Feb 20

Dolmeh Barg-eh Mo
Dolmeh Barge Mo (Stuffed Grape Leaves) is the most common of Persian Dolmeh. There are a variety of ways to make the mixture that is wrapped with the grape leaves. The way I have wrapped the grape leaves is actually the Turkish style of wrapping. The one that ends up in a square form is the Iranian style; however, many people prefer to wrap the grape leaves in the Turkish style.

Ingredients (20-30 Grape Leaves):
30-40 grape leaves — you will need extra leaves to line the bottom of the pot
1 cup rice
1 medium onion
1/2 cup yellow split peas (lapeh)
1/3 cup lemon juice or vinegar
2-3 tablespoons sugar
250-500 grams ground beef
100-250 grams sabzi (herbs) — Fresh or dry (or combination); these include parsley, cilantro, green onions or tareh, shevid (dill), and small amount of Tarragon; can also include mint and savory leaves
salt, pepper
turmeric
oil
water

dolmeh-mo

Directions:

Prepare the stuffing/mixture:

Chop up the onion and fry it in a pan. Add the meat once the onion is golden in color and fry the meat. Add about half a cup of water and allow the meat to cook. You will add salt, pepper, and turmeric to the meat as well. Allow the meat to cook for at least 20. Once the meat is cooked set it aside and allow it to cool.

Heat up water in a pot and boil the yellow split peas for approximately 15 minutes. Then drain and set them aside to cool.

Heat up water in a pot and bring the rice to a boil. Drain the rice and set aside to cool.

Clean any fresh herbs and chop them up slightly using a food processor (or a knife). If using any dry herbs make sure to use less than you would if using fresh herbs. Certain herbs such as parsley, cilantro, and green onions you can use more of, while you would use less tarragon and dill. I used dry tarragon and dill, while I used fresh parsley, cilantro, and green onions.

Mix all these ingredients together in a bowl, add salt and pepper for taste.

dolmeh-mixture

Wrap the Grape Leaves:

If you are using fresh Grape Leaves you will need to boil them in water for a bit so that they soft. If using Grape Leaves in a jar bought from the store make sure you wash them real well so they have no preservatives left on them (it will ruin the flavor if left on the leaves).

grape-leaves

Take the leaves one at a time and lay them on a surface or cutting board. Take some of the mixture and place it on the leaf and then begin wrapping the leaf.

dolmeh-wraping

Add oil to the pot you plan on using to cook the Dolmeh in. Take a few leaves that aren’t wrapped and place them on the bottom of the pot. Take all the prepared Dolmeh’s and place them on the bottom of the pot leaving no spaces.

step3

Liquid mixture to pour over the Dolmeh’s:

Take the 1/3 cup of lemon juice (or vinegar) and add the sugar to it. Add about a cup of water to the juice/sugar and stir everything together. Once the sugar has dissolved pour the contents all over the Dolmeh’s in the pot.

step4

Cooking the Dolmeh’s:

Place a plate (or something else thats heavy) over the Dolmeh’s to make sure they dont move around. Turn the burner on to medium-low heat and place the lid on top of the pot. Allow the Stuffed Grape Leaves to cook for 30-45 minutes.

step5

Serve as a appetizer or side dish for some other Persian dish. Tastes amazing, you should try it! :)

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Feb 15

I typically make Baghali Polo ba morgh (Lima Bean Rice with Chicken), also referred to as Shevid Baghali (Dill and Lima Bean Rice). Of course instead of chicken you can always serve the dish with stew meat. This time I decided to try Khoresht-e Baghala ba Goosht. Its a bit different…but in very good way.

Khoresht e Baghala

Khoresht e Baghala

Ingredients (6-8 people):
500 grams of stew meat (approximately 1 lb)
250 grams frozen or dry Lima Beans
3 tablespoons dry Shevid (Dill) or 500 grams fresh Dill
4 - 5 tablespoons chopped onion
water
1/2 cup to 1 cup oil
2-3 eggs (optional)
salt/pepper
turmeric

Directions:
Cut the meat up into pieces (if not already done) then wash the meat. In a pot pour a bit oil and fry the onions until golden. Once the onions are ready add the meat and stir. Add turmeric, salt, and pepper to the meat and stir. Add 3 - 4 cups of cold water after a few minutes of cooking the meat and allow the meat to cook for 20- 30 minutes (place the lid on the pot). Make sure the stove top heat is on medium or medium-low.

If using fresh dill, wash the dill and then chop it up finely. Fry the Dill in a bit of oil for a few minutes. Note: you may choose to not fry the dill, especially if using dry dill. Either way try to use a very small amount of oil to fry the dill. Add the Dill and Lima Beans to the stew after the meat has had a chance to cook. Allow the Khoresht-e Baghala to completely cook and for the Lima Beans to fully cook, but not become mashed up. Cook the Khoresht for a 2 - 3 hours for it to fully cook and give out oil.

If you want to add the eggs to the stew once it is prepared in a bowl mix add the eggs and some salt. Do not whip the eggs together, but rather stir the contents just once. Pour the egg mixture in batches into the Khoresht (while it is still on the stove cooking), then stir the stew. After an additional 5 - 10 minutes you can serve the Khoresht with rice that you have prepared.

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Feb 01

This Aash is very similar to Aash-e Reshteh, except in place of reshteh you use jo (barley). You should definitely make this Aash its really filling and tasty!

Aash e Jo

Aash e Jo

Ingredients (10-12 servings):
250 grams pearled barley
200 grams sabzi which is made up of: parsley, tareh (can use chives or ends of green onions instead), spinach, cilantro, dill (shevid) — use one bunch of each, or if using dry dill use 1 tablespoon
750 grams beans made up of: garbanzo beans (nokhod), white beans, kidney beans, and lentils
1 cup rice
5 tablespoons fried onion
3 - 4 cups Kashk
salt and pepper (desired amount)
turmeric 1 tablespoon

Directions:
Its best to soak the beans for a few hours prior to cooking the Aash since this will speed up the cooking time. Also, soak the rice in water after rinsing the rice a few times.

In a large pot add the fried onions (or you can fry them at this time in the pot with a tiny bit of oil), the beans (after draining out the water they were soaking in), and the turmeric. Saute the ingredients for a few minutes then add about 5 cups of water, cover, and leave on medium heat for contents to cook for approximately 30 minutes. After 30 minutes add the barley and the rice and mix the ingredients together, then cover the pot again and place on medium low heat. Every now and then stir the aash. Then clean and chop up the sabzi and add to the aash.

aash-e-jo

The aash will need to cook for a couple hours before it is ready. I had the aash cooking between approximately 6 - 7 hours before it was thickened and completely ready (ja oftadeh).

After it is prepared remove the aash from the heat and add part of the kashk. When you are serving the aash you can add some more kashk on top and then place some on the table for guests to add extra as desired to their bowl. You can also add some fried onions and fried mint to the top of the kashk you are serving as well.

Enjoy!! :)

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