At Nowruz time, a special menu is traditionally prepared for the first meal after the arrival of the New Year, including Sabzee Polo and Mahi (herb rice with white fish, see Peyk #114), Kookoo Sabzee (fresh herb quiche/souffle, see Peyk #108), and Ash e Reshteh (noodle and herb soup, recipe below). Each of these dishes represents Earth, Mother Nature, and the arrival of Spring.
At this special time of the year, the staff of Nush-e Jan wish you a happy new year and happy eating in good health… Nush-e Jan!
Ash-e-Reshteh (Thick Noodle Legume Soup)
From CDKitchen.com
Ingredients:
Ash: 1/4 cup dry red kidney beans, soaked; 1/4 cup dry navy beans, soaked; 1/4 cup dry chickpeas, soaked; 3 onions, finely sliced; 3 tablespoons oil; 2 teaspoons salt; 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper; 1 teaspoon turmeric; 10 cups water; 1/2 cup lentils; 1 cup beef broth; 1/2 cup chives or scallions, coarsely chopped; 1/2 cup dill weed, chopped; 1/2 cup parsley, coarsely chopped; 2 cups spinach (fresh or frozen), chopped: 1 beet, peeled and chopped in 1/2 inch pieces; 1/2 pound flat egg noodles or Persian noodles (reshteh); 1 tablespoon flour; 1 cup liquid kashke or sour cream (or 1/4 cup wine vinegar)
Gheimeh Garnish: 1/4 pound beef, in 1/2 inch cubes; 1 small onion, chopped; 3 cloves garlic, crushed; 2 tablespoons oil; 1/2 cup water; 2 tablespoons yellow split peas; 1 teaspoon tomato paste; 1/4 teaspoon saffron, dissolved in 1 tablespoon hot water; 1/2 teaspoon salt
Mint Garnish: 1 onion, finely sliced; 3 cloves garlic, crushed; 1 tablespoon oil; 1 teaspoon dried mint flakes
Directions:
Ash: In a large pot, brown onions in oil. Add salt, 1/4 tsp. of the pepper, and turmeric. Pour in water and add kidney beans. navy beans, and chickpeas. Cover and simmer 45 minutes. Add lentils and broth. Cook 35 minutes. Add scallions, dill, parsley, spinach, and beet. Stir occasionally and cook 20 minutes or until done. Correct seasoning (add the rest of the pepper if needed) and add more water if too thick. Add noodles, flour and cook until noodles are done—about 10 minutes. If using kashke or sour cream, set aside a heaping Tbsp. for garnish. Stir 2 Tbsp. of soup into remaining sour cream. Stir this mixture slowly into soup. Reheat just before serving, adding more water if it’s too thick.
Gheimeh: About 1/2 hour before serving, prepare gheimeh garnish. Brown meat, onion, and garlic in oil. Stir in water and split peas. Cover and cook 20 minutes over low heat. Add tomato paste, saffron, and salt. Simmer covered for 10 minutes.
Mint: While gheimeh is simmering, prepare mint garnish. Brown onion and garlic in oil. Remove from heat. Crush mint flakes in hand and stir into onion. Pour soup into tureen; garnish with gheimeh and mint garnish and reserved sour cream by floating them on top.
In preparation for Nowruz, many families have the tradition to gather and bake together and enjoy getting ready for the arrival of the New Year. Here is a simple recipe for our famous walnut cookies from Food for Life by Najmieh Batmanglij.
Walnut Cookies (Nan-e-gerdui)
Servings: makes 20 pieces
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 15-20 minutes
Ingredients:
5 egg yolks; ¼ tsp vanilla extract; 2 tbs ground pistachios for decoration; ¾ cup confectioners’ sugar; 2 cups chopped walnuts
Directions:
1. In a mixing bowl, beat egg yolks until creamy. Add the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and walnuts. Beat thoroughly for a few minutes with a wooden spoon.
2. Preheat oven to 300 F. Grease a cookie sheet. Drop batter by the teaspoonful on the sheet, leaving about 2½ inches between cookies. Decorate each one with ground pistachios.
3. Bake 15 to 20 minutes in the center of the oven. Remove the cookies form the oven and cool. Lift the cookies off the sheet and arrange on a serving dish.
