Savory Throw-Together

I am ashamed. This being my favorite comfort food, I have no real name for it. I called it “Persian Goulash” before I found out that goulash is more of a stew/soup. It has a Persian name but I can’t remember it and even if I could, I probably couldn’t pronounce it or spell it.

So for now it’s a “throw-together” and it’s the best throw-together in the world.

It’s delightfully Americanized and can be made with four basic ingredients, two of which come from CANS. And no, I’m not ashamed to say I prefer canned green beans in this dish. I do not prefer canned green beans as a rule, but they work well here.


What makes this meal so great is that is has all those delicious savory components mingling together over plain rice. The rice soaks up all of the flavors and makes everyone happy. Mostly me.

Just be liberal with the seasonings because you’ve got very plain potatoes that need love and also rice that will cut the flavor if it seems too strong.

Savory Throw-Together:
½ lb ground beef
2 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes
1 14.5 oz can cut green beans
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
3 tbsp saffron-infused water
3-4 tbsp lemon juice (just squeeze/pour away *coughcough*)
1 tsp black pepper
Lots of salt

Brown ground beef over medium-high heat, set aside. Heat 1-2 tbsp oil in a large pan over medium-high heat and cook potatoes until tender, mixing occasionally. You want a nice brown crust over them without burning them before they have time to soften. This can take 6-10 minutes depending on how large the cubes are.

Once the potatoes are tender, return ground beef to pan along with green beans, tomatoes, saffron, lemon juice, pepper, and salt. Cook for 4-5 minutes more until all items are heated through and flavorful.

Serve over Basmati or similar long-grain rice!

Serves 4-5. (Really good leftovers, and I hate leftovers so trust me)

--Jirafa

Saffron French Fries

These are stars of my youth. The first time my father made these, I remember glaring at him and cursing him for withholding these from me until my 11th or 12th year of age, all while jamming as many in my mouth as I possibly could at one time.

When I was feeling particularly difficult, I would order my mother into the kitchen and oversee the potato cooking process like a nervous addict in need of her fix.

And now that I’m an adult, I can spoil myself with saffron French fries whenever I darn well please.



Because they’re insultingly easy you know. Ovens are helpful like that. You can also fry these in light oil in a frying pan, but I've just lost too many shirts to oil spots to continue that. Besides, think of how many pages of reading you can NOT do while these are cooking in the oven!




Saffron French Fries:

2 yukon gold potatoes, washed well (russet also work fine)
1 tbsp oil (vegetable, olive, whatever)
3 tbsp Saffron-infused water
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

Slice potatoes into wedges. Coat with remaining ingredients and spread over a baking sheet.

Bake for 25 minutes, flipping halfway to ensure even browning (if you’re lazy like me and just care about fries, leave ‘em alone and they’ll be fine).

I serve these with a yogurt dip that 98% of the people I know won’t touch. But if you’re the rare plain yogurt lover or if you were raised under one of those cultures that raise babies on Abali yogurt instead of milk (joking, joking), you’ll love this. Because you probably eat plain yogurt out of the container for fun. You weirdo. Pass me a spoon.

1-2 heaping tablespoonfuls of plain yogurt
½ tsp lemon juice
½ tsp dill weed
And you’ve got a dip.

Serves two.

--Jirafa

First Post! Red Ashe.

Today is a celebration of both my first post AND my birthday! Yay!

Red Ashe (pronounced “osh”) is my favorite soup ever. Mama Pita learned to cook it by watching Papa Pita’s cousins and I learned to cook it from watching her. (Let it be known that the best way to learn to cook is through observation. And demanding taste tests.) There are many variations of Ashe (“soup” in Farsi) and I’ve only tried a few, but loved them all. I hope to one day visit Iran and taste authentic Ashe for myself; until then, this will have to do.

There is much to be said about the herbs in this soup. I like to fill the sink with cold water and soak them; the smell of cilantro, parsley, and green onion mingling is heavenly. It’s enough to pique even my scent-challenged roommate.



Have you ever seen a more beautiful sight?



The real challenge is separating the cilantro and parsley from the stems. If you’re lazy like my father, you can cut the leaves off before you untie the bunches and soak them. I prefer to do it the hard way and separate them by hand because then I can be sure that no stems will sneak into my soup. It’s really a matter of how much stem you can handle.



After you’ve separated the leaves off the cilantro and parsley, throw them into a large soup pot. Chop the green onions and toss those in too, followed by ½ stick of butter, 6 oz tomato paste, 1 cup of rice, and enough water to just cover the vegetables. It will look like quite a lot in the pot, but it will wilt down as it cooks.



While this is going on, it’s time to prep the saffron. You’ll want a pinch of saffron to about one cup of HOT water. Put the saffron into a mug or a measuring cup and pour one cup of boiling water over it. Cover and let it steep for a few minutes. It will turn from a lovely golden color to a deep and beautiful orange color. Be sure to admire it for a few minutes.

Let the soup boil for about 20 minutes., then turn the temperature down to medium and add the black eyed peas. At this time, salt and pepper it. There’s no good measurement for the amount of salt needed since I’m a salt-a-holic and tend to hold a container of Morton’s over the pot while I yawn. So be sure to taste the soup frequently and adjust to your tastes. At this time you can also add in the saffron and lemon juice. Again, lemon juice somewhat to taste. I am also a lemon-a-holic in addition to being a salt-a-holic and Mama Pita would be cross when she found her soup suddenly saltier and sourer than it had been before she’d left the kitchen.

Sweet Potato Lesson #1: Never leave food unattended if I’m around. I firmly believe there is nothing that can’t be improved with copious amounts of lemon juice.

Let the soup cook for another 5-10 minutes, so the beans can heat through and the saffron and lemon juice have time to share their glorious flavorfulness. Yes. Flavorfulness. Learn it, love it, share it.

At this point, feel free to steal one of your roommate’s photogenic Mikasa bowls and plate the simple, delicious soup. Then promptly trip over your fat cat that snuck under your feet when he saw you had hot food that could burn him.

Devour. Well, let it cool a bit. Then devour!




Red Ashe

½ stick butter
1 cup of basmati rice (long-grain)
6oz of tomato paste
2 bunches each of cilantro, parsley, and green onion
3-4 tablespoons lemon juice
*3 tablespoons saffron-infused water
2 cans black-eyed peas, rinsed
Salt and pepper to taste

Rinse the vegetables and separate the leaves from the stems. Chop the green onion and add all herbs to a large soup pot. To this add 1 cup of long-grain rice, a 6oz can of tomato paste, and ½ stick of butter. Fill with water until the vegetables are just covered. Turn onto high and let soup boil for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to mix in the tomato paste. After 20 minutes, turn the heat down to medium and add two cans of rinsed black-eyed peas, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and saffron. Heat through for another 5-10 minutes.

*To make saffron-infused water, add 1 cup of boiling water to 1 pinch of saffron threads. (1 pinch being whatever fits between your thumb and forefinger. If you’re using your knuckles to pick up a gumball-sized amount you’ve gone way too far.)

You can find saffron at most grocery stores now, for the low-low price of $1000 per thread. Trader Joe’s sells Spanish saffron for a reasonable price—Spanish saffron will work just as well, although I prefer Iranian-imported saffron. Your best bet is to find a Middle Eastern or International market. Very few markets will keep saffron out because of how much it’s worth so if you don’t see it, ask the cashier.

This soup is good to make when you’re expecting a few people. If you’re making it for one or two, expect to be eating it for at least three days.

-Pita

Next recipe: Apricot Almond Cake (Scheduled post: Tuesday, November 11)