During my trip to Iran, I saw people who had dogs for pets but none who had cats. I’m sure many Iranians do keep cats as pets, I just didn’t meet them. I did see a number of ‘pishi’ cats though when I was out and about wandering around. Specially in Tehran. (By the way, a cat is called ‘gorbeh’ in Farsi, but ‘pishi’ is a cute somewhat childish slang for cat — the Persian version of “kitty,” I guess.)

But anyway, here’s goes the very short story of a particular Persian cat:

Professor Hessabi’s intersection. Tehran, Iran

One time, I got to go to this place called Bagh ‘e Mouzeh ye honar (Iranian Art Museum Garden) — a beautiful space with (among other things) a sprawling garden with mini replica installations of famous Iranian monuments. In the Ellaiyeh neighborhood in the north of Tehran. Right around the Professor Hessabi intersection.

Iranian Art Museum Garden has several facilities and attractions but on that particular day, one of its greatest most irresistible draws was a cat …

A cat taking a sun bath, napping soundly and adorably, sprawled on a metal sculpture.

Everybody and their aunts, including yours truly and accompanying relatives, stood transfixed, staring at this cat, going: awwww! And we all took pictures. It was impossible to resist the impulse to immortalize the cuteness.

The Pishi Papparazzi Posse (sorry, couldn’t resist the alliteration)

I couldn’t help snapping a photo of this family who, like the rest of us, were gobsmacked by the cute kitty cat.

Can you spot the sleepy pishi cat?

I went back to the Art Museum Garden quite a number of times. One time there, I saw a huge production which turned out to be a shoot for a commercial.

now you see him now you don’t. nary a pishi in sight!

But never again did I see a maloos pishi catching some sun-soaked Z’s on the sculpture.

And that’s the end of the tale of this particular Persian cat given to languidly reclining in a park. A slumbering pishi dreaming of mahee and panir and moosh.

Have a lovely weekend & may you slumber soundly & dream of your favorite thing.

Persian grape pickles & portrait of Mercedes (painting by my brother)

Last year around this time, my mom and I set up a Fig & Quince table (of goodies and books) at the Children of Persia 9th Annual Walk. (All ‘ye Metro DC area folks who like a good cause & delicious Persian food: Mark your calendars for their 10th Annual Walk.)

For our goodies we offered: Persian mixed trail (ajeel); Persian honey almond saffron brittles (sohan ‘e assal); and 3 types of Persian pickles (torshi.): 1) mixed veggies pickles (torshi makhloot); 2) eggplant pickles (torshi ‘ye bademjoon); and 3) grape pickles (torshi’ ye angur.) The pickles were the first to go, and fast! Everyone loves a good torshi.

The eggplant and mixed-veggies pickles were my mom’s tried and true (and stellar, I might add) recipes – but making torshi ‘ye angur (grape pickles) was a novel one for us both. Its recipe one I’d found while scouring Najaf Daryabandari’s Persian cookbook (a masterpiece) for information and inspiration. (I actually had the honor and pleasure of meeting the gentleman on a few occasions during my trip to Iran. Full story: soon!)

I was excited about pickling grapes and my mom was game as well but she was rather skeptical about whether it would taste good. Turned out, the result was just wonderful. Sweet, sour, a little bit salty, and crunchy. In a unique, pleasantly palatable way.

Want some good news? Aside from its favorable taste and texture, grape torshi is ridiculously easy to prepare. Requiring not so much a recipe as know-how. So simple in fact that I won’t even bother with the usual recipe format and will just do a step by step pictorial.

By way of ingredients all you will need are: white vinegar, salt, sterlized airtight glass jars, and a good batch of nice, dent-free, firm, crunchy (no smooshy ones, oh no no no) red or black grapes. We used black grapes, as you can see.

Gently wash & dry grapes. Taking care that none of the grapes separate from the stalk.

Allow grapes to dry completely. (Leave to drain in a colander, or, lay on cloth.)

With a kitchen scissor, cut the grape bunch into separate stalks, each stalk having at least 3-4 grapes on it.

Fill pickling jars with a few grape stalks. (Don’t stuff the jar – leave wiggling room for the grapes.)

Add vinegar (enough to cover grapes, leaving some room at the top.) Sprinkle with a dash of salt. Close lid.That’s it. Your job is done.

Now, according to the original recipe, it’ll take a month before this pickle has ‘settled’ and is ready to serve, but we tried it only one day afterwards, and honestly, it was good to go!

Definitely try this. It’s an interesting way to enjoy grapes and with its melange of sweet, sour and salty taste, it makes a unique condiment that goes quite nicely with meat or a rich dish.

نوش جان! Nooshe jaan!

bezan va bekoob!

During my trip to Iran, I flew from Tehran to the fabled city of Shiraz.

My happy-go-lucky ameh (paternal aunt) who lives there picked me up at the airport: coiffed, fully made-up; spiffy and snazzy in her leopard-print head scarf and dangerously high heels. After an emotional greeting and the hustle and bustle of getting the luggage we settled inside her car — me in the passenger seat she behind the wheel — when she turned to me and said: “Do you want to go to a party?” Turned out, that night was one of her ‘doreh’ parties with a few hundred (ha ha slight exaggeration) of her closest girlfriends.

[What is a ‘doreh’?  When a specific group of friends have parties at regular intervals, typically monthly, each taking orderly turns to host the event at their house, it is called a doreh. It is not unusual for Iranians, specially those of a certain generation, to have at least one and oftentimes quite a few doreh social circles.]

But back to our story! So … my aunt, with one hand poised on the wheel of the car and one hand about to turn on the ignition, turned to me and said: ‘mikhai berim mehmooni?’ How could I say no to such an offer! So off we went. Barely having set foot on the soil of the magical city of Shiraz, and here I was, being whisked off to a proper Persian party straight off the airport. Ah, the fun turns and twists of life.

