Cookbook Challenge #6 - Taste of Persia

This week I cooked from Taste of Persia: A Cook’s travels Through Armenia, Georgia, Iran, and Kurdistan by Naomi Duguid (2016), which is sort of a cookbook/travelogue hybrid, packed with gorgeous photos of food, people, and sights. It would be just as at home on a coffee table as on a cookbook shelf, but the recipes are mostly straightforward and accessible.

I selected two vegetarian recipes that I could make almost entirely from ingredients already in my pantry: Azeri Mushrooms and Kurdish White Beans. The only things I had to add to my week’s grocery list was fresh mushrooms, scallions, and dill, which makes me feel virtuously frugal.

The results were nothing fancy, but a nice everyday meal with subtly pleasant flavors. I can see myself making the mushrooms again, either as a side dish with meat or, as Duguid suggests in a sidebar, by adding a couple of eggs at the very end of the process for a sort of omelet/scramble.

Azeri Mushrooms

• 1/2 lb white mushrooms, portobellos, or cremini, cut into bite-size pieces

• 1 T sunflower or extra virgin olive oil

• 1/2 c water

• 1/2 tsp sea salt, or to taste

• 2 T butter

• Generous grinding of black pepper

• About 2 T finely chopped fresh dill or scallions (I used both because why not)

Place the mushrooms in a wide heavy skillet or shallow pot over medium heat, add the oil, and shake the pan or stir the mushrooms to spread the oil around. Cook for about a minute, then add the water, raise the heat, and bring the water to a boil. Cover tightly and cook at a strong boil for about 5 minutes. Remove the lid, add the salt, and continue cooking at a medium boil to reduce the liquid. When the bottom of the pain is starting to show, add the butter and stir briefly, then cover and cook over low heat for 5-10 minutes, until the mushrooms are very tender.

Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed. Add the pepper and serve hot or warm, topped with the chopped herbs.

Kurdish White Beans

• 2 T sunflower or extra virgin olive oil

• 1/4 tsp turmeric

• 1 tsp ground cumin

• 3 cups cooked navy beans with their liquid, or about 2 1/2 cups drained and rinsed canned beans plus 1/2 cup water

• 1 to 1 1/2 cups water

• 1/2 cup canned crushed tomatoes

• 1 dried lime (optional) - I had dried lemons on hand from a previous attempt at a Kurdish stew involving beef and quinces, so I substituted it

• 1 tsp sea salt, or to taste

Place a heavy pot over medium heat, add the oil, and toss in the turmeric and cumin. Cook for a moment, until you see the turmeric fizzing a little in the oil. Add the beans, the water, and the tomatoes. If using the dried lime, prick it several times with the tip of a knife (be careful not to cut yourself, since it can ricochet if it’s very hard) and add it to the pot. Stir to mix, bring to a boil (press on the dried lime so it takes in liquid and starts to sink, rather than floating on the surface) and boil hard for a few minutes.

Add the salt (only 1/2 tsp if the beans are already seasoned), lower the heat to maintain a strong simmer, partially cover, and cook for 30 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.