Baked Layered Rice with Spinach and Lamb, Tahcheen-e esfionaj

from 'Saraban: a chef's journey through Persia'

Culinary Wanderers Turkish Lunch, May 2023

"Tahcheen" means "spread over the bottom and the whole point of this dish is to end up with a lot of lovely golden crunch under the rice. Tahcheen is a brilliant dish for entertaining, as once the preparation is done it just bakes away by itself for a couple of hours.

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 large onions, finely sliced

1 clove garlic, roughly chopped

salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

400 g lamb shoulder, trimmed of fat and cut into 2cm cubes

200g natural yoghurt

2 egg yolks 

80 ml Saffron Liquid (see below)

250 g spinach leaves, roughly chopped

400g basmati rice

12 prunes, pitted and roughly chopped

60g butter, plus extra for greasing

thick natural yoghurt and pickles to serve

_____________________________________

Heat half the oil in a medium saucepan over a low heat. Add one of the onions to the pan with the garlic, I teaspoon salt, pepper and spices and fry gently for 4 minutes. Add the meat and enough water to just cover then bring to a simmer. Cover the pan and simmer gently for 1 hour or until the meat is tender. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.

Saffron liquid: lightly toast about 40 threads of saffron in a dry pan over medium heat for about 30 seconds. They will have a wonderful scent and change to a darker red. Do not burn! Tip into a mortar and grind to a powder. Add 4 Tbls (80 mls) boiling water and allow to steep for at least an hour. 

Beat the yoghurt with the egg yolks and saffron liquid in a shallow dish.

Drain the cooled meat well and add it to the yoghurt mixture Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or up to 24 hours

Heat the remaining oil in a large frying pan over a low heat. Add the remaining onion and fry gently until soft and lightly coloured.  Add the spinach and turn it about in the pan until wilted. Cook over a medium heat to evaporate any excess liquid, then set aside. When cool, squeeze the spinach to remove any residual liquid.

Wash soak and parboil the rice as described on page 53. Preheat the oven to 190°C and butter a 2 litre ovenproof dish. 

Remove the lamb from the yoghurt marinade Mix half the parboiled rice with the marinade and spoon it into the base and up the sides of the ovenproof dish Arrange the lamb on top of the rice, then cover with the spinach. Dot the prunes over the spinach then spoon in the remaining rice to cover and smooth the surface Cover tightly with a sheet of lightly buttered paper and a lid. Bake for 1.5 hours

Remove the dish from the oven and dot the surface of the rice with bits of butter. Replace the lid and leave to rest for 10 minutes. 

Turn the rice out onto a warm serving platter and serve with a bowl of creamy yoghurt and a selection of relishes or pickles.

Zucchini Burgers

Zucchini Risotto with Gremolata Fish

500g zucchini, unpeeled, chopped into 3cm cubes Olive oil 2 tspns garam masala 1 brown onion, finely sliced 2 garlic cloves, crushed 2 cups risotto rice 1 litre chicken/fish stock

600g fish fillets   Gremolata 1/3 cup finely chopped parsley Olive oil Grated rind 1 lemon 2 cloves garlic, crushed

 

Fry zucchini pieces in hot oil until cooked but still firm. Stir in garam masala and fry a little longer. (I also added some fennel seeds and cumin seeds)

Heat stock and keep hot.

Heat olive oil in a pan and cook onion gently until soft. Add garlic and rice and stir to coat.

Add 1 cup at a time of the stock to the rice and stir, on gentle heat, until absorbed before adding more. This will take a good 30 minutes or more. Do not rush it…. Have a glass of wine while you relax and enjoy the process.

Meanwhile combine the gremolata ingredients and press onto the fish fillets. Cook the fish in a pan. Flake gently.

Gently mix the zucchini and the fish through the risotto and serve with lemon wedges.

Absolutely delicious!

Carrot and Chickpea Tagine

First cooked 14/7/16

4 Tbls olive oil	1 Tbl dark, runny honey
1 onion, finely chopped	4 medium carrots, sliced
4 garlic cloves, crushed & chopped	2 cups sprouted and blanched chickpeas or equivalent
1 tsp best ground turmeric	Salt to taste
2 tsp cumin seeds	1 – 2 Tbls rosewater
1 tsp ground cinnamon	1 bunch coriander, finely chopped
plenty of pepper (+ chilli if you like)	1 lemon, cut in wedges

Gently heat the tagine then add the oil.

Add onion and garlic and sauté gently with the lid on, until soft.

Add the spices + the honey + the carrots. Stir and cook briefly until the spices are fragrant.

Pour in about 1/2 cup water  and cook gently 10 minutes.

Toss in the chickpeas, add a little water if necessary, replace the lid and cook gently another 10 minutes.