And here I must take a slight turn from the narration as well to tell you that driving (or being a passenger in a car for that matter) in Iran is not for the weak of heart. I say this without any exaggeration. Driving in Tehran was the worst but the smaller cities were not that much better. Slightly less terrifying, yes, but still, sufficiently terrifying! I’ve got to give kudos to my aunt who deftly maneouvered her stick shift car in the unpredictable traffic with utmost blase concern while continuing our chatter.

A glimpse of Ameh. A glimpse of Shiraz.

Anyway, back to our story again: we made it to the party and before even getting to the door I could hear Persian dance music blaring at full blast and when the hostess opened the door to greet us I could spy lots of women dancing. It was surreal and fun and I couldn’t help but just be: charmed! And laugh! “Welcome to Iran,” I thought to myself.

As I finally remembered, it is not at all uncommon in Iran for people (men, women and children) to sing and dance at parties. And amongst Iranians, the people from Shiraz (shiraziha) are particularly renowned for their hedonistic and fun loving ways, and it turns out that no respectable Shirazi party is complete without bezan va bekoob (which figuratively refers to music and dancing.)

Now I will definitely write a post later on about Shiraz, and maybe I’ll even write one about ‘gher dadan” and show you how to dance like a Persian. Oh, why not! Persian style of dancing is charming! It is expressive, coquettish, playfully seductive and just … fun to do and fun to watch.

But for now, for this jaunty pre-weekend post, I’ll just touch base on this thing called ‘beshkan zadan’ which is what it’s called when Iranians put the palms of their hands together and snap their fingers to make a loud rhythmic click. (The sound of it is as evocative of Iran for me as is the sound of the water flowing in the rivers and water-ditches of Tehran.)

‘Beshkan zadan’ is in the DNA of Iranians! It’s what we do when people are dancing to encourage and egg them on; it’s what we do when fun rhythmic music is played and we’re just feeling it, you know; and sometimes, when we feel particularly exuberant and jolly, we can’t help but snap our fingers to celebrate the good feeling or the good news.

Here’s a photo I found on Flickr of an Iranian guy (I’m assuming!) giving beshkan lessons to his farangi friends. (Got permission to post the photo courtesy of Mariam jaan!)

Photo courtesy of Maryam jan! Go check it out at the source!

And see here, even George Clooney is doing it! WHAT! (Totally random. I know!)

George Clooney showing off his ‘beshkan zadan’ skill – Photo Source

[This photo is a still from a video of George Clooney snapping his fingers Persian style (beshkan zadan) and he did so in the context of talking about Iranian film making & filmmakers during a film festival interview. Here's the video. Warning: it loads SLOWLY.t]

Now just as it take practice to learn how to whistle with your fingers (RIP Lauren Bacall) there’s a technique to ‘beshkan zadan’ and snapping your fingers Persian style. Initially, you may find you’re doing what you’re supposed to be doing but no sound comes out. Patience, grasshopper, and practice! Practice makes perfect and if you keep at it, soon you’ll be able to ‘beshkan bezani” with George Clooney and the best of ‘em.

There’s just so much one can demonstrate with words, however, and there comes a time when you have to do a show and tell. So with that said, let’s get to these series of YouTube ‘beshkan zadan’ video tutorials.

First, we have a short one made by yours truly, yes moi, your faithful dorky blogger, wherein I demonstrate the act and sound of ‘beshkan’ for your viewing pleasure.

Please forgive the stylized video. I did it so as to spare your eyes from the horror of my unkempt and exhausted mien. NOT a pretty sight!

Now let’s check out a few YouTube beshkan tutorials so that you can start practicing your Persian snap action.

Here we have a short and solemnly quiet beshkan tutorial, which seems at odd with the exuberant nature of the act, nevertheless, the video does a good job of showing the technique, so on the road of building up your behskan zadan skills, you may want to start here:

For a more snappy beshkan tutorial there’s this young Persian gentleman to help you out:

And look, all you left handed people (which, by the way, I was born one of you, but alas my maman bozorgh turned me to a right-handed one, boo hoo hoo) … anyhow, here’s a beshkan video tutorial for you awesome left handed ones by an equally awesome left-handed young woman – that video is fun and informative to watch for all of you cool right-handed folks as well:

And finally, let’s ‘gher bedim’ and dance and snap our fingers Persian style to this oh-so-cheesy so-fun Persian pop song

Have a lovely weekend & may you have many occasions to snap your fingers with joy and glee. (Beshkan behskaneh beshkan!)

Up in the air in Iran –  halfway between Tehran & Kermanshah

You guys, I had a delicious sholeh zard post scheduled for today but I’m bumping it to next week because instead I want to share the news that this coming Sunday I’m giving a non-political ‘show and tell’ talk about my trip to Iran, at De-Construkt  — an art space in Red Hook, Brooklyn. The title of the event is: A Homesick Journey to Iran – A Hyphenated American’s Nostalgic Visit Home

The ‘show’ part will be a slideshow of photos and video snippets; the ‘tell’ part: the stories that go along with the images. There will be Persian music and Persian food will be served. Ooh yeah!

Do you want to hear how this whole thing came to be?

De-Construkt is run by my friend Laura who is an artist and an inspiration.

Laura in her element

Laura had been away on a long off-the-beaten-path journey across the world around the same time as I had been on my journey to Iran and it was only just a few days ago that we managed to get together — right around the golden hour, at the beautiful Brooklyn Promenade — and finally catch up and talk about our adventures.

Laura is one of those rare people who truly listens, so I was kind of giddy with the pleasure of sharing the stories of my trip, sitting on a bench in one of my favorite parts of Brooklyn with one of my favorite people, and the visual feast of a pink and golden sunset and the Manhattan skyline. One minute I was wistfully saying “I wish I could do a show and tell about my trip” and next thing I know, Laura is saying: “let’s do it” and then we were really doing it! Laura finished watching the sunset, then she quickly wrote a to-do list for me on the back of her grocery bill, gave me a deadline, and off we went!

And that’s how the talk came to be. And now I’m both excited and nerve-wracked!

