high heat and add the remaining 5 tablespoons oil. Add the onions and panfry, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes, until golden. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons mint and sauté about 2 minutes, until soft and fragrant.
In the last 30 minutes of cooking, add the noodles and leafy greens to the soup, and stir well so that the noodles don’t clump. Stir in 2 teaspoons sea salt. When the noodles are tender, add the lemon juice and season to taste. Serve garnished with a large dollop of yogurt and a spoonful of the fried onions.
chicken with potatoes and olives
Persians love French culture, and that’s reflected in their favorite chicken salad known as salad olivieh , typically made with potatoes, eggs, and lots of mayonnaise. Created by a French chef in Moscow, the recipe traveled to Iran with the many immigrants who found safe haven there after the Russian Revolution. These days you’ll find it on the menu of most Persian restaurants in the United States. This version, made with yogurt, green olives, and lemon juice, is less of a Franco-Russian approach and more of a Mediterranean one. Serve it plain, over salad greens, or in a sandwich stuffed with crisp lettuce leaves.
serves 6
1½ pounds fingerling potatoes or other waxy potatoes, scrubbed
Sea salt
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
6 scallions, green and white parts, thinly sliced
1 cup thick Greek-style yogurt
3 cups (1 pound) coarsely chopped skinless cooked chicken
1 cup pitted green olives, halved
1 cup tightly packed chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Freshly ground black pepper
Place the potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Add 2 teaspoons salt and bring to a boil, then simmer, covered, for about 25 minutes, until the potatoes are fork-tender. Drain, cool, and cut into halves or quarters, depending on their size.
Toast the mustard, coriander, and fennel seeds in a skillet over high heat for 1 minute. Let cool and grind in a spice grinder.
In a large bowl, whisk the spices with the oil, lemon juice, scallions, yogurt, and 2 teaspoons sea salt. Add the chicken and stir to coat. Fold in the potatoes, olives, and parsley. Season with salt and pepper, and serve.
Vegetarian Option
Replace the chicken with cooked chickpeas.
tomato and cucumber salad
salad shirazi
This crisp salad makes a refreshing accompaniment to heavier foods because it’s dressed very simply with fresh lime juice. Use heirloom tomatoes and cucumbers in different hues when they’re in season. My friend Somayeh, a graduate student in Philadelphia, taught me how to make this salad, and when I prepare it, I picture her rubbing the mint between her palms and letting it fall in a flurry of green over the vegetables.
serves 4 to 6
3 or 4 medium unwaxed cucumbers (1 pound), sliced in half lengthwise
2 medium to large tomatoes (1 pound), diced
½ white or yellow onion, diced
2 tablespoons dried mint
½ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Seed and dice the cucumbers, and combine them with the tomatoes and onion. Hold your hands over the salad and rub the mint between your palms so that the oils in your skin activate the flavor.
Add the lime juice, season with salt and pepper, and stir gently to mix. Serve immediately.
shavedcelery root and pomegranate salad
DuringHannukah, it’s customary to eat fried foods to commemorate the miracle of the oil that lasted for eight days and nights. According to historians, that precious substance was olive oil, which has been produced in Israel for thousands of years. In addition to fried latkes— the traditional holiday favorite—try this crisp, palate-cleansing salad that’s dressed with olive oil and features Iran’s most storied fruit. It’s so tangy and fruity, you may even want to put it right on your latkes.
serves 6
3 tablespoons freshly
In the last 30 minutes of cooking, add the noodles and leafy greens to the soup, and stir well so that the noodles don’t clump. Stir in 2 teaspoons sea salt. When the noodles are tender, add the lemon juice and season to taste. Serve garnished with a large dollop of yogurt and a spoonful of the fried onions.
chicken with potatoes and olives
Persians love French culture, and that’s reflected in their favorite chicken salad known as salad olivieh , typically made with potatoes, eggs, and lots of mayonnaise. Created by a French chef in Moscow, the recipe traveled to Iran with the many immigrants who found safe haven there after the Russian Revolution. These days you’ll find it on the menu of most Persian restaurants in the United States. This version, made with yogurt, green olives, and lemon juice, is less of a Franco-Russian approach and more of a Mediterranean one. Serve it plain, over salad greens, or in a sandwich stuffed with crisp lettuce leaves.
serves 6
1½ pounds fingerling potatoes or other waxy potatoes, scrubbed
Sea salt
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
6 scallions, green and white parts, thinly sliced
1 cup thick Greek-style yogurt
3 cups (1 pound) coarsely chopped skinless cooked chicken
1 cup pitted green olives, halved
1 cup tightly packed chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Freshly ground black pepper
Place the potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Add 2 teaspoons salt and bring to a boil, then simmer, covered, for about 25 minutes, until the potatoes are fork-tender. Drain, cool, and cut into halves or quarters, depending on their size.
Toast the mustard, coriander, and fennel seeds in a skillet over high heat for 1 minute. Let cool and grind in a spice grinder.
In a large bowl, whisk the spices with the oil, lemon juice, scallions, yogurt, and 2 teaspoons sea salt. Add the chicken and stir to coat. Fold in the potatoes, olives, and parsley. Season with salt and pepper, and serve.
Vegetarian Option
Replace the chicken with cooked chickpeas.
tomato and cucumber salad
salad shirazi
This crisp salad makes a refreshing accompaniment to heavier foods because it’s dressed very simply with fresh lime juice. Use heirloom tomatoes and cucumbers in different hues when they’re in season. My friend Somayeh, a graduate student in Philadelphia, taught me how to make this salad, and when I prepare it, I picture her rubbing the mint between her palms and letting it fall in a flurry of green over the vegetables.
serves 4 to 6
3 or 4 medium unwaxed cucumbers (1 pound), sliced in half lengthwise
2 medium to large tomatoes (1 pound), diced
½ white or yellow onion, diced
2 tablespoons dried mint
½ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Seed and dice the cucumbers, and combine them with the tomatoes and onion. Hold your hands over the salad and rub the mint between your palms so that the oils in your skin activate the flavor.
Add the lime juice, season with salt and pepper, and stir gently to mix. Serve immediately.
shavedcelery root and pomegranate salad
DuringHannukah, it’s customary to eat fried foods to commemorate the miracle of the oil that lasted for eight days and nights. According to historians, that precious substance was olive oil, which has been produced in Israel for thousands of years. In addition to fried latkes— the traditional holiday favorite—try this crisp, palate-cleansing salad that’s dressed with olive oil and features Iran’s most storied fruit. It’s so tangy and fruity, you may even want to put it right on your latkes.
serves 6
3 tablespoons freshly
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