Season with salt, sprinkle the rosewater and coriander leaves over and serve with the lemon wedges.

Wallaby Tagine with Almonds and Fruits

Isn’t it fabulous to take a recipe you love and adapt it to your circumstances! Here in southern Tasmania wallaby is so cheap; usually $6 / kg. I buy a whole carcass (only about 2 - 3 kgs) and cut it up myself as the meat is all tender and delicious and does not require any butchery knowledge!

Here I have adapted a traditional Moroccan tagine recipe to use wallaby, some of my own bottled apricots and dried plums. I served it last time with some of my freshly baked sourdough bread…. an international sensation!

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons of almonds

5 spring onions, chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 cms of fresh ginger, grated

a pinch of saffron fronds

2 cinnamon sticks

2 teaspoons of coriander seeds, ground

500g of wallaby, cubed (or shanks etc)

12 stoned plums, soaked in a little boiling water  

6 bottled apricot halves

3-4 strips orange rind

1 Tbl honey

a handful of mint or coriander leaves

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

Heat the oil in the base of a tagine (or casserole).  Add the almonds and cook, stirring until they turn golden.  Add the onions and garlic and sauté until they begin to colour.  Stir in the ginger, saffron, cinnamon sticks and coriander seeds.  Toss the meat into the tagine and sauté for 1-2 minutes, stirring to make sure it is coated in the onion and spices.

Pour in enough water to almost cover the meat and then bring to the boil.  Reduce the heat, put the lid on the tagine and simmer for one hour, until the meat is tender.  Add the plums and liquid, apricots and orange rind, put the lid back on and simmer for a further 10 minutes.  Stir in the honey, season with salt and pepper, cover and simmer for a further 5 minutes.

Make sure there is enough liquid in the pot as you want the sauce to be syrupy and slightly caramelised, but not dry.  Stir in half of the fresh mint or coriander leaves, then serve immediately, sprinkled with the remaining mint or coriander and accompanied by couscous (made with wheat or quinoa) or some good sourdough bread.

French Green Peppercorn Sauce

- green pepper (dried unripe fruit)

One day at the Cygnet Market a young Frenchman came up to me and asked if, amongst all the beautiful, fresh spices I had displayed on the stall, were there any green peppercorns.
I replied that I did not have them as I only had dried spices, (not the little tins of pickled, fresh, green peppercorns I was familiar with).

He assured me that in France people make a beautiful sauce with ground, dried green peppercorns….. of course I asked him for the recipe and told him I would have the dried green peppercorns he requested, at the next market, if I could find them.

Well, find them I did and make the sauce I did. Typically simple yet unique and delicious, as French foods often are, I have written out the young Frenchman’s recipe below and hope you will try it. He recommended we have it with a grilled piece of meat so I used local chops (killed and hung for 2 weeks at the Cradoc Abattoir).

French Green Peppercorn Sauce

(recipe from Romain, a local French customer)

Serves 6 (if the cook can resist sampling too much!)

125g butter

125g Four Leaf 85% flour

Make a roux : Dissolve the butter in a pan over medium heat. Add the flour.
Stir until the mixture forms a smooth paste which leaves the sides and base of pan cleanly.
Cook for a minimum of 2 minutes, stirring, to cook out the taste of the flour.

Gradually add 5ooml good stock (I used the bones from the meat from the abattoir to make a stock) until the sauce is thick and smooth.

Reduce the heat and stir in :

1 heaped tsp freshly and finely ground green peppercorns

1/2 tsp salt (to taste and depending on the salt in your stock)

2 tsp. balsamic vinegar (a dash more, to taste, if you like)

Serve as a sauce with meat / or drizzle over roasted, steamed or mashed potatoes

Bon appetit!

Turnips

 

First, I sauteed them in butter and olive oil, turning them to coat and brown. I used plenty of butter - if you are going to cook a good, English meal, you need plenty of butter, I reckon. Otherwise it would be like fish and chips without lots of salt - a bit pointless!

Soon they were browning up and the I put in a good 1/2 cup of white wine and the same of water, scraped the brown bits off the bottom and it was looking good. I put the lid on for about another 10 minutes.

When the rest of the meal was ready to serve, I threw in the chopped turnip leaves - something my mother would never do! - and boiled the excess liquid off. Actually, I also added some chopped bok choy from my garden too. Next time I would thicken that yummy liquid a bit or use more liquid, chop the turnips up more and serve it as a soup. Excellent winter lunch that would be.

Give it a bit of salt and pepper and there you go, my turnip recipe. Deeelicious!