The happy musician in a Persian cafe – just one of the stories I’ll tell

Here’s the synopsis of what the talk is all about | Here’s the invite on Facebook | Here’s the date, time and place: Sunday August 24, 5 pm at De-construkt | And here’s the address: 41 Seabring Street, 3rd Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11231

I hope those of you who live nearby can come!

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I’ll start by announcing that this is a post where I bury the lede. Some good and interesting thing(s) happened recently but in order to tell you about it, I first have to tell you the story of how it all came about.

Let’s travel back in time to the 4th of July holiday weekend of this year. And query: Where did the summer go? Why does time go so fast? Or as my cousin Gelareh used to ask when she was very little: “why is it day and then it becomes night and then it’s day and night again?” I don’t know Gelareh joon. I do not know.

But what I do know is that I spent the 4th of July holiday weekend with my folks and a rollicking good time was had by yours truly. I enjoyed making a bear get tipsy drinking sour cherry sharbat; I gorged as much of maman joon’s yummy food as prudence allowed, and then, I ate some more; and even though a freelancer’s work is never done, I gave myself a whole lot of time off for good behavior. The weather was unbelievably good too: sunny, breezy, almost cool, just glorious. Such a pretty sky. Weather like this does not often happen in the environ of our nation’s capital (built on swamp land as it is, prone to hot and humid misery) in the dead of summer. Let us give thanks where thanks is due.

So! To celebrate this stroke of good fortune, I spread the folks’ little Persian carpet (the dude with the beard gazing at the moon is supposed to be the Persian poet Omar Khayam by the way) on the deck and arranged little snack bowls of albaloo ‘o gilas (cherry and sour cherry) around me (a girl needs sustenance at all times after all) and commenced to luxuriate in the pleasure of leafing through a few amazing books that I’d been dying to get my hands on.

Like this book of Shahnameh, The Epic Tome of The Persian kings:

This illustrated edition of Shahnameh is a to-die for glorious book. The peerless, magnificent poetry of the revered Persian poet Ferdowsi (also spelled Ferdosi) as rendered in gorgeous illustrations by Hamid Rahmanian. Every page is pure pleasure for the senses and the mind. My sister has started a beautiful tradition of gifting a copy on family birthdays. Uh … I have a birthday coming up, sis! Just saying! Ahem …

After that tangible feast, I turned my attention to the other books, objects of desire, calling out my name. First, I leafed through The New Persian Kitchen, a beautiful cookbook by Louisa Shaffia, drooling over every recipe, wanting to make every recipe (remember an earlier guest post, a gorgeous Persian dinner party where the host used recipes from Louisa’s cookbook?)

And then finally, I put my head on a pillow to lose myself in the pleasure of reading the novel “Together Tea” by Marjan Kamali. An engrossing story that tells the funny and moving tale of an Iranian family who immigrate to the United States.

And because if you don’t Instagram it, it did NOT happen, I Instagrammed it, like so:

And then because you can’t just Instagram, you have also have to tweet it, or it did NOT happen, I tweeted it for good measure as well. Like so:

Great reads! "Together Tea (Iranian-American novel) by @MarjanKamali & The New Persian Kitchen cookbook by @lucidfood http://t.co/4uFLfuT9Yn—
Fig & Quince (@figandquince) July 06, 2014

Which then led to Louisa and Marjan and I tweeting about a potential get-together.

Which then led to Persian Tradition Wine (from Napa, California) offering to send us wine for our get together.

And then this happened. Like, whoa!

now we HAVE to get together @lucidfood @MarjanKamali b/c just look what @persianwine gifted us! #TKS! #Persian #wine http://t.co/CDN4YGFs0y—
Fig & Quince (@figandquince) August 08, 2014

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And so, it came about that on a beautiful summer afternoon, yours truly had the immense luck and pleasure and joy of meeting and befriending these two lovely ladies! Marjan joon and Louisa joon! We only got to spend a scant couple of hours together but we covered a lot of ground and forged a bond. Needless to say, a lot of the talk centered around … Persian food! And plans are afoot to start what Louisa calls a “Persian potluck” with us and a few other New York based Persian food bloggers and writers. (We’re looking at you, local Persian food bloggers extraordinaire: Ahu joon & Azita joon) & truly can not wait. This promises to be the beginning of many beautiful friendships.

Hey Marjan and Louisa! Hi! Hi! I get happy looking at your pix and can’t wait to see you again! And thank you Persian Wine for giving us the perfect excuse to stop dilly dallying and to get together once and for all.

And there you have it, gentle reader, the story of the awesome things that happened recently.

And while you’re still with me (you are still with me, gentle reader, right? tapping on the microphone here … OK, just checking) a friendly reminder that this Sunday I’m doing a fun show and tell about my trip to Iran. I’d be thrilled if you could make it.

When | Sunday August 24, 2014 | 5 pm
Where | De-Construkt | 41 Seabring Street, 3rd Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11231

Here’s the invite on Facebook. (This is a cultural, non-political event.)

And on that note:

Cheers! Khoda hafez &  Khoda be hamrah! Have a Lovely Weekend!

And don’t forget: Practice your behskan skills!

Dreamy Persian Ingredients spread on a Yazdi kitchen towel

This is a teaser post. As in, I’m teasing you with a dreamy list of ingredients: saffron, rosewater, rice, almonds, pistachios!

What, oh what kind of yummy Persian food could this be for?

Recipe (by my lovely friend) will be posted on Monday. Until then, hope you’ll have many fragrant things to smell & yummy things to eat.

ps. The pretty, striped kitchen towel? Glad you ask: my friend and I each bought one when traveling together in Yazd, Iran.

boos boos!

During my trip to Iran, my wonderful friend Haleh made a host of delicious Persian food (as alluded to in this post) for me to enjoy (boy, did I!) and also so that I could photograph and share the recipes of all that yummy Persian food with y’all. This Persian saffron rice pudding (one of my favorites) was one such specimen of Haleh khanoom’s beautiful & tasty handiwork. ‘Dastesh dard nakoneh!’ (May her hands not ache!)

