Location: The Middle East
Population: 87.6 million
Capital: Tehran
Geography: A mountainous nation that includes areas of forest, plateau, and desert
Language: Persian (Farsi)
Signature flavours: Fresh herbs (mint, parsley, cilantro, basil, tarragon), dried fruit, rice, nuts, bread, lamb, dairy, saffron, citrus, pomegranate, eggplant

The Menu

Honey and Vinegar Sharbat: A refreshing beverage made from honey and white wine vinegar, infused with mint and cucumber, and served ice cold.

Prep and cooking time: 45 min
Difficulty: 1/5

Sabzi Khordan: A platter of fresh herbs (sometimes including nuts, cheese, radishes, or figs) commonly enjoyed before a meal to whet the appetite and kickstart digestion.

Prep and cooking time: 10 min
Difficulty: 1/5

Zaytoon Parvardeh: Fat green olives, crunchy walnuts, and jewel-like pomegranate seeds in a marinade of fresh herbs, garlic, and pomegranate molasses.

Prep and cooking time: 5 min plus time to marinate
Difficulty: 1/5

Watermelon Salad: Fresh watermelon, chunks of salty feta cheese, and fresh mint leaves finished with a simple dressing of olive oil and black pepper.

Prep and cooking time: 5 min
Difficulty: 1/5

Potato Kookoo: Kookoo refers to any of a plethora of egg-based frittata-like dishes. This variety was a spiced fried potato and egg patty served with a spicy yoghurt dip.

Prep and cooking time: 45 min
Difficulty: 2/5

Chelo ba Tahdig: A staple of the Iranian table, this fragrant saffron-infused rice is crisped on the bottom of the pot to make the tahdig.

Prep and cooking time: 40 min
Difficulty: 4/5

Khoresh Ghormeh Sabzi: A fenugreek, parsley, and basil stew with black-eyed peas, onion, and garlic.

Prep and cooking time: 75 min
Difficulty: 2/5

Fish with Herbs and Peaches: A juicy piece of fish (I used perch) in a marinade of garlic, herbs, pomegranate molasses, pistachios, raisins, and peaches.

Prep and cooking time: 40 min
Difficulty: 2/5

Apricot and Pistachio Tart: A caramelly dessert loaded with golden apricots and served with a dollop of orange blossom-flavoured mascarpone.

Prep and cooking time: 45 min
Difficulty: 3/5

Pashmak: Hair-thin hand-pulled candy dipped in sesame paste during pulling for a sweet, nutty snack.

Prep and cooking time: 60 min
Difficulty: 5/5

Gol Gav Zaban: Tea made from borage flowers and dried limes.

Prep and cooking time: 10 min
Difficulty: 1/5

The Shopping List

I had a number of hard-to-find items for a shopper in rural Ontario, including pomegranate molasses and orange blossom water (both found at a nearby supermarket), saffron (found at our local bulk store), and glucose syrup for the pashmak, which after much searching was found at a craft store. Everything else was easy to source from our local markets.

The Meal

For this assignment, we were joined by a few friends, which I always love. Eating should be a communal experience whenever possible, I believe, and this is even more the case for Wooden Spoon Wanderer assignments, when the table is extra full.

I made the pashmak the night before, with Eric’s support, as I anticipated it being very challenging. I was not wrong. The first test was to get the glucose from jar to pot, and it didn’t want to be in the pot. It was the stickiest substance I have ever seen, and it took two spoons and all my patience to get two and a half tablespoons of it into the mix. I heated the sugar and glucose to the indicated temperature, and it burned. On my second try, I achieved a perfect consistency, which when spread on a baking sheet and moved around with a spatula, slowly turned opaque. It cooled and thickened until I could roll it into a ball and start to pull it. It was incredibly satisfying to pull, and it took on an opalescent shine.

As I pulled it and looped it over itself, though, the strands of candy stuck back together. Eric stepped in to help me by holding one end of the loop and pulling. Still, the candy stayed as one solid chunk. I decided to try dipping it into the sesame paste which would give it its flavour. Upon touching the cooled paste, the candy immediately shattered, sending a shower of brittle white candy pieces to the floor. All in all, it was an utter fail.

But no matter, onward and upward.

I arranged my ten remaining dishes into four courses. We started with glasses of honey and vinegar sharbat and the sabzi khordan platter. At first, the six of us picked rather uncertainly at the platter of herbs, vegetables, nuts, and cheese, each of us adding a few items to our plates. That this was how many Persians begin their meals made perfect sense within a couple of moments. We nibbled away at the platter, and gradually reached out for a bit more feta, a couple more sprigs of parsley or mint. I had never before eaten dill all on its own, and I was suddenly able to appreciate its flavour. The platter wasn’t filling, but it wasn’t supposed to be. It got the conversation flowing and our bellies ready for what would be a big meal.

The sharbat was lovely, sweet and cool with a tang of acidity from the white wine vinegar. I loved it, and actually it might be my favourite thing I made.

The second course was our appetizers, which included the marinated olives, the watermelon and feta salad, and the kookoo with spicy yoghurt sauce. We raved about the olives, which, paired with the crushed walnuts and pomegranate seeds, had an earthy sweetness as well as their usual saltiness. The salad was very simple, but the flavour of juicy sweet watermelon beside rich and salty feta was incredible. The kookoo were another favourite for me — I loved the potato-pancake texture and the kick from the spicy yoghurt.

Course three, our main course, consisted of the tahdig, the herb stew, and the fish. The cookbooks warned me that tahdig wasn’t easy, and it wasn’t. Mine did burn a little, but it was far from ruined, and we piled fluffy basmati beside spoonfuls of stew, which everyone raved about. The fish was another winner — sweet and savoury with caramelized raisins and juicy chunks of peach. I feel that we in North America can and should embrace more fruit in savoury situations.

We ended our meal with the dessert course. Each slice of apricot tart featured a dollop of velvety mascarpone. Steaming cups of borage and lime tea accompanied, for an excellent end to an evening full of new flavours.

Links
Bottom of the Pot by Naz Deravian
The Saffron Tales by Yasmin Khan
http://www.howtocookthat.net/public_html/dragons-beard-pashmak-recipe-cotton-candy/

Disclaimer: I’m not a professional chef. I’m just a passionate cook with a curiosity for flavours I’ve never tried. For great recipes from gifted local cooks, follow the links above.