Tarkhineh soup (Ash tarkhineh dough)

This soup is one of  very delicious soup originally from my hometown (Arak).


First you have to prepare the tarkhineh itself.

Tarkhineh Ingredients


1. Bulghur or burghul wheat (cracked wheat # 2) 3 cups
2. Yogurt (whole fat and sour is preferred) 2 pounds
3. Turmeric 1 Tbsp
4. Dry aromatic herbs 1 Tbsp (optional)
5. Salt to taste

Tarkhineh making direction:

Soak bulghur in 2 cups warm water for 4-6 hours or over the night.

Put the presoaked bulghur in an appropriate, mix yogurt with ½ liter water and stir then add the mixture to the bulghur pot, stir well bring to boil then reduce heat and let bulghur cook in yogurt for a couple hours, stir occasionally and add turmeric and dry herbs while stirring also add some water if needs, continue cooking until you have a homogeneous mixture. 1/3 of that is enough for your soup place the rest in to freezer safe containers and put in the freezer for next times!

Now is time to make soup!

Ingredients

1. Tarkhineh 1/3 of what you have made as tarkhineh dough
2. Spinach 1 pond
3. Parsley and Cilantro 1-2 cups chopped
4. Beans 2 cups (you may use chickpea, white bean, pinto bean, black eye pea, lentil and mung bean use them all or mix of some of them I usually use pinto bean and lentil and some black eye pea or white beans!)
5. Onion 1 medium
6. Dry mint 2 Tbsp
7. Turmeric 1tsp
8. Salt to taste
9. Oil ¼ cup

Directions

Cook the beans; add tarkhineh in halfway when beans are cooking add some salt too. Chop the onion and sauté in some oil; add half of the onion to the soup set half of that aside.
When the beans cooked add fresh green veggies to the soup and let cook for 15 minutes add water if needs! Add dry mint and turmeric to the sauté onion which you had sat aside and fry them a little bit. Serve the soup in a bowl and garnish with fried onion and dry mint.


Enjoy!!!

Cold yogurt soup (Ash mast)

My sister taught me how to make this soup. She also learned it from a very dear friend of hers and me. Our friend is from Sabzevar, one city close to Mashhad so the soup is.

This delicious cold soup is very nice for hot summer days and is too easy to make

Ingredients
1. Spinach 1 kg
2. Leek 1 bunch
3. Noodle about 200 g
4. Yogurt 2 cup
5. Dried mint 1Tbsp
6. Salt to taste
7. Dried red pepper to garnish

Directions

Wash the spinach and leek separately and let get dry a little bit. Cut the spinach in not very small pieces, pour them in a pot and add 4 cups of tab water and bring to boil. Turn the heat to medium let cook for 5 min. then break the noodles in pieces (about 10 cm) and add them to the boiling spinach. Always have some hot water in another pot when making soup if needs some add it. stir occasionally! When the noodles cooked (after about 10 min.) turns off the heat set aside and let it get cold.

Cut the leeks in pieces, and then you should mash them. I used a food processor and in the end my leeks were like a thick green liquid which seemed great for my soup!

In a large bowl beat the yogurt a little and add mashed or so leek and mix well add salt and dried mint to.

Add the cooked material to the yogurt mix (be sure it is almost at room temperature)

Mix them thoroughly. Put in the fridge for 1-2 hour. That is ready to serve. Garnish with some dried red pepper powder or crushed. (It can wait more at fridge, until you are ready to eat)

Enjoy!!!

Fish stew (ghaliyeh mahi)

Ingredients



1.Fish fillet 12 pieces stew size (I used tilapia you may use salmon, cat fish or flounder)
2.Parsley 2 bunches
3.Cilantro 1 bunch
4.Dried fenugreek 1 Tbsp
5.Garlic 8 cloves
6.Tamarind paste ½- 1 cup (seeded and a little diluted)
7.Hot red pepper
8.Oil
9.Salt to taste

Directions

Peel garlic and cut them in small pieces, sauté on 4 Tbsp of canola oil.

Take the parsley and cilantro leaves from their stems, wash them and let get dry then cut them in small pieces. Add the greens and fenugreek to the garlic and fry for 7-10 minutes. With adding 1 cup of water and ½ cup of tamarind paste let them cook in low heat. You may need more water or if you like more sour taste add more tamarind!

In a nonstick skillet pan fried fish pieces in both sides.

When the stew boils for 15 minutes add salt and pepper then fish and let cook for another 10 minutes.

Serve on rice

Enjoy!