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Traditionally speaking, Persians consider snacks of such things as a mixture of nuts, seeds, dried fruits and raisins; fresh seasonal fruits at the end of a meal; and sips of tea sweetened with either sugar cubes or nabat (rock candy) or else with nibbles of dates or dried figs; as sufficient indulgence and cure for the sweet tooth. There really is no authentic culinary tradition of ‘dessert’ in Iranian cooking: cakes, cookies and pastries, often purchased from ‘ghanadi’ (pastry shops) instead of being made at home, used to be strictly reserved for company and festive gatherings such as the new year celebration and weddings. Which explains why Iranian cuisine, so rich and inventive in many ways, is somewhat paltry when it comes to a repertory of desserts.

Among the few authentic Persian sweets, a classic and stellar one is ‘sholeh zard’ which literally means “yellow wobbly” but is often translated as ‘Persian saffron rice pudding’ — which, let us acknowledge, is a far more fitting and refined name for this fragrant, sweet and comforting Persian treat. (Although, I am partial to the monicker of  ‘yellow wobbly’, it has a naively charming ring to it.)

As you might have guessed from its English name by now, sholez zard gets its sunny disposition from saffron; its aromatic scent from rosewater (and butter); its wonderful smooshy texture from rice; and for its soft but not blandly mushy texture, sholeh zard owes a debt of gratitude to the crunchy almonds.

Delicious sholeh zard. Made & styled beautifully by Haleh (Khanoom ‘e Ghol)

Now let’s take a moment to retrace our list of ingredients: saffron, rosewater, rice, almonds, pistachios. Quintessential ingredients of a Persian kitchen. Which begs the rhetorical question: could there be a more stereotypically Persian dish than sholeh zard? (Channeling Chandler Bing! Heh!)

Interestingly of note re the rice: Persians take pains in preparing rice so as to get a nice and fluffy bed of rice, each holy grain lengthened and puffed up to its personal best (an elaborate process attested to and detailed in the ‘How to make the perfect Persian rice” post) and yet, when making sholeh zard, the object of the game is to practically cook the rice to smithereens and mush it up and mush it up good. Take that, finicky Persian rice! Payback time! GAME ON!

When served, sholeh zard is always decorated with personal design flourishes — per the taste and whims of its maker — of sprinkled cinnamon and slivered pistachios and/or almonds. (Check out these whimsical sholeh zard designs & look at this sholeh zard beauty I found on Twitter!)

Sholeh zard may of course be served at Persian dinner parties and festive celebrations. But just like halva, its rival and oftentimes counterpart-companion dessert, sholeh zard is a sweet that also has somber and solemn associations. People of faith, when praying for something specific, sometimes make private personal vows ( called a ‘nazr‘) that should their prayer be answered, they would make charitable offerings of food (called a ‘nazri‘) to the needy — this may cynically be considered a quid-pro-quo barter, or, it may be considered a way to demonstrate good faith and gratitude to the almighty. This avowed charitable food offering may be as elaborate as a feast or as bare bones as tea and dates. Either halva or sholeh zard are almost always among the ‘nazri’ food thus offered.

(I have a couple of tales re nazr & nazri from my trip – tales saved for another post. Potentially worth the wait!)

Rice, Saffron, rosewater, sugar, almonds, pistachios: the pretty ingredients of sholeh zard

Did someone make a nazr for the recipe? Because here we go, finally, with the recipe for the delightful wobbly yellow Persian rice saffron rosewater pudding:

• rice 2 cups (best quality)
• sugar 2 cups
• butter 100 grams
• rosewater 1/2 cup
• slivered almonds 50 grams
• saffron 1 teaspoon, tapered off (dissolved in 1/4 cup hot water)
• slivered pistachios and cinnamon for garnish

1. Wash and rinse rice thoroughly until the water runs clear, then drain.
2. In a big pot, boil rice with 10-12 cups of water. Remove any foam.
3. Once rice has cooked and softened completely, add sugar. Stir well with a wooden spoon to combine and dissolve the sugar.
4. Once sugar has dissolved, add almonds, saffron, butter and rosewater. Stir well to mix all ingredients.
5. Continue to cook at low temperature for approximately half an hour — until the mixture has nicely settled. (The ideal end result is one where the rice grains have practically melted; and the texture is such that if you dip a spoon inside it, the pudding should be neither soupy nor too densely firm, just nicely dense and wobbley.)
6. Remove pot from heat. While still hot, transfer the pudding to one or more serving bowls, allowing it to cool and set.

Note: For best results, use the best quality of rice. The sweetness of this pudding can be adjusted by using more or less sugar to taste.

Persian saffron rice pudding: a) Bowls Cooling off in the kitchen, b) decorated

Once the Persian saffron rice pudding has cooled off and its texture set, decorate with a personally favored flourish of pistachio, almond and cinnamon sprinkled on top. Serve to your hungry and grateful gang. Tell them to bring spoons.

Of special note to fellow shakamoos: the top layer of the Persian saffron rice pudding is the best part!

‎نوش جان! Nooshe jaan!

Thank you Haleh joon for feeding me yummy شله زرد  and making this recipe a possibility!

And hugs & kisses for this adorable sous chef!

A group selfie at the Caspian Sea, iran | Found on Instagram

For many years, I yearned for glimpses of the life and people of Iran aside from its myopic presentation on mass media. After my epic trip to Iran, I now have my own first hand experience and pictures and stories that I’ve been excited to share with you, and I am eager to continue to share. Albeit, at the slow pace the series is unfolding, it may take me 3 years to recount a 3 month journey! (Which, an aside, a query: Why can’t I clone myself and put my clones to work? Do you think it would be alright if I crowdfund a cloning project? The clones would have to work feverishly from sunrise to sunset, it’s true, but they would get to listen to a Googoosh and Abjeez sound track and get plenty of tea and noon ‘o panir, as well as the occasional polo khoresh on festive holidays. So I wouldn’t hear of any complaints from them. Oh no! No sir! They should just be thankful and count their blessings to be so gainfully employed. Ungrateful wretches! … And yes, please do ignore me, I’m just being ultra silly.)

