Nowruz (Persian New Year) Recipes
Nowruz is the Persian New Year celebration and also the official start of spring. It dates to the Achaemenid Persian Empire, some 2500 years ago, and is celebrated by peoples of various religions in Iran, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Albania, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kurdistan, and Georgia. The main dish of the feast is a whole fish, which represents life and good luck, served on herbed rice, but the table is typically filled with side dishes featuring other symbolic ingredients along with plenty of sweets. Some of the culinary symbols invoked for Nowruz are fresh green herbs for spring and new beginnings; eggs for fertility; nuts and dried fruits for luck and prosperity; noodles for the threads of life; and lentils for prosperity.
Abby Schweber
Ash-e-Reshteh Persian New Year’s Bean Soup
“Ash” means soup and “Reshteh” is a type of thin noodle, so this dish literally translated is noodle soup, but it is so much than that. It would be more accurate to call it a stew or a pottage. This vegetarian dish, made of beans, greens, and noodles, is given a touch of sourness with the addition of a fermented dairy product called kashk, and is served at special occasions like New Years. Persian Jews serve it for Purim at about the same time of year. Makes a big pot of soup.
2 cups fresh herbs (any two or more of mint, parsley, cilantro, and dill)
1 can chickpeas
I can beans (any of red kidney beans, white beans, or pinto beans)
1 cup dried lentils
1 bunch spring onions*
Juice of ½ lemon
12 oz. spinach*
3 Tbs. olive oil
1 onion*
3 cloves garlic*
2 tsp. turmeric*
2 tsp. salt
2 quarts low-salt vegetable stock
8 oz. spaghetti or linguine
1 cup sour cream
Another onion and more oil to make a garnish, optional
*These ingredients can be found at the Harrisonburg Farmers Market
Method
Remove any thick stems from herbs and root ends from spring onions. Cut into 2-3” lengths. Place herbs, spring onions, and lemon juice in your food processor with the chopping blade, and pulse until finely chopped.
Drain and rinse canned beans. Remove any thick stems from the spinach and roughly chop the leaves.
Thinly slice onion and finely dice garlic. Sauté onion in oil in a large pot on medium heat until translucent, stirring regularly, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and turmeric, and continue to stir and sauté for 1-2 more minutes.
Add lentils, herbs, spinach, beans, stock, and salt to the pot, turn the heat to high until it comes to a boil, then reduce to medium low and simmer for 30 minutes.
Turn the heat to medium, break pasta in half and add to the soup, then stir until the soup is boiling and you are sure the pasta won’t clump. Continue cooking according to the pasta package directions.
Take the soup off the heat and mix in sour cream or serve with dollops of sour cream on top.
Optional garnish: while the soup is cooking, you can fry thinly-sliced onion until golden brown to garnish.
Shirazi Salad
This dish is popular all over the Middle East and goes by many names, including Arab salad, Shirazi salad, Palestinian salad, Jerusalem salad, and Israeli salad. There are long-standing arguments over where it was first developed, but no one knows for certain. The recipe is nearly the same everywhere, with only small differences, like parsley versus cilantro and whether to include mint. Some versions leave out the bell peppers and in various places you can find home cooks including ingredients like feta cheese or chickpeas to add protein. This is a pretty classic version that you can find in many countries, either as a side dish or stuffed into a pita bread with meat or falafel or grilled vegetables. The Persian version has mint and red onion. [I added bell peppers, which are not usual, b/c available in the market now – or take them out]
Tip: If I’m serving this salad to children or people with sensitive palates, I leave out the red onion.
1 - 1½ lb. tomatoes
1 – 1½ lb. cucumber
3 bell peppers (I like to use a mix of red and one green for the color, but it really doesn’t matter)
½ cup red onion (optional)
1 cup parsley or cilantro
2 tbs. dried mint
1 lime
¼ cup olive oil
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
*These ingredients can be found at the Harrisonburg Farmers Market
Method
Cut red onion into thin quarter moons. Soak in water to reduce harshness.
Cut tomatoes, cucumbers, and bell peppers into ½” dice and place in a large bowl.
Finely chop the parsley or cilantro and add to the bowl.
Juice lime into the bowl.
Add the remaining ingredients and stir it all together. Let sit for at least 15 minutes for flavors to meld.
Kuku Aabzi Herb and Spinach/Lettuce Frittata
Kuku, or kookoo, is the Persian version of frittata, but it has some key differences from an Italian frittata. Rather than a thick, creamy egg custard with a few bits of embedded stuff, the kuku is a light, airy egg structure that just binds together the main ingredients. There are many kinds of kuku, including different kinds of vegetables, meat, or seafood, but this herb and berry version is traditionally served for Nowruz. In Central Asia, they use barberries, but since those are not readily available in the US, dried cranberries have become a common substitute. The baking powder is what makes the eggs light and airy, if you don’t like your eggs that way, you can replace it with corn starch for an Italian-style custard.
10 eggs*
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
½ tsp. cinnamon
2 cups romaine lettuce or spinach*
2 cups herbs (any two or all three of parsley, cilantro, and dill)
1 bunch spring onion*
1 cup craisins or dried barberries
Olive oil
*These ingredients can be found at the Harrisonburg Farmers Market
Method
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Roughly cut herb bunches into 2-3” lengths. Roughly cut lettuce or spinach into 2-3” strips, cutting through the stems. Remove root ends from spring onions and cut into 2-3” lengths. Install the chopping blade on your food processor and put as much of these greens in the bowl as fits easily along with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Pulse until greens are finely chopped, but not yet a paste. Repeat with any leftover greens and extra olive oil as needed.
In a large bowl, whisk eggs, baking powder, salt, pepper, and cinnamon until well blended.
Add greens and cranberries or barberries to the eggs, and stir until combined.
Grease a 9”x13” casserole dish with more olive oil, then pour in egg mixture. Bake until top is well-browned around the edges, about 40 minutes.
Let cool to room temperature and serve with yogurt.
