The New Persian Kitchen (30 page)

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Authors: Louisa Shafia

BOOK: The New Persian Kitchen
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Persians have been pickling, canning, drying, and fermenting their harvests for millennia, in part out of sheer necessity and in part for pure gustatory pleasure. An arid land from time immemorial, Iran’s agricultural prowess began in the sixth century BCE, when King Cyrus helped expand an already existing system of underground irrigation channels called
qanats.
These subterranean waterways transported millions of gallons of water from Iran’s mountainous snow-fed aquifers out to the parched, virtually uninhabitable regions of Iran.
The result was what must have appeared to be a magical blossoming of lush fruit, vegetable, and flower gardens in the midst of the once-barren Iranian desert. These remarkable oases were dubbed
pairidaeza
, or “walled
gardens,” and to this day our English word “paradise” is a living echo of their miraculous effect. Still, a desert is a desert, and the Persian penchant for pickling and preserving grew out of a clear need to quickly protect as much of this rare desert produce as possible.
To this day, Persian preserves and pickles boast many extraordinary concoctions, and what follows is a small selection using some of Iran’s most exquisite ingredients. The
Sour Cherry and Rose Preserves
lend breakfast or snack time a hint of flowery fragrance, and the sweet zing of the
Tamarind Date Chutney
and
Fig Mustard
scintillates on a salty cheese platter or in a sandwich. Garlic enthusiasts may want to munch on the
Garlic and Sun-Dried Tomato Pickle
on its own, while the bracingly tart
Torshi
is in a class by itself as a briny balance to a succulent Persian meal.
The following recipes may be canned as you would other pickles and jams, but most of them can be stored in the refrigerator for several months in either clean glass bowls with fitted rubber lids or in glass jars.
sour plum pickle
gojeh sabz
Perfectly round and pale green, sour plums make a crisp and tangy pickle. In Iran, these puckering fruits are pickled, cooked with meat to lend lightness to a stew, or eaten raw with nothing but a pinch of salt. You can find sour plums on the West Coast of the United States in April, and on the East Coast in May, but these pickles can be made with unripe plums of any variety. (
See photo
.)
makes 4 cups
8 ounces sour plums
¼ cup dried mint
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 cup white wine vinegar
3 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ cup maple syrup
With a fork, poke several holes in the plums so the pickling liquid can penetrate, and place them in a clean glass bowl.
Combine the mint, garlic, vinegar, water, kosher salt, and maple syrup in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 1 minute, then pour the mixture over the plums. Let the pickles cool to room temperature, then cover and marinate in the refrigerator overnight.
The pickles are ready to eat the next day, but will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 weeks.
mixed vegetable pickle
torshi
Many a national pickle—Korean kimchi, German sauerkraut—is so central to a country’s cuisine that a meal seems incomplete without them, and that’s certainly true of
torshi. Torshi
gets its earthy taste from ground
golpar
, or angelica seeds, and smoky nigella seeds, also called black onion seeds or
kalonji.
(
See photo
.)
makes 3 quarts
2 pounds eggplant
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 pound cauliflower florets, broken into small pieces
1 pound carrots, finely diced
About 1 cup tightly packed fresh tarragon
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
2 tablespoons nigella seeds
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
1 teaspoon ground golpar
2 tablespoons dried mint
4¼ cups white wine vinegar, plus more if needed
1 tablespoon kosher salt
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Peel the eggplant and cut into small dice. Spread on the baking sheets and sprinkle ¼ teaspoon of the sea salt over each sheet. Bake, stirring gently every 10 minutes to prevent sticking, for 40 minutes, until the eggplant is very soft. Let cool to room temperature.
Combine the cauliflower, carrots, and eggplant in a large bowl. Crush the tarragon in your palms to bring out the flavor and coarsely chop. Add the tarragon, garlic, and shallot to the vegetables.
In a hot, dry skillet, toast the nigella and coriander seeds for 30 seconds, then transfer to a plate to cool. Add the seeds,
golpar
, and mint to the vegetables, and mix well. Place the vegetables in a large, clean glass bowl with a fitted rubber lid or in glass jars.
Pour the vinegar into a large bowl. Add the kosher salt and whisk to dissolve, then pour over the vegetables to cover them completely. Add more vinegar to cover if necessary. Seal with the lid and store in the refrigerator. The pickles will be ready to eat in 2 weeks and will last for about 6 months in the refrigerator.
turnip and beet pickle
You’ll find versions of this bright pink pickle throughout Middle Eastern cuisine. Tucked into flatbread, it makes a crisp and tangy addition to hot sandwiches, like the
Potato Cakes with Tamarind Sauce
or the
Sweet and Smoky Beet Burgers
. These pickles are very tasty after 3 weeks, and even better after 6 weeks. (
See photo
.)
makes about 2 quarts
2 cups water
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons honey
1 cup white wine vinegar, plus more if needed
1½ pounds red beets, peeled
1 pound turnips or rutabagas, peeled
4 cloves garlic, crushed
Heat the water to boiling. Add the salt and honey and whisk to dissolve. Turn off the heat and let cool to room temperature. Stir in the vinegar.
Slice the beets and turnips into thin French-fry batons, about ¼ inch wide. Place the beets, turnips, and garlic in a large, clean glass bowl that has a fitted rubber lid or in glass jars.
Pour the pickling liquid over the vegetables. Add more vinegar to cover if necessary, then seal with a lid and refrigerate. The pickles will be ready to eat in 3 weeks and will last for about 6 months in the refrigerator.

Clockwise from left:
Turnip and Beet Pickle
,
Tamarind Date Chutney
,
Mixed Vegetable Pickle
,
Fig Mustard
,
Garlic and Sun-Dried Tomato Pickle

garlic and sun-dried tomato pickle
torsh-e sir
Pickled garlic is an Iranian delicacy. Aged as long as five, ten, even twenty-five years, the longer the garlic is pickled, the more precious it is. The samples I’ve tasted are pickled simply in red wine vinegar, but this bright, crisp condiment benefits from the addition of sun-dried tomatoes and a splash of sweet honey. Multiply this recipe as many times as you like. Use
½
teaspoon each of salt and sugar for every cup of vinegar that’s used. For the best results, use young, fresh, unblemished garlic. (
See photo
.)
makes 1 cup
1 head garlic, separated into cloves
1 or 2 dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes, torn
½ teaspoon organic cane sugar
1 tablespoon honey
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Red wine vinegar, to cover
Prepare a bowl of ice water and bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Drop the garlic into the boiling water and boil for 2 minutes, then drain and immediately immerse in the ice water. When cool, pull off the skins. Slice off any brown or broken spots, and place the garlic in a clean glass pint jar.
Add the sun-dried tomatoes to the garlic, followed by the sugar, honey, and kosher salt. Add vinegar to cover, seal, and shake to dissolve the sugar, honey, and salt. Label the jar with the date and store it in the refrigerator.
The pickles are tasty within a few days but will be really flavorful in 2 weeks. When serving, remove portions with a clean spoon. The pickles will last for about 6 months in the refrigerator and acquire a more intense flavor with time.
fig mustard
Half mustard and half jam, this sweet and spicy fig spread is textured with tiny, supple fig seeds that tease the tongue. Its pungent fruit essence complements a platter of rich cheese and lends a sweet acidity to sandwiches and salad dressings. Toasting the mustard seeds helps to bring their flavor to life, but just 30 seconds is plenty of time—they can burn quickly. Use either a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder to coarsely grind the mustard seeds. (
See photo
.)

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