Mushroom soup

Ingredients


1. Mushroom 3 cups (chopped in small pieces)
2. Chicken broth 2 cups+ more if needed
3. Milk ½ cup
4. Sour cream ½ cup
5. Flour 2Tbsp
6. Garlic 5 cloves
7. Onion 1 small to medium
8. Parsley ¼ cup (finely chopped)
9. Oil for frying
10. Salt to taste
11. Cumin ½ tsp

12. Lime or lemon juice (optional)

Directions

Heat about 2-3 Tbsp oil in a pot and add chopped onion. When onion start to turning gold add chopped garlic stir for a few minutes. Add cumin and some salt. Add mushrooms and stir occasionally for about 5-7 minutes. Add flour and stir for a few more minutes.

Pour the broths, stir, and bring to boil then cover the pot and let cook in a lower heat for 15 minutes or until liquid get thicker. Add chopped parsley. Mix milk and the sour cream and pour in the soup, bring to boil and turn the heat off after a couple minutes!
Use sour cream and parsley leaves as garnish.
You may have the soup with lemon/lime juice if you like sour taste!

Enjoy!!!

Cake 1

Ingredients


1. All purpose flour 2 cups
2. Butter (unsalted) 50 gram
3. Milk 1 cup
4. Oil ¼ cup
5. Sugar 1 cup
6. Egg 3 medium size
7. Baking powder 2tsp
8. Baking soda ¼ tsp
9. Vanilla extracts 1tsp
10. Cocoa powder 1 Tbsp

Directions


Separate egg whites from the egg yolks. Pour them in a separate bowls.
Beat egg whites thoroughly until turn white and stiff. Beat egg yolks as well and while you are beating add sugar to the yolks and mix until their color turn lighter and look creamy.

Add milk, melted butter oil and vanilla to the yolks and sugar and mix. Fold beaten egg whites on the other ingredients and mix. In a separate bowl mix flour, baking powder and baking soda, (I preferred to sift flour before adding to the cake)

Add sifted flour to the cake, mix well. Get 1 cup of the batter and mix with cocoa powder.
Pour the batter in a floured 9” round cake pan (you may also use loaf pan)

After that you pour the chocolate color batter over it in any shape that you like you may like round or cross line or etc.

Bake in preheated oven on 300 F degree for 50 minutes.

Enjoy!

Semi stuffed open side eggplants (Shekampareh)

Although I love this food I don’t make it so much at home, because I am the only one at home who likes it. In this post the photo belongs to last time I was at my mom’s place so this is my mom's kitchen and the food which my dear mommy was cooking for us!


Ingredients

1. Eggplant 4-5 (long and thin ones are preferred)
2. Ground beef or turkey 8 oz
3. Tomato 1 large
4. Green bell pepper 1
5. Onion 1 small size
6. Tomato past 1 Tbsp
7. Turmeric 1 tsp
8. Oil to fry
9. Salt to taste
You may also use some hot pepper or cumin or any other spices that you like with eggplant.

Directions

Wash the eggplants, cut the stem but leave some part which is attached to top of eggplant (according to picture) using a sharp knife make a shallow cut along the length of each eggplant. Fry all sides of eggplants until they get soft a little bit, set aside.
Sauté onions in 2 Tbsp of oil, when they turned golden brown add ground meat stir frequently, add turmeric, salt and other spices if you are using any. When all the meat juice absorbed stir for a few minutes more and add half of tomato paste and stir for a few more minutes (add oil if needed).

Now slightly open the eggplants in the cut place and fill them with the meat mix as much as you can and arrange them in a shallow skillet pan with lid.

Cut the bell pepper and the tomato in slices and put all over the filled eggplants.

Mix the rest of tomato paste with 1 cup of water, 2 Tbsp of oil and some salt and pour to the pan slowly (never pour the watery mixture over eggplants)

Turn the heat on bring to boil and turn to low cover the pan and let the dish cook for about half an hour or until eggplants are cooked. at the end not so much water should remain in the pan (you may add more or less water depending on how you like)

Serve with rice or bread.

Enjoy!!!

Spinach and prune stew ( khoreshte aloo sfenag)

Ingredients:


1. Meat 10 oz (chopped beef or chicken)
2. Spinach 1.5 pound
3. Dried yellow or red Prunes 10-15
4. Onion 1 medium size
5. Turmeric ½ tsp
6. Oil 5 Tbsp
7. Salt to taste

Directions:

Chop onion and sauté in 2 Tbsp of oil until turn golden brown add meat and stir fry for about 10 minutes or until all juice absorbed.

Wash spinach and chop them then fry them in rest of oil separately, set aside.

A few hours earlier soak prunes in warm water and set aside.

Add turmeric and salt to meat and stir for a couple more minutes add 1 cup of water cover the dish and let cook for half an hour then add prunes with their soaked water cover and let cook for another half an hour then add fried spinach and cook for 10 minutes.

(Depend on what kind of meat you are using, timing should be different)

Serve on rice.

Enjoy!!!

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!!!