Persian Shaami

My grandmother used to make the best kind of Shaami that there is out there. They were not only delicious but looked interesting too. Shaamis are meat patties that look like donuts. I call them donut burgers. Grandma's kitchen consisted of a small portable gas cook top next to her bed and a small table filled with spices and the entire cooking gadget she needed because of her severe case of rheumatoid arthritis. Amongst all the spices, her jar of turmeric stands out in my mind after all these years. At a very young age I was fascinated by her cooking especially the way she prepared shaami kabab. I don’t remember the exact measurements of the ingredients she'd use but this is my best attempt to make shaami as close in taste to hers as possible.

Ingredients:

1 pound ground meat (lamb or beef)
1 cup cooked chickpeas or yellow split peas (grind in a food processor)
1 medium onion (grated)

1 garlic clove (minced)

1 potato, cooked (grated)
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/3 of teaspoon dissolved saffron in 2-3 tablespoons hot water
Dash of cinnamon
Salt and pepper to taste
Oil for frying

Method:

1. In a large bowl combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly until well blended. 
2. Heat oil in a large frying pan on medium heat. 
3. Take a handful of the meat mixture, shape into a small ball, flatten it as the size of the palm of your hand, make a hole in the middle with your finger. 
4. Fry the meat patties on both sides until brown. 

Serve with fresh herbs, yogurt, pickles and warm bread.

Enjoy!

Mirza Ghasemi

Mirza Ghasemi is a tasty and delicious dish from the northern region of Iran. Once you taste this dish you are going to fall in love with it, especially if you like eggplants and garlic. It's one of my favorites but of course I love any dish that has eggplants in it. This is a vegetarian no meat casserole, a combination of tomatoes, lots of garlic, mashed grilled eggplants with salt and pepper and turmeric as the only spice. Some people fry chopped onion along with the garlic. But as I understand it the authentic mirza ghasemi is cooked without any onion. It is usually served as a side dish, an appetizer or a light lunch.

Ingredients:
Serves 4

2 large eggplants
3 large tomatoes, remove the skin and chop into small pieces
7 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon turmeric
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Pierce the eggplants and bake for 40 minutes in the oven until soft in the inside and the skin is crispy on the outside. Or grill them on a barbecue grill until eggplants are well cooked. Set aside to cool. 
3. Remove the skin and mash the eggplant with a fork.
4. In a skillet saute chopped garlic in hot oil until light brown on medium heat. Add in the turmeric and stir. 
5. Add the mashed eggplant and cook for about 15-20 minutes, stirring thoroughly. 
6. Add chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, salt and pepper to the mix, stir well and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes over medium heat. 
7. Pour the beaten eggs over the eggplant mixture, stir until well blended. Cook for about 3-4 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary.

Serve on a platter with warm pita bread and fresh herbs.

Enjoy!

Abgousht - Traditional Iranian Lamb Stew

Abgousht/abgoosht is a hearty soup that is very popular in Iran especially for cold and snowy winter days. However, abgousht is made throughout the year regardless of the weather conditions. It takes very little time to gather all the ingredients to prepare this dish but it takes at least a couple of hours to cook. You can also, cook abgousht in a pressure cooker or a slow cooker (crock pot).



Abgousht is a great dish to share with close friends and family members. Abgousht consists of two great meals in one. The main dish is the strained soup itself, and the side dish (goosht koobideh) is all the ingredients that get mashed together. This is the dish that my mother used to strongly recommend that I make once a week and invite my close relatives to share it with! This is the recipe that was passed down from my mother to me.

Ingredients:
Serves 4-6

2 large lamb shanks
1 cup white beans, soaked overnight
1 cup chickpeas, soaked overnight
1 large onion, peeled and quartered
3 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
3 medium tomatoes, cut into four pieces
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3-4 dried lemons (limoo-amani), available in Persian specialty stores.
Salt and pepper to taste
Water

Method:

1. In a large pot bring eight cups of water to a boil, lower the heat, add the turmeric powder and stir. 
2. Gently place the lamb shanks in the water and add all the other ingredients except potatoes. Cover and cook for about 2 hours over medium heat. 
3. Add the potatoes halfway through the cooking time and continue cooking until meat is fully cooked and tender. Add more water if needed. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
4. Before serving remove the bones from the soup and pass the soup through a sieve. 
5. Pour the soup into a large serving bowl. 
6. Add a couple of tablespoons of the beans, meat and potatoes back to the soup. 
7. Using a meat pounder mash the lamb, potatoes and beans mixture, or use a food processor to make a smooth meat spread.

Abgousht is usually served for lunch along with warm bead (sangak), fresh herbs, slices of raw onion and eggplant pickles (torshi liteh).

Enjoy!

Saffron Ice Cream

Growing up in Iran, there weren’t all these special and unique kinds of flavored gourmet ice creams that is available today in the market. However, we’d get to taste the plain and delicious vanilla ice cream flavored with saffron and rose water and some chunks of frozen heavy cream for the added taste and texture. That was a great summer desert that was served either in a small bowl or placed in between two round wafers. This is the easiest way to make an Akbar Mashti Iranian semi home-made ice cream. This makes an aromatic and tasty dessert.

Saffron Ice Cream

Ingredients:

Half gallon of your favorite vanilla ice cream, softened in room temperature
1-2 cups heavy cream
1/3 teaspoon saffron, dissolved in 2-3 tablespoons of hot water
2 tablespoons rose water

Garnish:

Crushed pistachios, toasted almonds, slivered almonds

Method:

1. Pour the heavy cream into a flat plastic container and leave it in the freezer overnight or until frozen.
2. Take the heavy cream out of the freezer and cut into small cubes. 
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the softened vanilla ice cream, cream pieces, liquid saffron and the rose water. Mix thoroughly, transfer mixture into freezer-safe container and freeze for at least two hours before serving. 

Serve in a glass bowl, garnish with crushed pistachios and slivered almonds.

Enjoy!