Meanwhile, thanks to social media, you don’t need to actually travel to Iran to gain a more balanced, comprehensive and vivid idea of life there. It’s also possible by now to glean quite a lot about the Iranian culture from the Iranians-at-large in diaspora communities across this marvelous and confounding globe of ours.

So I’m starting this new blog series where I will share with you some of my favorite Persian-centric images, Facebook postings, Instagrams, Pins, tweets, websites, articles, videos, news, businesses, and what-nots as found in cyberspace. The Persian nooks and crannies of the Internet! I hope it will be a fun way to offer you an alternative glimpse of the life, sensibility, aesthetics and culture of Iran and the Iranian people. And one that I hope will introduce you to the work, photos, stories, and resources of a number of talented and passionate Iranians, hyphenated Iranians, and Iranian organizations.

Note: All of the images are scoured from social media sites and are live links (just hover the mouse over the image and/or the handle name.) I encourage you to click and go right to the source to explore and follow their content! 

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Fathers & Daughters in Iran. A series of portraits of Iranian fathers and daughters in different social classes in Tehran and other cities by Nafise Motlaq.

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I made a happy squeaky noise when I saw this image on Twitter. And not just because @Iran-Style is one of my fave people to follow on Twitter. This is the hotel my friend and I stayed at when we went to Yazd (in April) and it brings back so many good memories. It’s pretty, right? My room was 3 windows to the left! Note the shallow pool in its courtyard — a trademark of many Persian gardens and courtyards.

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Did you hear about this?  Maryam Mirzakhani, an Iranian and currently a professor at Stanford, became the first woman to win math’s most prestigious medal. I have insider info from the geek community that goes like this: “The geeks love Maryam!” That’s good to know! @Wired magazine has a nice story and a nice video about this truly admirable woman, who, on a shallow note, I must say looked impossibly adorable as a little girl. Every single Iranian is proud of her!

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So this is a vintage video shot in Iran: a harmlessly fun way to while away 6 minutes of your life and you’ll get to practice your French into the bargain.

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And here’s an Iranian hiker posing atop the Bisotoon wall in Kermanshah! Ah, this brings back sweet memories of my own trip again. A mere 4 months ago on a drizzly day, in the company of my lovely cousins, I stood exactly where this hiker is standing! yadesh be kahir!

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Here’s a flower nursery in Iran …

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We can’t leave without at least one mouthwatering shot of Persian food! A zereshk polo glistening with butter and saffron … made by a nice Iranian mom … oh my sweet Lord!

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And since we started with a selfie, let’s end this with another selfie, this one a couple of young Iranian women in the subway, in Tehran.

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So that’s it. Hope you enjoyed this inaugural tour of my favorite Persian nooks and crannies in cyberspace; and boos boos and hugs until next!

The days are growing progressively short and the pleasantly brisk sweater weather harbors the threat of a brutish winter ahead. But: there’s a shiny silver lining! It’s quince season!

If you’re very lucky, you have quince trees growing in your garden. If you’re not that lucky but still occasionally caressed and fondled by lady luck, there is a boy who volunteers to send you all the quinces from his quince tree. (Now, isn’t that a charming gesture of woo!) If you’re somewhat lucky, you can either find quinces in one of your local markets or else you can surreptitiously forage some from here and yonder. And if none of these apply, well, let’s face it, you’re entirely out of luck! At least when it comes to quinces. And that is a fate I would not wish for you, because I love quinces and I’m equally fond of you.

A decade ago, pomegranates were obscure objects of desire but by now everyone is appraised of their charm and eager to heap praise on the ruby-red-jeweled fruit. Quince — an ugly fruit with a heavenly scent and a multitude of hidden charm — is for certain destined for an equal if less glittery future of popular recognition. If you have not yet jumped on the quince bandwagon, do it! Do it now! Do it before it is commonplace and mundane.

Now, as befits a Persian food blog bearing the monicker of Fig & Quince, we have covered recipes for: stuffed quince (dolme ‘ye beh); quince kookoo (kookoo ‘ye beh); quince tas kabob (a finger licking slow-cooked fusion of many delicious things that has to be tried and marvelled at) and we were also graced by Maria’s Dulce de Mebrillo Sweet Quince guest post. By and by, delicious plans are afoot to bring you the recipes for the Persian quince stew (khoresht ‘e beh) and also for quince sharbat (sharbat ‘e beh) as well. But right now, that is at this very moment in time, when our beautiful silvery moon in the sky is in its waxing gibbous phase, it’s time to share with you the recipe for quince jam (moraba ‘ye beh.) A toothsome affair that goes mighty nicely with tea and buttered bread.

A little aside: I regret a few things about my trip to Iran. Regrets not too few to mention. Like: why did I not go up hiking on the mountains in Tehran more often ? Why did I not motivate and go visit my friend at her mother’s house that one time? (I really should have.) Why didn’t I make the time to go visit Joobin at Khoosh Nevissan cafe? Why didn’t I spend at least one whole day sitting in a cross town bus traversing this side to that side of Tehran?  Why didn’t I take a Persian shirini making class? And why oh why oh why oh why did I not indulge in the traditional Persian breakfast?

For while I did allow myself to take great and even at times greedy pleasure in the plentiful goodness of the delicious Persian food (homemade and otherwise) widely available to me when in Iran, I stuck to my old boring albeit healthy breakfast throughout the trip. Yes! I do so confess! So even as my sundry Persian guest hosts broke their fast with excruciatingly soft and recklessly sweet smelling Persian bread freshly delivered or bought from the local noonvayee — lovely bread like nooneh sangak or barbari or lavash — that they wantonly buttered and then jam’d with spoonfuls of moraba (jam) and took big bites in between sips of hot tea, I in turn had my plain bowl of yogurt with sliced banana and some chopped walnuts and their quizzical looks of concern and pity! Yes, I was virtuous, but at what price! What folly was this! Tssk tssk!

