Baghali Polow Ba Morgh (Persian Fava bean and Dill Rice with Chicken)

Iranians have so many flavorful, fragrant and delectable dishes. Baghali polo is one these aromatic dishes that when you start making it you can smell the fresh dill all around the house.

Baghali polo is usually served with lamp shank but, it is pretty popular with chicken too.

The most important and popular thing in making these kind of rice is Tahdig (Tahdeeg).

So what is Tahdig?  "Tah" means bottom and "dig" means pot in Persian language. Tah-dig refers to the crunchy and crispy bottom layer of rice cooked in a pot.

You can use different things to make crispy yummy tahdig like; sliced potatoes, pita bread, sesame seed.

I will explain about tahdig more in a separate post.

I used pita bread to make these gorgeous tahdig!

Ingredients:

- 3 cups white basmati rice

- 1 bag (12 oz) frozen Lima beans or Fava beans, shelled

- 1 1/2 cup chopped fresh or dry dill

- 2 garlic cloves, minced

- 1/2 teaspoon saffron dissolve in 2 tablespoons hot water

- Salt & pepper

- Turmeric

- Oil & Butter

- 6 Chicken legs or 4 chicken breasts or mix of both

- 1 onion

- 1 garlic clove

- Salt & pepper

- Turmeric and saffron

- Butter

- Fresh lemon juice

Place chicken pieces in a saucepan add 1/2 cup water, 1 teaspoon turmeric, salt & pepper, onion and garlic and cook until tender. then add 1 tablespoon butter and juice of half a lemon or more.

Cook for 10 more minutes add 1/4 teaspoon saffron and turn the heat off.

Clean and wash 3 cups basmati rice few times in warm water then soak the rice for an hour in the clean water.

Place a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add 1 tablespoon butter and saute the minced garlic with little bit of turmeric add beans and stir add 2 tablespoons of dill add salt & pepper stir and set aside.

Bring 5 cups water and 1 tablespoon salt to a boil in a large, non-stick pot. Pour the washed and drained rice into the pot. Add a pinch of turmeric to the pot while water is boiling (turmeric helps to keep the green color).  Boil 6 to 10 minutes, stirring gently. Bite a few grains. If rice feels soft and all of it has risen to the surface, it is ready to be drained. Remove from heat and drain in a large, fine-mesh colander.

Place a non-stick pot over high heat add generous amount of oil 2 tablespoons of chicken stock, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, 1/4 teaspoon dissolved saffron and 1 tablespoon water. layer the pita bread on the bottom of the pot on the oil mixture and remove from the heat. Using a pot with a nonstick surface is important; it will help in the formation of the crispy Tahdig (Tahdeeg).

Add a handful of chopped dill to the pot then cover with a small layer of rice.

Add a generous layer of lima beans.  

Add a generous layer of chopped dill. 

 

Gently mix the rice, fava beans, and dill.

Continue layering until you are out of both rice and beans.

Cover and place over medium heat cook for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile add 1/4 cup oil to saffron mixture and after 10 minutes pour the saffron oil mixture evenly over the top of the rice.

Cover and Let the mixture steam for 45-50 minutes longer.

When ready to serve;

 Scoop the rice out of the pot and amount it into a serving dish
Use a spatula to loosen the crispy tahdeeg from the bottom of the pot and arrange the pieces around the cooked rice. put the cooked chicken beside the rice.

Serve the rice hot with a bowl of Mast-o- Khiar (cucumber and yogurt dip) on the side.

For Mast-o-Khiar cut one cucumber in small cubes add to 1 cup of  plain yogurt add salt and dry mint and mix well.

Enjoy this perfect Persian feast with your family or friends.

Vegetable Patties

These patties are perfect for picky kids like my daughter.

She hates vegetables but, loves these patties!

When I offer her some zucchini or carrots she just run so fast and press her lips together to not even try a  bite! But, when she sees these patties she goes directly to her highchair and finishes all of her patties and even asks for more!

This is the one great way to hide vegetables in these yummy patties so they can get some portion of their daily intake of vegetables.

Try it and an I assure you they pay more attention to the great taste rather than finding what's in it!

