This is a long blog, but if you are keen to cook Persian dishes that taste insanely good, then this blog is for you! I have broken down the stages required to create the authentic Iranian flavour that is created in dishes such as Gormeh Sabzi, Galieh Mahi and other delicious meals that involve the use of fresh herbs
With the late frosts in May, Jilah's Tiny Kitchen Garden has been late to produce, but the one vegetable that has pushed through earlier like a trooper is the humble courgette and after thinking up this way of preparing it I am looking forward to each and every one of them!
This recipe came about as a last minute thought for accompanying Spare Ribs. It started off as plain mashed potato but soon turned into a gourmet flavourful dish in its own right that had me tempted to eat spoon fulls of it whilst waiting for the Ribs to finish caramelising off ... Mashed Potato or if you like "crushed" will never be the same again!
I am ashamed to say that venturing into preparing spare ribs in my own kitchen has been a late development for me and consequently the joy of eating these succulent sticky yummy morsels has been a bit of an epiphany for me .... now that my taste buds have taken the hit ... there will be no going back for me! This is when I am glad of my half English heritage ... I may never have tried this dish otherwise, so taken up I naturally am with Persian Cuisine! I served this dish with my Mayo Mustard Dill Mashed Potato recipe which is available on the next blog after this one ..
Who remembers Cauliflower resistance from childhood? School Cauli, Grandma's over cooked soggy Cauli, perfectly cooked Cauliflower Cheese from your Mother but because of the school Cauli and grandma's squashy Cauli, Mother's carefully prepared Cauli didn't stand a chance?!! Well ... I am here to tell you that if you cast these previous traumas aside and start with a fresh open mind, this much maligned vegetable will become your most mighty favourite in no time!
Half Iranian Half English , I grew up in the UK and continue to live there now. I have always loved food and eating, and especially loved time spent with my Iranian Granny who was a fantastic cook. I loved to watch her cook, ask her questions and get involved myself. My Mother was a good cook too and she let me bake and cook at home so that once I went to Secondary School I was able to cook a meal and bake cakes myself un-attended. Cooking cheered me up, connected me with my sense of source and an important facet of myself. It gave me optimism, strength and energy again if I ever cooked at times when I was feeling low, serving as my joyous pick me up. I loved to make my own recipes up too and as well, took a pride in identifying with my taste buds what ingredients might be in a new dish that I had been served by my Granny (and later by my Iranian and Kurdish friends who sometimes cooked for me) then trying to recreate it myself .