Harvest Stew with Fresh Herbs & Dumplings
STEW
*1 c. pear nectar
*1 c. low-sodium vegetable broth
*1 T Dijon mustard
*3 tsp chopped fresh thyme
*1 tsp salt
*Freshly ground pepper
*1 small (1 lb) butternut squash, peeled & cu into 1-inch chunks
*3 small turnips, peeled and quartered
*2 carrots, peeled and sliced
*2 zucchini, sliced
*1 medium onion, chopped
*1/2 tart apple, cored, peeled & grated
*6 garlic cloves, chopped
DUMPLINGS
*1 c. all-purpose flour
*2 tsp baking powder
*1/2 c. low-fat buttermilk
*2 T unsalted butter, melted
*1 T chopped scallions
DIRECTIONS
*Whisk together pear nectar, broth, mustard, 2 tsp thyme, ½ tsp salt and pepper in a large saucepan. Add the squash, turnips, carrots, zucchini, onion, apple and garlic. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered until the veggies are just tender (about 15 minutes).
*Meanwhile, combine the flour, baking powder and remaining ½ tsp salt in a large bowl. Combine the buttermilk and butter in another bowl. Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and stir just until the mixture forms a soft dough. Stir in the scallions and remaining 1 tsp of thyme.
*Drop the dough by 6 heaping tablespoons onto the simmering stew. Simmer the stew, uncovered, for 10 minutes, then cover and cook until the dumplings are firm (about 10 minutes more).

CHICKEN WITH OLIVES, PRESERVED LEMON AND FENNEL

The chicken part is great but what makes it superb is the polenta with blue cheese..... see below.

8 chicken pieces

1 fennel bulb, coarsely chopped

3 large parsnips, coarsely chopped

 Tbl curry paste mixed with olive oil to thin...maybe 50ml....more or less

1Tbl fennel seeds

a large handful of olives

1/2 preserved lemon / lime

1/2 fresh lemon, thinly sliced then chopped

1

1/4 cup verjuice

pepper

a handful of coriander,chopped

Preheat oven to 180

Put a bit of oil into a baking dish and lay the vegetables over in one layer, turn in the oil.

Combine the chicken pieces, fennel seeds, curry paste mixture and lemons in a bowl and turn them in to coat. 

Place the chicken and all the bits on top of the vegetables in the baking dish in one layer.

Dust with paprika and turn it all in together after 40 minutes.

Bake about 1 hour total.

Just before serving mix in verjuice, pepper and coriander leaves.

Polenta:

1.5 cups polenta : 1.5 litres cold water

To cook polenta with no lumps it is dead easy if you add the polenta to cold water with 1 tsp salt, then heat moderately quickly before reducing the heat and allowing it to thicken. Towards the end of 30 mins. add lots of left-over bits of good, strong cheeses, which must include some blue. Anything and everything is good...not just good..... excellent! This comes from a lovely cookbook I have called "Pass the Polenta".

This is not a low fat meal! But my goodness, it is worth every gram!

 

CHICKEN AND YOGHURT CURRY

Chicken pieces, for this recipe I use about 6 - 8, or use more vegetables and less chicken
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 - 2 tsp of freshly grated ginger...or more if you like it as much as I do
1/2 cup mint or coriander leaves ,stems and roots
oil, I like peanut
1 tsp turmeric....next year I might be able to say fresh turmeric
1.5 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp or more of sweet chilli sauce
1/2 cup yoghurt mixed with 1 tsp flour
chopped potatoes and pumpkin if you like
1 sliced mango or other sweet fruit or some chutney
2 or more tomatoes, chopped
Other green veg for adding towards the end, like Asian greens or beetroot leaves or any chopped leaves really or maybe some snow peas etc

Fry gently in a large pot: onion, ginger coriander roots and stems for 5 minutes.
Add garlic, turmeric and other spices. Stir in the yoghurt and tomatoes and fry to a thick liquid.
Add the chicken and turn to coat - no need to brown. Add potatoes and pumpkin.
Make sure there is enough liquid to almost cover everything or add a bit of water.
Reduce heat, cover well and cook about 3/4 of an hour.
Stir in fruit and greens. Simmer another 15 minutes or so, while you cook the rice or whatever.
Sprinkle coriander leaves over when serving.

Rice:
1 2/3 liquid : 1 basmati rice
Bring liquid to the boil, covered ( water, fruit juice, coconut milk, or just water)
Add rice, reduce heat, put paper towel over the saucepan then the lid and cook 15 minutes without disturbing

JEAN'S PASTY SLICE

1 quantity Jean's shortcrust pastry
1/2 pound finely diced kangaroo / other tender, lean meat
1 each of potato, turnip / parsnip, carrot, all finely diced
1 Tbl parsley
1 tsp salt

Follow assembly directions given in the pastry recipe below.

