The Canadian Press
Naomi Duguid brings alive the ancient food culture of Persia in her new book “Taste of Persia: A Cook’s Travels Through Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, and Kurdistan.”
She has compiled nearly 125 recipes from home cooks and tested them back home in Toronto with ingredients available locally. She also includes sources in an annotated bibliography if people need to order something online.
Many of the recipes are quite simple with few steps and don’t require “huge kitchen skills,” says Duguid.
“These are not extraordinary ingredients, but the consequences are so great,” she says of many of the dishes.
Herbs are key to many dishes in Persian cuisine.
“Fresh herbs are used almost like a seasoning. They’re on the table in the same way we have salad greens and it’s really nuanced layers of flavour.”
Though fresh herbs often have more clout, with mint the intensity of dried is often preferred.
Duguid also suggests putting a dab of mint oil on top of a soup before serving. “It just makes anything pop. Like putting a squeeze of lemon, differently, like brightening.
Here are a couple of recipes to try from Duguid’s “Taste of Persia.”
WALNUT AND BEAN PATE
Duguid learned to make this lobahashu, a dish from the Lori region of Armenia, which borders on southeastern Georgia, during her travels and loves to tote it to potlucks.
“It’s pale pink because it’s cooked kidney beans and walnuts in a food processor with some garlic and a little oil, herbs and salt. That’s it. It’s especially good if you make it a day or two ahead. You take it to a party. It’s vegan and it’s very satisfying and looks pretty. This was a fabulous discovery,” she says.
Duguid likes spreading it on bread or scooping it up with crackers. Serve as an appetizer or a snack. Or she puts this out as part of a meal, another hit of flavour available on the table.
500 ml (2 cups) walnuts or walnut pieces
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 l (4 cups) cooked kidney beans (see Precooked Beans Habit below)
30 ml (2 tbsp) sunflower or olive oil
7 ml (1 1/2 tsp) sea salt
Generous grinding of black pepper
About 125 ml (1/2 cup) chopped fresh dill, tarragon or coriander, or 7 ml (1 1/2 tsp) dried mint
Place walnuts in a wide heavy skillet over medium heat and toast, stirring frequently so they don’t scorch, until aromatic, about 5 minutes. (The recipe learned in Armenia did not include this toasting, but it assumed locally grown superb walnuts; the toasting helps bring out the flavour of the nuts.) Let cool for 10 minutes, then transfer to a food processor and process to a fine texture. Add garlic and beans and process to a smooth puree. Stop occasionally and scrape down sides of bowl to ensure all beans are incorporated.
Turn mixture out into a bowl, add oil, salt and pepper, and stir thoroughly. Stir in herbs.
Serve at room temperature. Refrigerate any leftover pate in a well-sealed container for up to 5 days.
Makes about 1 l (4 cups).
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THE PRECOOKED BEANS HABIT
Some beans take a long time to cook, and that can take them out of play if you’re in a rush. But if you have cooked them ahead they can help you get food on the table very quickly. Duguid likes to cook a large pot of beans, unseasoned, and freeze them, with their cooking liquid, in 500-ml (2-cup) batches. That way she has a stash of beans in the freezer that she can quickly transform into soups or stews.
Wash about 750 ml (3 cups) dried beans, place in a tall heavy pot with water to cover by 5 to 7.5 cm (2 to 3 inches) and bring to a vigorous boil. (A pressure cooker is quicker, if you’d prefer to use that.)
Partially cover, reduce heat to maintain a steady boil and cook until beans are tender. Navy beans take a generous hour; kidney beans and chickpeas can take 2 hours or more, depending on how dried out they are. Black-eyed peas take about an hour, and split peas and whole mung beans the same.
Check beans occasionally to make sure the pot isn’t running dry, and add more hot water as needed. Once beans are fully cooked, you’ll have about 2 l (8 cups) soupy beans (about 1.5 l/6 cups beans and 375 to 500 ml/1 1/2 to 2 cups liquid). Leave unseasoned until you want to use them.
Let beans cool to room temperature before transferring them, with their cooking liquid, to well-sealed containers. Label and freeze.
If you want to use canned beans instead of homemade, drain and rinse beans, place in a pot with about 125 ml (1/2 cup) water, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes or so. Check to see that beans are tender. Let cool to room temperature, in their liquid, before using.
POMEGRANATE-MARINATED KEBABS (Torshe Kebab)
The combination of walnuts and pomegranate molasses is classic in Georgia and northern Iran.
This Persian marinade serves two purposes spectacularly. First, it makes the meat extremely tender. Second, it gives it an extraordinary flavour. The remaining marinade can also be cooked up and used as a sauce for the rice.
Although Duguid’s first choice for the kebabs is lamb, she often makes some with beef to accommodate those who prefer it. Serve with plain or flavoured rice and a plate of herbs, as well as a chopped salad if you wish.
In Persia, an herb plate is often set on the table. It can consist of fresh radishes, green onions and cucumbers along with various herbs. “You just include a little with a mouthful in the same way you’d put mustard or some salt and pepper. It’s another way of freshening,” says Duguid. “It’s like when you’re eating pho, Vietnamese soup, you can add some fresh basil or something. It’s up to you. You’re in charge.”
1 kg (2 lb) boneless lamb or goat shoulder, or boneless beef top round or hanger steak, cut into approximately 2.5-cm (1-inch) cubes
Marinade
250 ml (1 cup) walnuts or walnut pieces
125 ml (1/2 cup) pomegranate molasses
5 ml (1 tsp) sea salt
2 garlic cloves, mashed or minced
30 ml (2 tbsp) sunflower or extra-virgin olive oil
125 ml (1/2 cup) minced fresh flat-leaf parsley (optional)
Sugar (optional)
Fresh tarragon leaves (optional)
Accompaniments
Herb Plate: Scallions and sprigs of fresh mint, tarragon or basil
Rice
Marinade: Place walnuts in a food processor and pulse to chop to smaller than raisin size. Add remaining ingredients and pulse to blend. Transfer to a large bowl. (Alternatively, very finely chop walnuts and pound to a coarse powder in a large mortar. Add remaining ingredients and stir to blend thoroughly.)
Add meat to bowl and stir, turning to make sure all surfaces are coated with marinade.
Cover and set aside to marinate for at least 1 hour or as long as overnight; refrigerate if marinating time is more than 2 hours.
Bring meat to room temperature before grilling.
Preheat a charcoal or gas grill.
Brush off most of the marinade clinging to meat and reserve marinade. Thread meat onto metal skewers so that pieces are barely touching each other, not crowded together; this helps the meat cook evenly. Place skewers 10 to 12 cm (4 to 5 inches) from coals or flame and grill, turning occasionally, for 7 to 12 minutes, depending on heat of fire and desired degree of doneness.
Alternatively, you can broil meat: Preheat broiler with a rack about 12 cm (5 inches) below it. Line a baking sheet with parchment or lightly oil it. Place pieces of meat on sheet and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, turning meat at halfway point and checking for doneness after 7 minutes.
While meat is grilling, or once removed from grill, pour marinade into a small saucepan, add about 125 ml (1/2 cup) water and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste and season with salt if you wish; if it is too tart for your taste, stir in 5 ml (1 tsp) of sugar or more to taste. You might want to stir in some tarragon leaves once it comes off the heat. Pour into a small serving bowl.
If you grilled kebabs, you can either remove meat from skewers or simply serve it on skewers. Set out platter of herbs, rice and sauce for the rice.
Makes 6 generous servings.
Source: “Taste of Persia: A Cook’s Travels Through Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, and Kurdistan” by Naomi Duguid (Artisan Books).