It’s not possible to turn back the clock, alas, nor as of yet is it possible to replicate the amazing freshly baked bread of Iran outside of the borders of “the most charming country in the world,” but at least the moraba (jam) is one that can be remade to redress and remedy regretful neglects, and it’s specially nice when it is made with quince and I urge you to consider making it as well.

The quince moraba comes out a little soft, a little chewy, and a lot tasty.

• 2 1/2 lbs quinces (approximately 4 quinces)
• 3 to 4 cups sugar (depending on how sweet you prefer your preserves)
• 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon cardamom seeds (or else substitute 1 cinnamon sticl)
• filtered water
• Sterilized jars

1. Wash, dry, peel and quarter quinces. Remove seeds and cores. Slice each quarter into orange-slice-sized wedges. Squeeze a lemon over the wedges – the lemon juice prevents quince from discoloration.
2. Place quince wedges in a pot with enough filtered water to cover 1/2 inch. Bring to a boil over high heat. Immediately reduce heat to low, close lid, and simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Add sugar, cardamom seeds (or cinnamon stick), stir with a wooden spoon to mix, close lid and simmer for 2-3 hours — until quince wedges turn a beautiful reddish color and the syrup thickens.
4. Add freshly squeezed lemon juice. Bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, boil for just another couple of minutes. (Here’s a trick to tell if you need to continue to boil preserve or if it’s ready: Add a droplet of syrup to cold water. if the droplet sinks intact without disintegrating, the preserve is done!)
5. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
6. Fill sterilized jars with quince jam. Store in a cool, dark place until use.

Notes & trouble-shooting: Do not remove the lid while the jam is being made. If the jam is not thickened sufficiently, remedy the issue boiling the mixture on high heat (without the lid) for a few minutes until the syrup sufficiently thickens.

You can enjoy quince jam preserves as a topping with yogurt or ice cream. Traditionally, however, quince jam is enjoyed as a spread with buttered bread and tea for ‘sobhaneh’ (breakfast) or ‘asraneh’ (afternoon delight.)

 Make it, enjoy it, and noosheh jaan!

Let’s start part 2 of the Persian nooks and crannies of cyberspace (see here for part 1 and the series’ mission statement) with Anthony Bourdain – the chef and food critic bar none who visited Iran this past spring. Very much look forward to seeing this episode when it airs.

Before continuing, let’s please note that all of the images in this post are scoured from social media sites and are live links — just hover the mouse over the image and/or the handle name. I encourage you to click and go right to the source to explore and follow their content!

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Artwork by the Iranian artist Elahe Shahbani. So beautiful! I can’t stop gazing at it.

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Ramsar Hotel in the northern region (‘shomal’) of Iran in the Caspian sea region. If not for the telltale sign of women wearing the hijab, I would have mistaken the mood and architecture for that of a sleepy European town.

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An Iranian mom lining up her kids for a photo op at the tomb of Omar Khayyam, the Iranian mathematician, astronomer and poet.

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A little Persian foodie! Growing up in an awesome foodie Persian family must be so nice!

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The courtyard of the Grand Bazaar, in Tehran. The Grand Bazaar was one of my favorite places to explore when I was in Tehran. I barely scratched the surface.

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One of my favorite Persian food bloggers having herself a cozy, lovely time with yummy Persian snacks and the 2 volume masterpiece cookbook of Mr. Najaf Daryabandari.

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Iran is definitely a poetic and charming country. A whole bunch of you are entirely cynical of this pronouncement, I know, but it’s true. I mean, would a British dude write in a UK publication that Iran is the most charming country on Earth were it not true?

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Perhaps we can contemplate the veracity of this point over the weekend. These are turbulent times that feel dark and ominous, but let’s all have a beautiful weekend, focusing on good things and light, and let’s send some positive energy into this awesome and awful world of ours.

There’s a saying in Farsi when someone goes to visit someone and doesn’t leave that they have eaten kangar (cardoon) and they have put down langar (anchor.)

What is kangar (cardoon)? Picture a celery with attitude and thorns! The Heatcliff of edible vegetables! Kangar is not found in the U.S., so I’ve certainly not had any, but, it appears that I’ve most certainly put down a langar here in the DC area while visiting my folks.

• Aside #1: Despite its thorns, cardoon is a popular ingredient that is used to make a very delicious Persian stew (khoresh ‘e kangar.) Mom says: “don’t forget to mention that kangar mast (cardoon & yogurt) is very good and delicious as well.’ OK, Maman joon, you got it! But really, who was the first person who beheld this uninviting vegetable with thorny leaves and thought: ‘I must make a meal of it!” The origins of many dishes are fascinating. N’est ce pa?
• Aside #2: It is a truth universally acknowledged that people living in the Washington DC metropolitan area often respond that they live in DC when asked by outsiders. Technically, I’m in Maryland, but DC is just a few subway stops, I mean Metro stops away.
• Aside #3: The subway, I mean Metro, is by far cleaner, nicer (and also much less lively) here than in New York, but in its lieu, the fares are substantially higher than in New York and unlike New York’s flat rate, the further you travel, the more you fork over. They also charge you more if you travel during rush hour. So you are basically penalized for having a regular 9-5 job.)

Now lest you think I’m just living it up here, sippin’ sharbat and eating ta’dig and reading Persian fairy tales, let me say: I wish! And: yay and nay! That is, this is a working holiday but I’m trying to have as a cozy a time as possible nevertheless and to soak up the good vibes of being near those who are darling and dear.

