Sorry for the flood. Moving some recipes over from livejournal Here are the recipes for some of the dishes for the Persian dinner I prepared in Portland for the con there this year. Ill post more shortly. Enjoy. rain_man Luleh Kebab - Spiced Ground Lamb Patties Serves 3-6, depending on how you divvy up the results. This recipe can also be made with beef, if you dont like lamb. 12 bamboo skewers 1 medium onion, _grated_ (or run through a food processor until finely minced) 1 egg 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper 1/4 tsp cinnamon 1 lb coarsely ground lamb (You can do this with a food processor too. In fact, I like the results better - a mixture of large and small bits) breadcrumbs or crushed saltines (optional) Put the bamboo skewers in water to soak. Mix the onion, egg and spices together. Add the lamb and mix with your hands. If the mixture seems too wet to you (this can happen if you over process the onion and release a lot of the juice), then add bread crumbs or crushed saltines until it binds together to the level you want. Divide the meat into 6 parts. Form a hot-dog shaped patty about 1 1/2 inches wide and 5 inches long. Press two skewers into the patty about 1/2 inch apart and form the meat back around them. (Ive found this method easier than trying to form the meat directly around the skewers, and two skewers prevents spinning on the grill). Grill about 4 minutes per side until done. Chelo - Crusty Steamed Rice Serves 4 (figuring 1/2 cup uncooked/1 1/2 cups cooked rice per person). Easily scaled, but do the steaming part as multiple batches, or you wont get enough of that wonderful bottom crust (e.g. - 8 people, you can boil it all in one pot and steam it in two separate pots). It also does not do well in the oven, as you really need the heat source to be on the bottom of the pot to properly form the crust. 2 cups long grain rice - jasmine or basmati work best, but even lowly long grain does well 2 gallons water. Yes, you read that correctly 1/4 cup salt. Yes, you read that correctly, too A wide-bottom heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid. If its big enough to hold the water for the boiling step, great, otherwise: A big pot that youd normally cook pasta in 2 kitchen towels and a rubber band or clothespin 1/2 cup butter (a whole stick), melted, with 1/3 set aside 1/4 cup water The official instructions for this recipe are: Wash off the starch from the rice. Soak for at least three hours, up to overnight. Wash. Boil the rice until its cooked. This time has to be trial and error, since the rice will absorb a fair amount of water during the soaking time. Wash. Steam to get the buttery crust and to fluff up the kernels. Honestly, I skip the first three steps and my rice comes out just fine. If you want to go all the way, you have to remember that the boiling time given below will result in mush if youve already soaked the rice; adjust accordingly. Heres how I do it. All references to burners are figured on my electric range, which has dials going from 1-10. I dont know if the heat output is linear on these old burners. Youll have to experiment and maybe burn a batch or two until you get the recipe matched to your stove. Put a big spaghetti pot on to boil on high (10 heat), with at least 2 gallons of water and all that salt in it. This is the only chance you have to get the salt into the rice grains, so be generous. Youre going to pour most of it off anyway. Wash the rice under running water. Stir it aggressively with your hands until the water runs clear. The idea is to get as much of the surface starch off the grains as possible, so they wont stick together. When the water is boiling and the rice is washed, put the rice in the pot and stir to keep the rice from clumping. Turn the burner down to just maintain a boil (7 heat) and boil for 10-15 minutes, or until the rice is al dente. Stir every few minutes or so to prevent clumping. While the rice is boiling, get your steaming pot ready. Fold one towel until it fits into the bottom side of the pots lid; wrap the other towel around the lid to hold the first one in place and use a rubber band or clothespin to secure it. You should be able to just jam the lid into place, and pick it up again by the wad of cloth around the lids handle. Put the steaming pot on a burner at medium-low (3 heat) with 2/3rds of the melted butter. When the rice is ready, pour it into a strainer and rinse it under warm water until the water runs clear and you can handle it (gently) without burning your hands. Transfer the rice to the steaming pot, letting it form a mound in the middle. Add the 1/4 cup of water, and pour the remaining butter over the rice. Cover tightly with the padded lid and steam on medium-low (3 heat) for 45 minutes. Youre trying to create a golden-brown buttery crust on the bottom of the rice. When the rice is done, put the pot into a sink that has about 3 inches of cold water in it, for just 10-15 seconds. You should hear a sizzle, and the rapid cooling should loosen the crust so you can scoop it out onto the serving platter. The crust is highly prized in persian cuisine. Variations: Shirine Polo (Persian Wedding/Feast Rice) 1/4 cup each dark raisins, golden raisins, dried apricots (diced to raisin size) and almonds. Soak the dried fruit in hot water while the rice is boiling, then drain and squeeze out excess moisture. When you get to the steaming stage, put in about half of the rice, scatter the fruit and nuts in a layer, then add the rest of the rice. Steam as usual, then turn out on serving platter. For presentaion, remove the skewers from the lamb (or leave them in if you want easy handles). Line the platter with a layer of Lavash (thin Persian bread). Place about half the rice on the Lavash, then the cooked meat, then mound the rest of the rice on top. Diners just tear off a chunk of bread, and use it to scoop up the rice and meat. Note: If you cant find lavash, you can use pita bread that youve split in half, toasted slightly and overlapped.
Posted on: Sun, 30 Nov 2014 04:11:09 +0000
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