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ESHKENEH
Onion (3 cups — chopped)
Potato (3 cups — diced)
Water (3 cups)
Turmeric (1 tbsp)
Oil (2 tbsp)
Spinach (2 cups — chopped)
Eggs (3)
Lemon (1 or 2 tbsp — fresh juice to taste)
Brown onion in heated oil until golden and then add turmeric and potato and sauté for little while. Add water and spinach, bring to boil and then steam on low heat until the spinach and potato are cooked. Mix the eggs, salt, pepper in a bowl and add to the pot, stir and then add lemon juice.
Traditionally this is good food for fasting days and when not eating meat.

 

SARMASTE SHEIDAIE
Beets (2 — medium sized, cooked)
Whey or yogurt (3/4 cup)
Oil (3 tbsp)
Onion (1 — medium, chopped)
Mint (3 tbsp — dry)
Turmeric (1½ tsp)
Garlic (2 cloves — minced)
Salt and pepper (to taste)
First, grate the beets into a bowl. Next, add the whey or yogurt and mix until well combined. Place the mixture in a serving dish. In a frying pan, heat the oil. Add the chopped onion and fry until golden. Next, add the minced garlic, dry mint and turmeric. Mix all together and fry for two-three minutes. Remove the contents of the frying pan and use to decorate the top of the beet mixture.
Whey is recommended; however, yogurt may be used as a substitute.

 

JEGAR E KOOFTEH (MASHED LIVER)
Liver (1 — lamb)
Onion (1 ­— large)
Tarragon and chives (4 tbsp — chopped)
Oil (2 tbsp)
Turmeric (1 tsp)
Vinegar (2 tbsp)
Salt and pepper (to taste)
Pita bread (2 — cut into pieces)
Dill seed powder (1 tbsp — optional)
Mash the liver or grind it in a bowl, grate the onion, add the turmeric and sauté these ingredients in oil. Add the chopped fresh herbs, salt, pepper and half cup water. Let it simmer until the liver is cooked and then add vinegar and bread to it and mix.

 

HALVA BRENJ (RICE HALVA) 
Rice flour (1 cup)
Oil (1 tbsp)
Sugar (½ cup)
Rose water (1 tbsp)
Water (4 cups — add more if needed to completely cook the rice flour; it should be soft and mushy)
Cardamom (½ tbsp powder)
Pistachio (1 tbsp powder — optional for garnish)
Sauté the rice flour in oil until it turns color a little. Dissolve sugar, cardamom and rose water and add it gradually to the rice flour. Let it cook well, stirring until the rice flour mixture no longer sticks to the pan’s wall and stays separate from the pan. Spread the halva on a tray and cut it in diamond shapes. If desired you could garnish the surface with the pistachio powder.
The following recipes from Jeroo Mehta’s Cooking for the Family, the second edition of which was released recently (see "Feeding the family,” Books, Parsiana, February 21, 2013) are reprinted in Parsiana. The award-winning cookbook author describes her offerings as "simple, uncomplicated, tried and tasted… You are out of the kitchen at top speed.”

 

TOMATO FLAN
(Serves 3 to 4)
Tomatoes (½ kg)
Pepper (¼ tsp)
Sugar (1 tsp — if required)
Onion (1 medium — finely chopped)
Eggs (3)
Cheese (3 to 4 tbsp — grated)
Chilli powder (1/3 tsp — optional)
Salt (1 tsp — to taste)
Vegetable oil (1 tsp)
Cut tomatoes into quarters and purée in a blender. Or boil tomatoes five minutes, remove skin and then chop them fine. Add salt and pepper. If tomatoes are sour, add sugar. In a pan, heat oil and fry onion in it till soft and golden. Do not brown. Mix tomatoes into onion. Add cheese and cook a few minutes till cheese has melted. Add chilli powder if desired. Beat eggs till just frothy and add to tomato mixture. Mix well, pour mixture into an ovenproof pie plate and bake in moderately hot oven till set.

 

BAR-B-Q CHICKIEN WITH MUSHROOM SAUCE
(Serves 4)
Broiler chicken (1 — approx. 1 kg — skinned and cut into 8 pieces)
Olive oil or salad oil (1 tbsp)
Vegetable oil (1 tbsp)
Tomato ketchup (1 tbsp)
Brown sugar (1 tbsp)
Worcestershire sauce (½ tsp)
Pepper powder (¼ tsp)
Salt (1 tsp)
Water (¼ cup)
In a large pan, heat the olive or salad oil and the vegetable oil and sear chicken pieces on both sides a few minutes. Combine remaining ingredients in a bowl and add to chicken and cook, covered, for five minutes. Uncover the pan and cook at a simmer until chicken is cooked. Remove the chicken pieces and keep aside. Reserve the gravy in the pan.
Mushroom Sauce
Mushrooms (200 g — fresh, cleaned and finely sliced)
Butter (1½ tsp)
Vegetable oil (1½ tsp)
Salt (1/3 tsp — to taste)
Flour (2 tsp)
Sauté mushrooms in the butter and oil. Add salt and simmer five minutes till cooked. In a bowl mix the flour with four tablespoons of the chicken gravy and stir till smooth. Add flour mixture to the remaining chicken gravy in the pan and cook stirring till slightly thick. Place chicken pieces in a shallow baking dish and pour mushroom sauce over them. Cook in a moderate oven for 15 minutes until heated through. Serve with boiled whole potatoes cut in half and deep-fried.

 

QUICK ORANGE SOUFFLÉ
(Serves 4)
Milk (1 cup)
Egg (1 — separated)
Sugar (1 tsp)
Unflavored gelatin (3 tsp)
Orange squash (1 cup)
In a bowl mix egg yolk and sugar. Bring milk to the boil and add two tbsp to egg mixture. Pour egg mixture into hot milk and continue cooking on very low heat till mixture begins to thicken. Remove pan from heat and allow to cool. Soak gelatin in three tablespoons water, then add a little more water and cook over low heat till dissolved.
Add orange squash to milk custard and blend well. Add gelatin and blend again. Chill in refrigerator till just beginning to set. Beat egg white till soft peaks form. Fold into milk mixture, pour into a bowl and chill in refrigerator till firm.