Persian herb and greens frittata / frittata persiana di verdure ed erbe

March 15, 2020 | Simona

Persian herb and greens frittata / IMG_3163

green to celebrate spring
(placemat by La FABBRICA del LINO)

Our Cook the Books Club selection this time brings us to Ireland (Irlanda), yet the flavors are those of Iran (whose cuisine we savored also in a recent edition¹). The novel Pomegranate Soup, by Marsha Mehran² (zuppa di melograno), follows the adventures of the three Aminpour sisters, who escape from political turmoil in their native country to the UK and ultimately settle in the small Irish town of Ballinacroagh, where they open a small café serving dishes from their home country.

The novel's cast includes the sisters' landlady, the town's priest, a young man with a passion for astronomy and other colorful characters. The author expertly weaves past events into the present narrative, so that as the story progresses we learn what pushed the sisters to run away from their home.

Marjan, the eldest Aminpour sister, is the main force behind Babylon Café: she watches as many locals come to appreciate the dishes she creates, their appealing aromas and comforting flavors. The book mentions many dishes and includes a recipe at the end of each chapter. I was particularly intrigued by the description of "a good apple khoresh, a stew made from tart apples, chicken and split peas" (page 60 of the hardback edition), but while I was searching for a recipe for that, I read about Kuku Sabzi, a kind of herb frittata traditionally prepared for Nowruz, the Iranian New Year that is celebrated on the spring equinox. I am a lover of greens, so I decided to try this recipe. I read a number of renditions³ and below is a description of what I made.

In terms of greens, I went with what I found fresh at the farmers' market, namely spinach (spinaci) and dill (aneto). Parsley, thyme and lovage (prezzemolo, timo e levistico) come from my garden. The idea is that you can use greens and herbs you like and have available. A different combination means a different flavor, so this is a recipe that can be repeated without becoming boring.

When I tasted the first bite of my rendition, my first reaction was: why have I not tried making this before?

Print-friendly version of briciole's recipe for Persian herb and greens frittata (Kuku Sabzi)

Ingredients:

4 1/2 ounces / 130 g leek, white and light green portion, clean weight (set aside the dark green portion to make broth or stock)
4 tablespoons / 60 ml extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 bunches / 14 ounces / 400 g fresh spinach
2 cups of finely chopped fresh herbs: in my case mostly dill (thick stems removed), some sprigs of parsley, leaves of a handful of fresh thyme sprigs and 2 sprigs of lovage
5 large eggs from pastured poultry
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

Cut the leek in half lengthwise and slice into 1/8 inch / 3 mm half-moons. Rinse well in a colander, then place in a bowl and fill it with cold water. With your hands, swirl the leek pieces to clean them well, then scoop them out of the water with a sieve or slotted spoon and drain them in a colander.

Warm up a 10-inch / 25 cm skillet over medium heat, then add 2 tablespoons / 30 ml of the olive oil. Add the leeks, stir well and cook for a couple of minutes. Cover the skillet and cook on low heat until the leeks are soft (12-15 minutes), stirring every now and then, making sure nothing burns. Transfer the leeks to a plate and clean the skillet.

Wash the spinach carefully and drain. Discard the roots and thicker stems and chop the rest finely. This is a bit tedious but it makes cooking easier, because the amount of eggs is small with respect to the amount of greens.

chopping herbs finely

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, the salt, pepper, and turmeric. Add the cooked leeks, the chopped spinach and herbs and mix everything well. A silicone spatula works well for this step, which requires patience.

Heat the broiler: if your oven allows it, use the low setting; otherwise, move the oven rack down one level.

Heat again the skillet and pour into it the remaining 2 tablespoons / 30 ml of the olive oil, then swirl to coat. Empty the bowl into the skillet and use the spatula to spread the mixture evenly across. Cover the skillet and cook the frittata on low heat until the bottom is just set: check it after 8 minutes and estimate the remaining cooking time.

Uncover the skillet and broil, watching carefully, until the top is set, 1-2 minutes. Let the frittata cool slightly, then slide it onto a platter and serve.

Serves 4-8

Persian herb and greens frittata / IMG_3158

why have I learned about this dish only now?

