sesame seeds
Ground cinnamon, for garnish
Maple or date sugar, for garnish
Combine the amaranth, turkey, and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, covered, for about 30 minutes, until the amaranth is very soft.
Turn off the heat and stir in the milk, butter, and salt. Ladle the porridge into bowls for serving. Top each bowl with a sprinkling of sesame seeds, cinnamon, and maple sugar.
Vegetarian Option
Omit the turkey or replace it with an equivalent amount of cooked aduki beans or pinto beans.
cleansing spring nettle soup
In the lush northern province of Mazandaran between the Caspian Sea and the snowy Alborz Mountains, nettles are so profuse that there is even a town, Gazaneh, named for the prickly plant. Nettles, widely considered a blood tonic and a cure for hay fever, make for a nourishing and cleansing spring soup with a rich herbal flavor that’s especially popular during Norooz (Persian New Year). My very light and brothy take on nettle soup calls for boiling the nettles in 10 cups of water, but I’d suggest adding a bit more, because the cooking water—also called nettle tea—makes a tasty, healthful tonic on its own. Remember that raw nettles sting, so protect your hands with sturdy rubber gloves until after they’ve been boiled, when the stingers have melted away. If you can’t find nettles, spinach makes an excellent stand-in.
serves 6
10 cups vegetable stock or water
1 pound stinging nettles or spinach
2 yellow onions, finely diced
3 tablespoons grapeseed oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 pound fresh peas or thawed frozen peas
1 cup loosely packed fresh spearmint, coarsely chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
Bring the stock to a boil in a large pot. While the stock heats, don sturdy rubber gloves and tear the nettle leaves from the stems. Wash the leaves in cold water, then add to the stock and boil for 1 minute. Drain into a colander placed over a large container to reserve the stock, and finely chop the nettles.
Rinse the pot and put it back on the stove over medium heat. Add the oil, followed by the onions, and cook for about 5 minutes, until soft. Add the garlic, turmeric, cayenne, and reserved cooking stock and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, add the nettles, and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the peas and cook for about 5 minutes, until just tender. Stir in the spearmint and season with salt and pepper. Add the lemon juice just before serving.
bean, herb, and noodle soup
ash-e reshteh
This classic Persian country-style soup can be served as a hearty starter or a full-fledged meal in itself. Feel free to substitute fava beans, navy beans, mung beans, or black-eyed peas for the beans used here. This soup gets better with time, so I recommend making it several hours or even a day ahead.
serves 6 to 8
3 yellow onions
½ cup grapeseed oil
2 cups cooked chickpeas (one 15-ounce can, drained and rinsed)
2 cups cooked kidney beans (one 15-ounce can, drained and rinsed)
4 cups frozen lima beans (one 16-ounce bag)
½ cup lentils
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
3 heaping tablespoons dried dill weed
3 heaping tablespoons dried mint
12 cups vegetable or chicken stock
Sea salt
6 ounces linguine noodles, broken into thirds
3 cups coarsely chopped kale, collards, or spinach (stems discarded)
⅓ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1½ cups thick Greek-style yogurt, for garnish
Dice 1 of the onions. Heat a large stockpot over medium heat and add 3 tablespoons of the oil. Add the onion and cook for 10 minutes, until it starts to brown. Add the chickpeas, kidney beans, lima beans, lentils, garlic, turmeric, dill, and 1 tablespoon of the mint. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Decrease the heat and simmer gently, covered, for 1 hour to blend the flavors.
Slice the remaining 2 onions into thin half-moons. Heat a medium skillet over
Ground cinnamon, for garnish
Maple or date sugar, for garnish
Combine the amaranth, turkey, and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, covered, for about 30 minutes, until the amaranth is very soft.
Turn off the heat and stir in the milk, butter, and salt. Ladle the porridge into bowls for serving. Top each bowl with a sprinkling of sesame seeds, cinnamon, and maple sugar.
Vegetarian Option
Omit the turkey or replace it with an equivalent amount of cooked aduki beans or pinto beans.
cleansing spring nettle soup
In the lush northern province of Mazandaran between the Caspian Sea and the snowy Alborz Mountains, nettles are so profuse that there is even a town, Gazaneh, named for the prickly plant. Nettles, widely considered a blood tonic and a cure for hay fever, make for a nourishing and cleansing spring soup with a rich herbal flavor that’s especially popular during Norooz (Persian New Year). My very light and brothy take on nettle soup calls for boiling the nettles in 10 cups of water, but I’d suggest adding a bit more, because the cooking water—also called nettle tea—makes a tasty, healthful tonic on its own. Remember that raw nettles sting, so protect your hands with sturdy rubber gloves until after they’ve been boiled, when the stingers have melted away. If you can’t find nettles, spinach makes an excellent stand-in.
serves 6
10 cups vegetable stock or water
1 pound stinging nettles or spinach
2 yellow onions, finely diced
3 tablespoons grapeseed oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 pound fresh peas or thawed frozen peas
1 cup loosely packed fresh spearmint, coarsely chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
Bring the stock to a boil in a large pot. While the stock heats, don sturdy rubber gloves and tear the nettle leaves from the stems. Wash the leaves in cold water, then add to the stock and boil for 1 minute. Drain into a colander placed over a large container to reserve the stock, and finely chop the nettles.
Rinse the pot and put it back on the stove over medium heat. Add the oil, followed by the onions, and cook for about 5 minutes, until soft. Add the garlic, turmeric, cayenne, and reserved cooking stock and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, add the nettles, and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the peas and cook for about 5 minutes, until just tender. Stir in the spearmint and season with salt and pepper. Add the lemon juice just before serving.
bean, herb, and noodle soup
ash-e reshteh
This classic Persian country-style soup can be served as a hearty starter or a full-fledged meal in itself. Feel free to substitute fava beans, navy beans, mung beans, or black-eyed peas for the beans used here. This soup gets better with time, so I recommend making it several hours or even a day ahead.
serves 6 to 8
3 yellow onions
½ cup grapeseed oil
2 cups cooked chickpeas (one 15-ounce can, drained and rinsed)
2 cups cooked kidney beans (one 15-ounce can, drained and rinsed)
4 cups frozen lima beans (one 16-ounce bag)
½ cup lentils
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
3 heaping tablespoons dried dill weed
3 heaping tablespoons dried mint
12 cups vegetable or chicken stock
Sea salt
6 ounces linguine noodles, broken into thirds
3 cups coarsely chopped kale, collards, or spinach (stems discarded)
⅓ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1½ cups thick Greek-style yogurt, for garnish
Dice 1 of the onions. Heat a large stockpot over medium heat and add 3 tablespoons of the oil. Add the onion and cook for 10 minutes, until it starts to brown. Add the chickpeas, kidney beans, lima beans, lentils, garlic, turmeric, dill, and 1 tablespoon of the mint. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Decrease the heat and simmer gently, covered, for 1 hour to blend the flavors.
Slice the remaining 2 onions into thin half-moons. Heat a medium skillet over
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