Poor Man's Saffron and Carrot Dip

 

One of the two mezze sides I made for our Turkish lunch, I love the simplicity of this dish and pairing with caraway seeds. Went great with the marvellous rice dishes !

From Anatolia cooking book :)

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!

Wild Weed and Leaves Pesto Dip

Pesto can be made by substituting many other leaves and herbs, in place of basil so you can have it in any season. I often use rocket or chervil or parsley and even some weeds, like chickweed and dandelion. One of my favourites uses garlic scapes – those long, twirly bits that shoot up from your garden garlic in early summer. Other nuts can be substituted too, using walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts and even sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds, in place of pine nuts.

100g toasted pine nuts or other nuts (you may use up to 20% seeds. Don’t use more or the mixture changes texture and becomes gluggy, especially with sunflower seeds)

1 large garlic clove, peeled and crushed

A handful of grated mature cheddar or Parmesan or a combination

A large handful of tasty greens, including chickweed, dandelion, self-sown rocket, baby kale, herbs, mizuna etc as above

A good olive oil (probably about ½ cup)

Juice of ½ lemon

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Blend nuts and seeds, garlic, cheese and greens together, then begin trickling in the oil, while the processor runs. Stop when you have a nice purée. Taste and season as necessary with lemon juice, salt and pepper plus extra garlic. If it is too thick, add water while the machine runs.

 

Mushroom Pate

I chopped onion
3 Tablespoons olive oil
500 grams mushrooms
1 large chopped tomato
3 cloves garlic
salt and black pepper
1 1/2 Tablespoons tomato paste
2 Tablespoons chopped parsley
2 Tablespoons chopped chives
slices of mushrooms or olives to garnish

Cook onion gently in oil until soft
Add mushrooms over a high heat until they have wilted.
Add tomatoes and cook until soft and the liquid has evaporated.
Process to a thick paste, season well.
Stir in parsley and chives.
Add more olive oil to moisten if necessary.
Store covered in refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Cover with melted butter if desired.

Carrot, Lentil & Coriander Dip

Ingredients
2 tablespoons of oil
1 chopped onion
2 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
10 fresh curry leaves (optional)
3 teaspoons curry powder
1 cup red lentils (soaked & drained)
1 1/2 cups of water (about)
2 tablespoon of shredded coconut
4 large carrots cooked and mashed
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons chopped coriander
Method
Heat the oil, add onions and cook until soft.
Add seeds & heat until they pop (1 or 2 minutes).
Add curry leaves & curry powder, cook for 1 minute.
Add lentils, water and coconut.
Simmer gently until lentils are soft.
Remove curry leaves.
Stir in carrots and cook for a few minutes to develop the flavours.
Mash or puree to a thick paste.
Stir in coriander.
Serve with pita bread.
Maggie

Hummus (Chickpea Dip)

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups of cooked chickpeas
juice of 1 lemon
1 clove crushed garlic
2 tablespoons of tahini (sesame seed paste)
salt and white pepper to taste
small pinch of chilli powder
3 tablespoons of olive oil
(a little hot water if mixture is too thick)

Method

Puree all ingredients in a food processor until thick and creamy.
If mixture is too thick add a little hot water.
Mixture will thicken slightly on standing.
Serve with fresh vegetables or toasted sliced lebanese bread.

To cook chickpeas.(organic Australian are best)
Soak the chickpeas overnight then drain off the soaking liquid
Add more water and simmer gently for about 1/2 an hour or until soft
Discard cooking liquid
Sprinkle with a little salt and olive oil
Use in dips, salads, vegetable dishes, curries, freeze to use later or sprinkle with chopped herbs or chilli powder and use as a snack.