I’ve been cooking up a good bit while here too, and the other day decided to make one of the earliest recipes I learned from Maman, a type of koofteh (Persian meatball), to write as a post to feed the blog monster. (Remember: blog monsters are always hungry!) So I made the koofteh and its yummy mushroom sauce and then took the standard operating procedure food-blogging photos (on a Persian tablecloth with a traditional Persian motif called ‘galamkar‘) and was quite pleased with myself and life and feeling somewhat accomplished when … I realized I’d already posted this Persian koofteh recipe  last year! Insert here a big: D’OH!

What is a food blogger in want of a quick blog post to do? Why: show pictures! Lots and lots of pictures! (As for the been-there-done-that koofteh: it is delicious; goes super nicely with bread and yogurt; leftovers taste even better the next day; and for the recipe please go here.)

And now begins the show and tell ‘Persian culture’ portion of our visit.

I’m usually super lazy when visiting my family and pretty much camp at home, but, I did motivate and trekked to the Smithsonian one fine sunny day. (Love, love the Smithsonian! Giving a good name to “institutions” everywhere!)

In the Smithsonian Castle I spent some time with this cute and cuddly astronaut!

Then I made my way through a beautiful garden to go check out the Persian Calligraphy exhibit on view at the Freer Sackler Gallery of the Smithsonian. The gallery considers calligraphy to be “Persian culture’s most expressive from of aesthetic refinement. (By the way, calligraphy means “beautiful writing”.)

A rather hypnotic video screen – a woman engaged in the practice of calligraphy – greets one at the entrance to the Nasta’liq – Genius of Persian Calligraphy exhibit. It is not a grand show, by the way and by any means, just one small room and anteroom, but the selection is interesting and at times exquisite. Worth a visit for sure.

There’s also a permanent exhibit of ancient Persian objects at the Freer Sackler Galery. I’ll share just a few images that may be of interest to you:

The imagery of winged lions (what the Smithsonian calls ‘the fantastic feline’) as seen engraved on this plate is a frequent motif in the design of ancient Persian art.

“Winged horses appear frequently in Sassanian art, but their exact significance has yet to be determined. On this symmertrically organized plate, a pair balances on a stylized crenellated ground as if grazing or drinking. The familiar Sasanian (a Persian dynasty) vine scroll encircles the plate’s inner rim. Similar winged horses have been interpreted as a Zoroastrian astronomical sign or a representation of Pegasus, the mythical horse that was introduced to the Sasanian world through the Romans.”  The Smithsonian’s Museums of Asian Art

Wine horn with gazelle protome | Iran, Sasanian period

“Among the most remarkable Parthian ceremonial objects are wine horns, originally known in Persian as palogh and later as shakh (horn).  Wine horns may have been included in special royal ceremonies, such as the Persian New Year (Nowruz) marking the vernal equinox. The tradition of creating elaborate wine horns continued well into the Sasanian period, but few of the vessels have survived. This extraordinary example with a protome (forepart) in the shape of a gazelle is decorated with an unusual scene: a bull and a resting antelope flank one side of a tree, and a roaring lion and a second antelope appear on the other side. While the precise meaning of the imagery is unclear, the meticulous design and fine quality of the wine horn suggest it was created in a royal workshop.” The Smithsonian’s Museums of Asian Art

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If you’re still with me, and I hope you are since the best is to come, I personally found this following exhibition text (re the tradition of feasting in ancient Iran) to be fascinating. Since the image is blurry and not entirely legible, here’s the transcript:

“According to written accounts, ancient Iranians were known for their elaborate etiquette, meticulously prepared banquets, and conspicuous consumption. Not only were they one of the first societies to eat meals in multiple courses, but they were also renowned for their rich desserts and delicious wines. According to one Sasanian source, the favorite foods of King Khsurow (reigned 531-579 CE) included lamb, beef rubbed in olive juices, and ox cooked in broth and eaten with sugared candies. Fruits, nuts, and spices were also classic ingredients of Iranian cuisine. Eating and drinking were also integral to formal ceremonies associated with Zoroastrianism, the principal religion of ancient Iran. The city of Shiraz in southern Iran was said to produce some of the finest white wines in the region. Its widespread fame gave rise to the myth that the modern wine called Syrah (sometimes Shiraz) originated in Iran.”  The Smithsonian’s Museums of Asian Art

At this point, if not out of consideration for wearing out your scrolling finger and patience, I was tempted to also include some of the photos I took of the gorgeous ancient Persian ruins of  ‘takht’e Jamshid‘ in Persepolis, Iran that are relevant to this post’s subjects. But: let’s just end here. Hope you enjoyed this disjointed but earnest Persian food and culture post about koofteh, calligraphy, kangar & langar in Washington DC brought to you by your faithful blogger who is currently basking in the pleasure of being at the bosom of family, but is also suffering from a nasty cold.

Khoda hafez until we meet next!

Pomegranate wears a crown because it is king!

This is another teaser post! As in, I’m teasing you with what’s to come! That is:

A grassroots effort by a veritable tribe of us Persian food writers (from across the globe) to bring to you a recipe-roundup in honor and celebration of Mehregan, the ancient Persian autumnal festival of thanksgiving and love! Doesn’t that sound exciting and delicious? The participants are talented and passionate and the Persian festival of Mehregan itself is intrinsically pretty and interesting; so I’m optimistic that this will prove to be a major treat for us all! Stay tuned as we blast off our Mehregan Persian food recipe posts on October 9th! Won’t you? (Hashtag Mehregan2014 if you want to play and follow along!)

What do I have in store for you in my Mehregan recipe post, you ask? Well, You’ll have to wait till Thursday to find out, but, I will drop some major hints by name dropping some of the ingredients: plums, prunes, noodles, Persian-style caramelized onions (piyaz dagh), walnuts, rice, a peacock, raisins, rice, and everything nice. And if you just raised an eyebrow, that’s good, I was just testing to see if you were paying attention!

I can’t wait to share my Mehregan post with you and I’m so looking forward to reading all the other writers’ posts for their insight, research, and delectable recipes for toothsome Persian treats. There’s going to be so much good cooking!