 
Ingredients:

- 2 medium potatoes, peeled and shredded
- 1 medium zucchini, washed and shredded
- 2 medium carrots, washed and shredded
- 3 eggs
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 tablespoon Italian bread crumbs or herbed bread crumbs
- Salt & Pepper
- Turmeric, paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- Oil for frying

In a big bowl mix shredded carrots, zucchini, potatoes. Add flour, bread crumbs, salt & pepper, turmeric, paprika, basil and mix well.
In a small bowl beat the eggs until bubbly then add to the mixture and stir well.
Place a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add oil and when the oil is hot form patties from the mixture and fry both sides.

Fig Jam

When I was a kid, we had a big fig tree in our backyard. Every morning my dad picked a lots of fig from the tree and when we went to the kitchen for breakfast those beautiful figs were sitting on the table for us to be eaten!

One of my aunts loved the figs from our tree so much that she visited us more often just to pick the figs and eat them just under the tree!

My mom is a great cook and great in making all different kinds of jam.

We had a big cabinet just for jams; Cherry, berry, carrot, fig...

Fig jam is so easy to make and so yummy.

Last week when I saw does fresh and gorgeous figs in Farm Boy grocery store, many memories came back and I couldn't resist buying them and make these beautiful and yummy jam!

Ingredients:

- 500 grams fig
- 400 grams sugar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon Rose Water (you can use vanilla , cinnamon or cardamom)

*You can get the Rose water at Persian grocery stores.

 

Wash figs and carefully with the tip of a sharp knife peel the skin off.
Place the figs in a medium sauce pan and add the sugar on top. Place the sauce pan in the fridge overnight.
In the morning you see lots of water in the pan. (If there is not much water in the pan add 1 cup of water) Then place the pan over medium-high heat until comes to boil then reduce the heat to medium-low and skim any foam off so the jam becomes clear.
Fig cook fast so be careful not to over cook it so figs loose their texture.
After 10 minutes when Jam is going to be thick and jelly like (Ghavam Amadan in Persian) add lemon juice and rose water.
Cook for 5 minutes then remove from heat.
Let it cool then transfer to jar.

* If you think figs are perfectly cook but the sauce still runny remove the figs and let the sauce boil until thick then add figs back in.

Eggplant Timbale

One of my favorite chefs is Giada De Laurentiis. I just love watching her cook with those super fresh ingredients.

This recipe is inspired by her Eggplant Timbale recipe.

It is so delicious you want to eat your plate too!

Ingredients:

- 1 large eggplant, sliced 1/4-inch thick
- 300 grams Penne or spiral pasta (I used fusilini)
- 200 grams ground beef
- 1 medium onion , sliced
- 1/2 cup mushroom, sliced
- 1/3 cup green pepper, chopped
- Salt & Pepper
- Turmeric and cinnamon
- Olive oil
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon each basil and oregano
- 1/3 cup bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
 

Place a large skillet on medium-low heat add oil and when the oil is hot carefully throw eggplants in and fry both sides. (or you can brush the eggplants with oil and grill them)

In the same skillet add oil and saute onions with turmeric and salt until soft and golden brown. Add ground beef and brown the beef. Add salt & pepper and cinnamon. Add tomato paste, basil and oregano, mushroom and green pepper.
put the lid and let cook for 15 minutes then add Parmesan cheese.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta.

Preheat the oven to 350 degree F.
Grease a bundt cake pan or springform pan and sprinkle bread crumbs all over the pan. Line the pan with the eggplant. Be sure that the slices overlap and hang over the edge of the pan. Fill the pan with the pasta mixture, and shredded mozzarella pressing down to make sure the pan is filling up evenly. Fold the eggplant slices up over the top of the pasta.
Bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let it stand for 10 minutes then invert to serving dish and sprinkle with more Parmesan cheese or garnish as you like.

Tuna and Spinach Pie with Corn Bread Crust

 

This pie had a unique taste for me. The combination of corn bread crust with tuna and spinach is yummy.

You don't know if you had enough or want more! 

Great dish for supper after a busy day at work.

Usually a can of Tuna and a bag of spinach can be found in every ones pantry.

If you have the corn bread mix in your pantry, everything is good to go!

Here is how to make your own corn bread mix.

You can double the amount and bake corn bread muffins!