Bake 200C 10 minutes. Reduce to 180C 10 minutes. reduce to 160C about 40 minutes, covering with foil to avoid burning. if you don't cook it long enough the vegetables will be crunchy.

Indian Chicken with sliced lemon and fried onions

I cooked this last night and served it with the dahl recipe below, plus some steamed beans. It was sensational. Basically it is from a Madhur Jaffrey cookbook I have.

Serves 4- 6 (everyone came back for seconds )

6-8 chicken pieces
3 medium-sized onions
1 inch cube of ginger,sliced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
8 tbs vegetable oil
1 tbs ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp turmeric
1 Tbl tomato paste
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp chilli
1 whole lemon / preserved lime
1 Tbl sugar
pepper
2 Tbl yoghurt

Peel the onions. Chop two of them coarsely and put them into the container of an electric blender. Cut the third one in half lengthwise, then slice it into thin half-rounds and set aside.
Add 6 tablespoons of water, the ginger, and the garlic to the onions in the blender and blend at high speed until you have a smooth paste.
Heat 6 tablespoons of the oil in a pot over medium-high flame. When hot, put in the sliced onions and fry them, stirring, until they are darkish brown and crisp, though not burned. Remove onions with a slotted spoon and leave them to drain on paper towels.
Remove skin from all chicken pieces. Divide legs into drum­stick and thigh, and quarter the breasts. In the same oil, brown the chicken pieces on all sides until they are golden. Remove chicken with slotted spoon to a bowl or plate.
Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the pot. Pour in the paste from the blender. (Keep face averted.) Stirring, fry on medium-high heat for about 10 minutes or until paste turns a nice golden-brown. Now put in the coriander, cumin, and turmeric and fry, stirring continuously; after another 2 minutes add yogurt, a teaspoon at a time; after 2 or 3 minutes, the tomato puree, a little at a time, continuing to stir and fry. Finally, add salt, cinnamon, cloves, cayenne pepper, and pint of water. Bring to the boil, cover, lower heat, and simmer gently for 10 minutes.
Cut the lemon into 4 or 5 slices, discarding the end pieces, and remove the seeds. Add lemon slices along with the chicken pieces, fried onions, sugar, and freshly ground pepper to the sauce, stir, and bring to the boil.
Cover, lower heat, and sim­mer gently for 20 to 25 minutes or until chicken is tender, turning the pieces every now and then. If chicken sticks to bottom of pot, add a little more water. You should end up with a very thick sauce.

MOONG DAHL
I used some dahl that Cath was also buying in Goodies and Grains a few weeks ago and I can't remember what they are called. I hope she will leave a comment and tell me. What a duffer I am. Anyway, moong or not, it worked well !
10oz moong dahl
2 cloves garlic, crushed
½ inch piece fresh ginger, sliced
2 Tbl chopped parsley
1 Tbl turmeric
¼ tsp chilli
1 tsp salt
1 ½ Tbl lemon juice
3 Tbl oil
1 pinch asafetida
1 tsp whole cumin seeds
Lemon / lime wedges

Clean and wash dahl thoroughly. Put into a heavy-bottomed pot, add 2 pints water, and bring to the boil. Remove the froth and scum that collects at the top. Now add the garlic, ginger, parsley, turmeric, and chilli. Cover, leaving the lid very slightly ajar, lower heat, and simmer gently for about 1½ hours. Stir occasionally. When dahl is cooked, add the salt and lemon juice (it should be thicker than pea soup, but thinner than porridge).
In a 4-6-inch frying-pan or small pot, heat the vegetable oil over a medium-high flame. When hot, add the asafetida and cumin seeds. As soon as the asafetida sizzles and expands and the cumin seeds turn dark (this will take only a few seconds), pour the oil and spices over the dahl and serve. (Some people put the dahl in a serving dish and then pour the oil and spices over it.)
To serve: Most meat and chicken dishes go well with this dahl. Since some people like to squeeze extra lemon or lime juice on their dahl, serve some wedges separately.

Spanish Chicken

Ingredients
1 kg sliced organic chicken
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 sliced onions
3 cloves garlic
3 cups organic tomato puree
2 cups sliced celery
2 cups corn kernels
2 cups peas
2 cups cooked lentils or beans
2 tablespoons chopped oregano
2 tablespoons chopped chives
2 tablespoons paprika
1 cup chopped parsley
ground black pepper, salt to taste
chilli to taste and chopped coriander (optional)

Method
Heat the oil in a large pan
Lightly brown the chicken (a little at a time)
Cook onions and garlic
Add remaining ingredients and simmer gently until chicken and vegetables are cooked
Serve with brown rice and chopped parsley