The Legendary Cuisine of Persia – Recipe and Giveaway
September 28, 2017 by Jenny
Persia bridges the Far East
and the Middle East and has survived centuries of struggle. In The Legendary Cuisine of Persia by the late
Margaret Shaida, the rich culinary history of Persia is brought to
life. The author’s knowledge is impressive and her storytelling
kept me engaged soaking up the first fifty pages of introduction.
Embellished with a stripe of tapestry print similar to that found
on the cover, made the reading of the introduction even more
enjoyable.
Persian cuisine has endured and survived mainly by its ability to absorb and adapt to the foods of other nations. The intricate blend of flavours is another staying factor. Saffron, Indian lemon and enticing spices and aromas are synonymous with the food of this area.
I was surprised to learn that Persia had influenced many other cultures. For instance, the Persian bread nan took India by storm when it was first introduced there, biryani is from the Persian word for baked and boorâni is the Arabized Persian word for any yoghurt dish mixed with vegetables. Ingredients, spices, hospitality and other information that will help in creating these dishes are set forth as well.
Striking photographs of the food are shared intermittently along with a wealth of details about the history of each recipe and ingredients used within. The Legendary Cuisine of Persia will entice you, educate you and invite you to create the breads, rice dishes and stews in your kitchen.
Special thanks to Grub Street for sharing a recipe with our members today and for providing five copies of this beautiful book to our members in the UK and US. Please be sure to scroll down to enter.
Minced Meat
Kebabs
KABÂB KOOBIDEH
Add this recipe to your Bookshelf (click the blue +Bookshelf button).
Kabâb koobidehis the Persian equivalent of the American hamburger and is the favourite ‘take-away’ food of the urban middle classes. It is served wrapped in warm Persian sangak bread and eaten withtorshi-ye leeteh, fresh herbs and a liberal sprinkling of sumac. It is also frequently served as part of the national dish chelow kabâb. These minced kebabs are splendid affairs. They are large and well browned on the outside with a soft and succulent interior. Chenjeh kabâbare similar but smaller in size, while the tiny looleh kabâbare served as a light snack wrapped in bread.
The preparation of minced meat kebabs, as its Persian name implies (koobideh means pounded or kneaded) requires a fair amount of kneading. This is vital to achieve the necessary elasticity for the kebab mixture to adhere to the skewers. Some people try to cut a corner and add an egg to the mixture, but it shouldn’t be necessary. Making use of the dough blade of a food processor for a few minutes saves a lot of aching arms. Kneading the mixture over slight warmth also helps a lot but be careful not to allow it to get too warm. The meat should be quite fatty so I suggest using lamb from the shoulder.
- 500 g/1 lb boned shoulder of lamb
- 1 medium onion
- 1 teaspoon dried breadcrumbs
- Salt and pepper
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
Mince the meat finely, first on its own, then with the onion. Place in a large heatproof bowl, adding the remaining ingredients and knead well together for 15 minutes, partly over the low heat for a minute or two, until the mixture is smooth and sticky.
Wash your hands free of fat. Have a bowl of fresh cold water
nearby and keeping your hands wet, take a medium handful of the
mixture and mould all around an inch-wide skewer, pressing the
mixture lightly with the fingers, making indentations all the way
down the skewer; press firmly to the skewer at both ends. The
kebabs should be about 20 cm/7-8 in long.
Grill the kebabs for two or three minutes on each side, turning
twice. When nicely browned and cooked through, slip off the skewer
onto some warm Persian (or pitta) bread. Cover with bread to keep
warm.
Serve immediately, with pickles and fresh herbs, or with rice.
The publisher is offering five copies of this book to EYB Members in the US and UK. One of the entry options is to answer the following question in the comments section of this blog post.
Which recipe in the index would you try first?
Please note that you must be logged into the Rafflecopter contest before posting or your entry won’t be counted for more information on this process, please see our how to post. Please be sure to check your spam filters to make sure you receive our email notifications. Prizes can take up to 6 weeks to arrive from the publishers. If you are not already a Member, you can join at no cost. The contest ends at midnight on November 10th, 2017.
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