The intense green of this dish nicely points at the coming spring season. The flavor is a treat for lovers of greens.

¹ My recent post featuring another Persian-inspired recipe: eggplant and yellow split pea stew
² The book introduction on the author's website
³ Some recipes: on Bon Appetit (with useful video), the Kitchn, the Splendid Table

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

frittata persiana di verdure ed erbe

or launch the frittata persiana di verdure ed erbe audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

This is my contribution to the current selection of our Cook the Books hosted by me, Simona of briciole. (You can find the guidelines for participating in the event on this page.)

The roundup of the event.

This is also my second contribution to the 38th edition of Novel Food, the literary/culinary event that Lisa of Champaign Taste and I started 12 years ago and that I continue to host.

The roundup of the event.

FTC disclosure: I have received the table linen free of charge from the manufacturer (la FABBRICA del LINO). I have not and will not receive any monetary compensation for presenting it on my blog. The experience shared and the opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own.

frittata, spinach, dill, parsley, thyme, lovage, eggs, Persian cuisine

recipe: Persian herb and greens frittata

March 13, 2020 | Simona

Persian herb and greens frittata

by Simona Carini

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 25-30 minutes

Keywords: saute broil entree gluten-free low-carb nut-free soy-free sugar-free vegetarian spinach eggs leeks herbs Persian

Ingredients (4-8)

4 1/2 ounces / 130 g leek, white and light green portion, clean weight (set aside the dark green portion to make broth or stock)
4 tablespoons / 60 ml extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 bunches / 14 ounces / 400 g fresh spinach
2 cups of finely chopped fresh herbs: in my case mostly dill (thick stems removed), some sprigs of parsley, leaves of a handful of fresh thyme sprigs and 2 sprigs of lovage
5 large eggs from pastured poultry
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

Instructions

Warm up a 10-inch / 25 cm skillet over medium heat, then add 2 tablespoons / 30 ml of the olive oil. Add the leeks, stir well and cook for a couple of minutes. Cover the skillet and cook on gentle heat until the leeks are soft (12-15 minutes), stirring every now and then, making sure nothing burns. Transfer the leeks to a plate and clean the skillet.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, the salt, pepper, and turmeric. Add the cooked leek, the chopped spinach and herbs and mix everything well. A silicone spatula works well for this step, which requires patience.

Heat the broiler: if your oven allows it, use the low setting; otherwise, move the oven rack down one level.

Uncover the skillet and broil, watching carefully, until the top is set, 1-2 minutes. Let the frittata cool slightly, then slide it onto a platter and serve.

Go to the full post on Persian herb and greens frittata

zuppa di lenticchie nere e verdure / black beluga lentil and vegetable soup

May 26, 2014 | Simona

a few red beets give the soup its vibrant color

In her book Funny in Pharsi, the current Cook the Books club's selection, author Firoozeh Dumas tells stories about her experience as an Iranian expatriate in Southern California.

Some of the stories are funny, others less so, but the author tells them all with irony, so the reader is made to smile and at times laugh. Irony, however, is also a device behind which a writer can hide and this is what happens in this book.

Being an expatriate myself, I am interested in reading other people's experience. The book reminded me of stories I told my friends about funny experiences I had at the beginning of my life in California, like being asked "How are you?" all the time by perfect strangers that would then not pause long enough to hear my answer. Learning that it was a polite greeting expression did not make it any easier to get used to it. (In Italy, you ask that question only to a person you know — and you mean it.)

I expect a memoir to go beyond a series of vignettes and give the individual experience a universal flavor. This did not happen for me with Funny in Pharsi. Still, reading the book in the context of our club prompted me to learn a bit about Persian cuisine.

Among the various recipes I browsed for inspiration, this one from Vegetarian Times reminded me that I had not made a lentil soup in a while. This version from the blog Turmeric & Saffron includes red beets (barbabietole rosse), an item in my spring CSA box, so I made up my mind to create a Persian-inspired lentil soup that would contain seasonal and local vegetables.

freshly harvested turnips

Besides baby red beets, in recent weeks my CSA box contained baby turnips (rape). The photo above, from last December, shows some small and some larger turnips I had harvested as part of my winter u-pick CSA. Turnips grow well in our area, yet are not as popular as they could be. Even in Italian, expressions that mention turnips are not flattering, like non si può cavare sangue da una rapa (you can't squeeze blood out of a turnip). A recent interesting article on the National Geographic website talks about this still underappreciated root vegetable.