Ingredients for corn bread mix:

- 1 cups flour
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt

Ingredients to make corn bread:

- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil

In a large bowl whisk the flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt and baking powder.
Add egg, milk and vegetable oil and mix well.

Preheat oven to 400 degree F.
Grease a 10 inch round cake pan and arrange the lemon slices on the bottom of the pan.

in a large bowl, beat the eggs. Add black pepper, herbs, tuna, bread crumbs, onion, cream of mushroom and cream, fold together.

Spoon half of the mixture evenly over the lemon slices.
Layer the spinach over it and spread the remaining tuna mixture on top.

 

Spread the corn bread mix on top of the tuna mixture and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until browned.

Run a knife around the inside edge of the pan to loosen the pie. Invert into your serving dish garnish and enjoy!

Strawberry Cheesecake

I think this is the best cheesecake you can ever have!

Lots of my friends tried it and all agree with me!

Ingredients for Strawberry filling:

- 300 grams strawberries, hulled
-1/2 cup sugar
- Zest of 1 lemon

Graham cracker crust:

- 2 cups graham cracker finely crushed or graham crumbs
- 2 tablespoons sugar (white or brown)
- 1/2 cup butter , melted

Cheese cake filling:

- 600 grams cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

Strawberry filling:
In a saucepan place strawberries and sugar. Cook until boiling. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Reduce the heat to gently boil until becomes thick and syrupy.

Cheesecake:
Grease the 9 inch (23 cm) springform pan.
preheat the oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit.

Crust:
In a medium sized bowl combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter.
press the crumbs evenly over the bottom of the pan about 1 inch (2.5cm). cover and refrigerate.

Filling:
Beat cream cheese , sugar and flour until smooth.
Add eggs one at a time and beating well after each addition about 40 seconds.
Add cream and vanilla beat till incorporated.
Remove the crust from the fridge and pour half of the cheesecake filling and on top spoon 1/2 cup of strawberry filling over the cheesecake batter and then swirl gently with a knife.
Top with remaining batter and spoon another half of strawberry filling on to of batter and swirl gently.
Place the pan on a large baking tray to catch the drips and place in the oven.
Bake for 15 minutes and then lower the temperature to 250 degree F continue to bake for 60 minutes or until firm and only a little wet on the center.
Remove from oven and carefully run a knife around the inside edge of the pan to loosen the cake.
Let it cool then transfer to fridge and chill for at least 8 hours.
Enjoy.

Nanaimo Bars

Canada is a multicultural country. So, I have tried different kinds of foods, desserts and pastries from all over the world. But, now it's time to introduce the original dessert of Canada, Nanaimo Bars.

Nanaimo Bar is named after the west coast city of Nanaimo, British Columbia. 

Thanks to hiddenponies.com for this great recipe.

Ingredients for base:

- 3/4 cup butter

-1/4 cup sugar

-6 tablespoons cocoa

-1 egg

-1 tablespoon milk

- teaspoon vanilla

-2 cups graham cracker crumbs

- 1 cup coconut

-1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Ingredients for middle layer:

- 1/2 cup butter

- 6 tablespoons milk

- 4 tablespoons custard powder

- 4 cups icing sugar

Ingredients for top layer:

- 8 oz semisweet chocolate

-1 tablespoon butter

Base:

In a saucepan combine butter, sugar, milk, cocoa, vanilla and egg. Heat and Stir over medium-low heat until smooth. Remove from heat.

Stir in graham crumbs, coconut and walnuts and pack firmly into ungreased 9x13" pan.

Chill in the fridge until you prepare the middle layer. 

Middle Layer:

In a large bowl beat the butter, milk, custard powder and icing sugar until smooth.

Spread over the first layer and chill for an hour.

Top Layer:

Finely chop the chocolate and place in a heatproof bowl that fits snuggly in a saucepan.

Half-fill saucepan with water and bring to a simmer. Place bowl on top, making sure it doesn't touch water (or it will overheat).

Stir with a metal spoon until melted and smooth.

Spread fairly evenly over middle layer. Chill for 1 hour.

Use a sharp knife score the chocolate. Put the knife in warm water and cut into bars.

Enjoy with a cup of tea or coffee or a glass of milk.