Persian Spinach Potatoes And Peas Recipes

ABGOOSHT (PERSIAN LAMB AND CHICKPEA STEW)

Steps:

• The night before you plan to cook, season the lamb with turmeric, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cover and refrigerate. Place chickpeas and beans in a medium bowl; add 3 cups water and a generous pinch of salt. Refrigerate overnight.
• To cook: Set a large Dutch oven or soup pot over high heat. Add lamb, onions, tomato paste and 8 cups water. Drain chickpeas and beans and add to pot. Bring to a boil, stir to dissolve tomato paste, and cover pot partially with a lid. Reduce heat and simmer stew for 2 hours.
• Peel potatoes and cut into 1-inch pieces. Add potatoes and Omani limes to pot and continue simmering until potatoes and meat are both completely tender, about 1 hour. Taste and adjust the seasoning of the broth with salt and pepper.
• Remove limes from pot, and one by one, juice them into the soup through a sieve by pressing down on them with a spoon. (Avoid letting the seeds through the sieve, as they can be bitter.) Taste the broth after juicing each lime and add just enough so that the broth is tangy and bright.
• Use the sieve to remove the meat, potatoes and beans from the pot and transfer them to a large bowl. Use a fork to pull the meat off the bones. If any of the bones have marrow, use a skewer to remove it and add to the bowl. Use a potato masher to mash meat, beans and potatoes into a soft, uniform paste - this is called goosht kubideh, literally "mashed meat." If the mixture appears dry, add a few spoonfuls of broth and continue to mash until unctuous and smooth. Taste the paste and adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper and Omani lime juice, as needed.
• To serve, bring broth and goosht kubideh to the table, along with bowls of liteh pickles, salad-e Shirazi, warmed sangak bread, fresh herbs and, if you like, doogh. All of the sides serve as palate cleansers to balance the richness of the dish.
• Traditionally, the broth is eaten first with sangak bread, which can hold up to the broth without disintegrating. Typically, the bread is torn into bite-size pieces and added to broth to soak for a couple of minutes before digging in. This process is called tilit.
• Serve the goosht kubideh separately after everyone has had a bowl of broth. Traditionally the meat paste is made into small sandwiches with fresh herbs, and eaten with alternate bites of salad-e Shirazi and liteh pickle. Leftover goosht kubideh makes for a great sandwich or baby food, and freezes well for up to 2 weeks.

PERSIAN SPINACH, POTATOES AND PEAS

Steps:

• Scrub potatoes, and put in a pot with water to cover. Cover pot, and cook until fork-tender, about 20 minutes, depending on size.
• Chop whole onion. Saute onion in a nonstick pan in very hot oil over medium-high heat, until it begins to soften and brown.
• Mince garlic, and add to onion as it cooks.
• Wash spinach; remove tough stems, and cook spinach in covered pot in the water clinging to it, until it wilts, 4 or 5 minutes, stirring once or twice.
• Stir peas into onion mixture and cook 2 or 3 minutes.
• When spinach is cooked, drain it, thoroughly pressing the water out. Cut up and add to cooked onion, along with nutmeg and yogurt.
• When potatoes are cooked, drain and cut into bite-size pieces and stir into spinach mixture. Season with salt and pepper, and serve.

PERSIAN LENTIL STEW

Steps:

• Place lentils in a large container and cover with several inches of cool water; let soak for 10 to 15 minutes. Drain.
• Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add carrots, celery, onion, and garlic; cook and stir until lightly golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in paprika, turmeric, salt, red pepper flakes, cinnamon, and pepper. Add lentils and olive oil; cook and stir until lentils are coated with oil, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Pour beef broth into the Dutch oven; bring to a boil. Simmer, adding boiling water as lentils absorb the broth to maintain a stew consistency, about 20 minutes. Stir in spinach, lime juice, green onions, and beef bouillon cubes. Continue simmering until lentils are soft, about 1 hour.
• Serve stew topped with spoonfuls of yogurt and fresh parsley.

SPINACH AND PEAS

Steps:

• Prepare an ice water bath; set aside. Line a baking sheet with a cooling rack; set aside. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a generous amount of salt and the peas. Cook until bright green, 3 to 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to ice water bath to stop the peas from cooking. Drain, shaking off excess liquid; set aside. Add the spinach to the boiling water and cook, just until wilted, about 1 minute. Drain, squeezing out excess moisture, and transfer to wire rack to dry. Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent, but not brown, about 2 minutes. Stir in peas, and cook 1 minute. Add the spinach, tossing to combine, and heat through, 1 to 2 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.