Persian Feast

It didn't take long for our table to fill up again. We had a guest for a few days and I decided to prepare an Iranian meal from the book we received as a thank you on a previous visit. As I have mentioned previously, Greg Malouf is a favourite middle eastern cookery writer. This latest offering, Saraban, is a culinary journey through Iran. The khoresht was a simple but delicious meal. At least it would have been simple if I had followed my instincts and quickly turned from the polow (pilau/pilaf) described as "a bit of a palaver". But no, once I had chosen my lamb stew, I was seduced by the picture  Shirin polow it was. Don't try this at home if you shy away from a palaver at dinner time. On the other hand, if you want to make it, buy the book or borrow it from the library. It was a worthwhile palaver and I will probably do it again for a special visitor.
Anyway, on to the lamb stew. The Iranian stew or khoresht sits somewhere between sauce & stew and is served with a rice dish. This was really simple and contained a few additions that were new for me. As with any cooking that use spices, you need to make up a spice mix that you can keep in an airtight jar for a few weeks. Thoroughly mix 1 tsp each of ground cinnamon, cumin, coriander, ginger, cardamom, black pepper, freshly grated nutmeg. and ground dried rose petals if you have them. I bought some and they are so pretty & bring an aromatic depth to the spice mix.
In a heavy based casserole, brown about 600g shoulder lamb cut into fairly large chunks and remove from the pan. Add 2 finely diced onions, 1/2 tsp turmeric and 3 tsp of your spice mix and cook until the onion is soft. Stir in 3 tbsp tomato paste and cook for a minute or so before returning the lamb to the pan. Add 200g split yellow peas, 2 dried limes, 2 bay leaves and a good handful of thyme. Pour over 1 litre chicken stock, bring to the boil then simmer on a low heat 1 1/2 hours, until the split peas are soft & soupy & the lamb is very, very tender. At the end add a squeeze of fresh lime juice & season with salt.
Now I haven't found dried limes yet, so I just dropped in a whole fresh lime halved. If you do have dried limes, part way through cooking when they have softened a little, press them against the side of the pan to release the juices.
Aforementioned guest has since posted me a 1/2 dozen from Melbourne & they look truly wonderful. Not at all pretty but very aromatic. I intend to try them out in a fresh herb lamb stew.
Which brings me nicely to our starter. Using any of the following you have at hand - baby beetroot leaves, basil, chervil, chives, coriander, costmary, dill, flat-leaf parsley, French tarragon, mint, radishes, spring onions, summer savory, turnip leaves, watercress - fill a serving plate or basket with about one cup of herbs per person. Greg suggested 4 or 5 herbs you like. I used 11. Serve them with warm flatbreads and a chunk of fresh white cheese such as a creamy feta, buffalo mozzarella, or my personal favourite right now, zickli. Pile some herbs onto a piece of bread, then a chunk of cheese; roll up and munch your way through the leafy goodness. We have had this for lunch a couple of times since and it is so delicious & refreshing.
Now for the rice - if you are steering clear of the palaver polow, I suggest a simple steamed rice enlivened with the addition of some whole aromatic spices which you can remove at the end of the cooking. I saw Nigel Slater do something similar recently. Add any of the things he mentions that take your fancy. At the end sprinkle your rice with pomegranate seeds to serve and grate over some orange peel. It will look as if you have engaged in a palaver.
I made a pudding of roasted dates with coffee syrup. It was delicious but would have been better if I could have bought real fresh-off-the-palm dates. I have never seen them here, have you? Not something my friend can send in the post. Middle Eastern sweets are very sweet and as you know I'm not so keen on making pudding. I would buy Antoinette's baklava or something else from her delicious range of sweets.
And we had leftovers. The stew is in the freezer and we had the rice a couple of days later with left over roast chicken from the day in between.