingredients in a large bowl, mix vinegar and sugar and pour all over the mixture and mix well. (Taste it if you like more sour or more sweet just adjust it using more vinegar or sugar)

If you are using fresh grape leaves wash them and let get dry a little. I used packed leaves in salt and vinegar if you are using them take them out wash them thoroughly and soak them in cold tab water for a few hours I changed the water several times through these hours for eliminate the salt from the leaves as much as possible.

You may cook the dolmehs in oven or on stove.

First put a layer of leaves in the bottom of you cooking pan then pick a leaf, put some mixture in the center and wrap it using edges of the leaf (depends on how big is the leaf you find how much mixture you need to pick so you can wrap it thoroughly. Make as mush as you have leaves and mixture and put in you cooking pan.

Put cooking pan on medium heat mix ½ cup oil and ½ cup water pour all over the dolmehs. It is better you put some heavy thing on them to prevent to open, especially if you are using fresh leaves.

when steam start to come out from the pan turn heat to low and cover the pan lid in a towel and let steam for at least 2 hours after 2 hours taste them if they are sour and you like them more sweet just mix 2Tbsp of sugar with ½ cup water and boil them and pour all over the wraps and let stay in low heat for half an hour.

If you are using the oven add oil and water and cover the oven dish using aluminum foil and put in the middle rack on 350 Fahrenheit degree for 2 hours.

Enjoy!

Whey Abgusht (Abgusht e kashk)

Abgusht is a Persian specialty food. It is usually made with Garbanzo beans, dried white beans, lamb meat, peeled onions, tomatoes,potatoes, turmeric (zardchube), salt and pepper to taste and dried limes (limu ammani). The final step is to strain all solids ( Gusht meaning meat) from the broth . The solids are then mashed and served with the broth, but in a separate dish. The original form of this meal referred to as Dizi is cooked in pots carved from stone.
Original form of abgusht is making with tomatoes or tomato paste. In different parts of Iran people make different form of abgusht using different things for example in my hometown we finish it with whey (abgusht e kashk) or sometimes we add some fried herbs to it (abgusht e sabzi) I have heard about some other abgush which I may never tried. I can name some of them as abgusht e boz baash (with dry apricot and yellow split peas) or abgushte apple, garlic, and sour grapes.

Basic Ingredients: (use all of them in any kind Abgousht)
1.Lamb shoulder or leg shank 1 piece (you may use any other part such as lamb ribs or neck but in any case you should use bone in meat. You also may use goat meat instead).
2.Garbanzo bean 1 cup
3.Dry white bean 1 cup
4.Onion 1 large
5.Potatoes 3 medium
6.Turmeric
7.Pepper
8.Salt

These are the base ingredients I am explaining abgusht e kashk (whey abgusht) so the next ingredients are specific for that

1.Whey (kashk) 1 cup
2.Dry mint ¼ cup
3.Oil 1-2 Tbsp
4.Sliced beet 2 small or sliced and fried eggplants 2 small (optional)
We have some kind of beets which are using for food they don’t have color if you have those ones available use them. I preferred to don’t use red beets because I don’t like red abgusht

Directions:

Wash meat put in a pot. Wash beans and add to the meat. Chop onion in cubes and add to the pot if you are using beet add it in this point. Pour water over them until all ingredients are covered by water.
Bring to boil cover the pot and let cook in medium low heat for about one hour and half or until beans and meat are cooked.
Add some salt and potatoes (regularly potatoes use unpeeled but sometimes I preferred to peel them depends on potatoes. Add eggplants at this point if it is applicable. Add water if needed.
Cover the pot again potatoes will be cooked in about 15 minutes.
Pour the whey in the pot mix it and let to come to boil and boil for 5-10 minutes. Turn off the heat.
In a pan fry dry mint using 2Tbsp of oil add 1 tsp of turmeric to the pan and mix with mint then add them to the pot.
For serving:
Pour the broth in a small bowls. Peel the potatoes and mash beans and potatoes well. And serve with meat in a plate.
If you have flat breads available cut them in bite size pieces (every body will do it for him/herself)
And mix in broth then eat muahhhhhh
You then will eat meat and mashed ingredient because of thes some people call abgusht as a double joy (2 zogheh) food!
Try it I am sure you will love it!

Enjoy!!!

Walnut and Pomegranate stew (Fesenjoon)

Ingredients:

1.Chicken 1 small one or half of a large one skinless (boneless also is preferred)
2.Walnuts 2 cups chopped using food processor or grounded using a grinder
3.Pomegranate paste ¾ cup
4.Onion 1 medium size
5.Sugar 2-3 Tbsp
6.Turmeric/Saffron 1 tsp
7.Oil 3-4 Tbsp
8.Salt to taste

I have to directions for cooking this delicious meal.

Direction # 1:Roast grounded walnuts in a pan using 1 Tbsp of oil for a few minutes while it is roasting don’t stop stirring.
Mix pomegranate past with 2 cups of water and add it to walnuts, bring to boil and in a lower heat lets cook for about 40 minutes, set aside.
.
Sauté chopped onion in 2 Tbsp oil then add turmeric and salt.
Chop chicken in not very small pieces and fry them in onions.
Add pomegranate and walnuts sauce to the chickens and let cook in a low heat for about 2 hours if needs add some water but in the end add sugar this stew should not have water in the end or it should not be watery!

Direction # 2:

Cook chicken using chopped onion 2 cups of water and some salt and turmeric.
Roast walnuts in a pan using some oil for a few minutes.
Add chicken broth from you cooked chicken to the walnuts, also add pomegranate paste and more water if needs let cook for about 40 minutes at the end add sugar and mix.
For serving you can put some chicken in a serving dish and pour the pomegranate walnut sauce all over it!
Serve with rice.

Enjoy!!!