Borani Kangar - Persian Yogurt and Cardoon Dip

Copied from Turmeric and Saffron blog

A few weeks ago I came across an interesting online copy of an old and rare Iranian cookbook, dating back to the last years of the Qajar dynasty, written in beautiful Persian Nastea'liq handwriting. This cookbook may give us a tiny glimpse into the dynasty that ruled Iran from 1794-1925. Most of the recipes are brief and not easy to follow and some of them seem to be merely a translation of European recipes into Persian. The majority of the recipes basically include the list of the main ingredients with little directions. For those who are interested to see this document please click the following link Women's Worlds in Qajar Iran.

While browsing the book, the recipe for بورانی کنگر borani kangar, also known as mast-o-kangar (yogurt with cardoons), caught my attention. That's when I decided to give it a try but the problem is that I have never seen Iranian kangar anywhere. Kangar looks like a thin celery with thorns and has a very delicate taste and they are in season for a very short time, a few weeks at most. Yogurt and cardoon dip has a distinct flavor and even though it may take some time and effort to prepare cardoons it is definitely worth it.

Luckily, a few days later I was able to find cardoons that are a good substitute for kangar in John's Farm, an Italian vegetable market. However, fresh cardoon has a bitter taste and needs to be soaked or cooked in salted water. Also, in order to prevent cardoons from changing colors during preparation they need to be placed in acidulated water. I found the following link helpful in Preparing Cardoons.

Borani Kangar - Persian Yogurt and Cardoon Dip

Ingredients:
Serves 4

1 bunch cardoons
2 1/2 cups plain yogurt
1-2 garlic cloves, minced *optional
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. To prepare cardoons remove all leaves and thorns, peel strings with a peeler, cut the stalks into small pieces.
2. To prevent discoloration place the cardoons in a bowl of water and juice of two large lemons for ten minutes.
3. In a large pot bring 4 cups of water to a boil on medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of salt and cardoons. Cook for 10 minutes or until tender and drain. 
4. Chop cardoons finely by hand or use a food processor.
5. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a pan, add minced garlic and saute for 2 minutes. Then add the chopped cardoons and saute lightly for 5-7 minutes. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Let cool.
6. Combine yogurt and cardoon garlic mixture together, taste and adjust the seasoning. 
7. Place borani in a serving bowl and garnish with dried mint. I also used crushed walnuts and barberries but that's optional. Serve it as an appetizer cold or at room temperature with your favorite dish or any party meals.

*Variation: Combine chopped cardoons with yogurt, mix well and add salt and pepper to taste and skip step #5 in the above recipe.

Enjoy!

Jamie Oliver's Beetroot

 I nearly always cook beetroot this way these days. Originally, the recipe came from Jamie Oliver.

Halve or quarter all the beetroot, depending on their size. I had 4 quite big ones. Put them in a good, solid casserole dish with:

1 large handful of chopped oregano or tarragon or parsley, whatever is in season 

10 cloves of garlic, unpeeled

About 100ml balsamic vinegar

About 100ml olive oil

Salt and pepper

Put on a well fitting lid. 

Bake in the oven at 180 to 200 for about an hour or so, until nicely cooked. 

That's it. Totally delicious hot or cold.

This time I added a chopped leek and some cumquats, just because I had them.

Nettle Soup

 Adapted from River Cottage

A good few handsful of nettles. Add some kale if you don't have enough.

Oil and butter

1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped

1 litre vegetable or chicken stock, or even light fish stock. I used Japanese dashi and some dried, wakame seaweed, reconstituted

1 large potato, unpeeled, cut into cubes

1 large carrot, chopped

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper/ Tas pepperberry

(A few drops of Tabasco)

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Wearing rubber gloves, sort through the nettles, discarding anything you don't like the look of and any thick stalks. Wash the nettles and drain in a colander.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan, add the oil and onion and cook gently for 5-7 minutes until softened.

Add the stock, nettles, potato and carrot. Bring to a simmer and cook gently until the potato is soft, about 15 minutes.

Remove from the heat. Using an electric hand-held stick blender, purée the soup and then season with salt and pepper to taste.

Ladle into warmed bowls. Add a dash of Tabasco if wanted.

Kimchi

 I have only recently started making kimchi. My first batch is fabulous but I didn't write down exactly what I did. I watched a terrific video and I found Hugh's recipe and I sort of worked it out from there! I did Hugh's quick assembly method but added a whole daikon radish and some things from the video as well. It is definitely worth getting the Korean dried chilli flakes, called kochukaru.