I like turnips and don't need encouragment to put a bunch in my basket. Of course, in the company of red beets, white turnips cannot avoid getting painted in the same color, but they don't lose their delicately spicy flavor and stand up nicely to the sweet beets, creating a balance in the soup, together with lentils and fresh spinach (spinaci), the latter also from my CSA share.

sorting through lentils before cooking them

My preference for small lentils made me reach for my stash of black beluga lentils for the soup: pretty, small and quick cooking. The photo above shows why sorting through lentils before cooking them is a necessary step: on the right there are the small pieces of debris I found during the operation.

So, here is my lentil and vegetable soup, inspired by the book and a Persian recipe, but fundamentally its own story, personal and local.

a bit of knife workout

Print-friendly version of briciole's recipe for Black beluga lentil and vegetable soup

Ingredients:

1/2 cup / 3.5 oz. / 100 g black beluga lentils
1 tablespoon / 15 ml extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium-large onion 9 oz. /250 g, finely chopped
3/4 lb / 12 oz. / 340 g approximately half baby turnips and half baby red beets, greens set aside for another use (see Note below)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric (curcuma)
2 cups / 475 ml light chicken stock or vegetable broth, possibly homemade +
2 cups/ 475 ml water
4-5 oz. / 115-140 g fresh spinach leaves or baby spinach
Fine sea salt — the amount will depend on how salty the stock or broth is
A dash of freshly milled black pepper

Note: The greens of both red beets and turnips are edible and quite nice. I cook them with other leafy greens, like rainbow chard and kale.

Sort through lentils and remove any pebbles and bits of debris, then rinse in cold water and drain.

Warm up oil in a 6-qt soup pot and add the onion. Stir to coat and cook on gentle heat for 15 minutes, stirring every now and then. The onion will be soft and start to brown.

In the meantime, scrub root vegetables well then dice them. To ensure even cooking, make sure the size of dice is about 1/4-3/8 inch / 6-9 mm.

Add turmeric to the onion and stir, then add lentils, beets and turnips and stir.

Pour stock/broth and water into the pot.

Cover the pot, bring soup to a boil and cook on gentle heat until lentils and vegetables are tender. Check after 20 minutes.

In the meantime, wash spinach leaves and chop them.

When the soup is ready, season with salt to taste and black pepper. Add the spinach to the pot, cover and remove from the heat. The tender fresh spinach cooks in the residual heat.

It is better to let the soup rest for a while before eating it, to allow the flavor to ripen.

When mealtime approaches, bring soup back to boiling temperature and remove from the heat.

Ladle into soup bowls and serve, optionally topped with a dollop or two of homemade fromage blanc.

Serves 6.

just about perfect

I like this soup in both the vegetarian version and the version with chicken stock. Lentils and turnips give it an earthy flavor, red beets sweeten it and spinach brightens up the combination.

This is my contribution to the current edition of Cook the Books hosted by Rachel of The Crispy Cook.

The roundup of the event.

It is also my first contribution to the 21st edition of Novel Food, the literary/culinary event that Lisa of Champaign Taste and I started some time ago and that I continue to host.

The roundup of the event.

The vegetarian version of my soup makes it eligible for My Legume Love Affair #71, the current edition of the popular, legume-centered event created by Susan, The Well-Seasoned Cook, now organized by Lisa of Lisa's Kitchen, and hosted this month by Sowmya of Nivedhanam.

The roundup of the event.

Finally, I send my soup to Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays, a weekly event created by Cook the Books co-host Deb of Kahakai Kitchen.

The roundup of the event.

Click on the button to hear me pronounce the Italian words mentioned in the post:

zuppa di lenticchie nere e verdure

or launch the zuppa di lenticchie nere e verdure audio file [mp3].

[Depending on your set-up, the audio file will be played within the browser or by your mp3 player application. Please, contact me if you encounter any problems.]

lentils, turnips, spinach, red beets, soup, Iranian cuisine