And you know what? I’m just so happy that thousands of years later and an ocean away, here we are, a bunch of us Iranians (hyphenated or half as we may be) paying homage to, exploring, and sharing our ancients roots, farhang and heritage. This is a heritage rooted in ensaniyat (humanity) and eshg (love) — as I partially quote a brand new and already very dear friend — and as such, I hope you will find it something that’s not just waxing nostalgic by “others”, but a celebration of the universal themes of  beauty, bounty, thanksgiving, respect and reverence of nature, and love – things that bind, unite and nurture us all.

Nuts & fruits (specially pomegranates) were staples of a colorful Mehregan spread.

Khoda Hafez till our delicious Mehregan rendez-vous on Thursday October 9th!

#Mehregan2014

Persian Feast | Mehregan 2014

Hi all! Let me kick start this festive post by saying that it is part of an effort by a whole gang (a veritable tribe) of us Persian food scribblers who gathered together to bring you a roundup of recipes in honor and celebration of Mehregan. Please scroll all the way to the end to see the index link to all these wonderful writers’ delicious posts: a lovely bounty in honor of a festival of love and bounty!

What is Mehregan? Dating back to 6000 years ago, Mehregan is an ancient Persian thanksgiving celebration of harvest and bounty  — also referred to as Festival of fall, as it marks the harvesting season and is a tribute to nature. The word ‘mehr’ in Farsi means affection, kindness, love. It is also the name of the seventh month (coinciding with the zodian sign of Libra) in the Persian calendar, dedicated to Mehr: the Zoroastrian Goddess of Light, Knowledge, and Love.

In the interest of full disclosure, I need tell you that Mehregan is no longer widely celebrated in modern Iran, except in a few cities such as Yazd and Kerman where there still reside a considerable Zoroastrian population, which was the religion of ancient Persia. But at one point in the history of Iran, Mehregan was as important a festival as Norooz, the Persian New Year.

In ancient Persia, the year was divided into two seasons: summer and winter. Norooz heralded the beginning of summer and Mehregan heralded the beginning of winter. Each festival was a major celebration and ancient Persian kings gave two audiences a year: one at Norooz and one at Mehregan. A perfect and harmonious symmetry. The two festivals share many rituals and symbolism in common, including: wearing new clothes; thoroughly cleaning one’s home; preparing a feast and celebrating with friends and family; setting a decorative and symbolic table with things like sweets, nuts, water, mirror, various grains for prosperity (such as wheat), fruits (specially pomegranates and apples), flowers, wine, coins (similar to haft seen) and burning candles and wild rue.

Reshteh polo (Persian Noodle rice) with dates & raisins

It’s funny how some of this knowledge may not be conscious but runs in one’s blood! A  good few weeks ago I was minding my own business when all of a sudden I had a deep yearning – practically a physical craving – for a thorough spring cleaning. I wanted to khoneh takooni, which as you may remember means ‘shaking the house’ and refers to the  vigorous spring cleaning that is one of the cornerstone traditions of the Persian New Year. It struck me as funny then to have this unseasonal instinct for spring cleaning with fall approaching and I even tweeted about it. (Because remember: if you don’t tweet or Instagram it, it did NOT happen!) And it was only when researching Mehregan for this post that I realized that my seemingly uncalled-for craving for a spring type of khone takooni was merely the ringing bell of ancient memory and instincts!

Now what kind of food does a Persian food blogger make in honor of Mehregan? Well, I once again invite you to explore the index link at the very end of this post to see the wealth of offerings. As for yours truly, since Mehregan is a festival of Thanksgiving, I chose the stuffed chicken as an homage to the stuffed turkey at the table of American Thanksgiving feast. As for reshteh polo, I chose it for two reasons. One is a nod to the meaning of ‘mehr’ which as I mentioned means love and affection and so I wanted to make something that I love and have much affection for and that is … carbohydrates! Thus: reshteh polo – a type of Persian rice made with noodles! Because if Persian rice on its own is not awesome enough, imagine it embellished with soft noodles and punctuated with the bewitching taste and texture of dates and raisins sauteed in caramelized onions. Oh, have mercy! A heavenly carb-load! The other less gluttonous reason is that reshteh is the Persian word for thread and in a pun, it also means clue, and as such, Persian noodle rice is one of the dishes served for the Persian New Year in that it symbolizes one having a grasp on the threads of their life!

A delicious way of saying: Get a clue!

apples, pomegranates, wheat and flowers | Mehregan

• 1 whole roasting chicken
• 2 1/2 cups long grain rice
• 1/2 or 1/3 pound toasted specialty Persian noodles called reshteh (can be purchased online here)
• saffron – a few pinches
• cinnamon – a few pinches
• dates, pitted and halved –  approximately a dozen
• 1/4 cup raisins
• half dozen black plums (optional – we used it to garnish the rice serving dish)
• 4 tablespoons yogurt
• 1 large onion (chopped or sliced uniformly)
• olive oil
• salt

For the stuffing:

I used a mixture of 1/2 cup prunes, caramelized onions and 1/4 cup crushed walnuts. Please feel free to substitute whatever is pleasing to you.

1. In a big skillet (a wok type of skillet would work best) heat 4 tablespoons of oil till sizzling. Add chopped onions, sprinkle with some salt, lower heat to medium to medium high, and sautee onions till golden. Usually takes around 10 minutes. During this time, stir onions as needed but not too frequently (otherwise they will release liquid instead of getting golden and crispy.) Once onion is golden and translucent, add the pitted dates, raisins and prunes. Sprinkle with a touch of cinnamon and sautee for a minute or two. Sort out prunes with some of the onion separately and set aside to use for the stuffing. Sort out dates and raisins and the rest of the onion and set aside to use with the rice.
2. (If you want to use black plums as garnish as we did for this recipe, make another batch of golden onions with a small onion and 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil and and sautee black plums with cinnamon and 1-2 tablespoon of sugar for just a few minutes.)
3. Wash and dry the chicken, removing the giblets and etc. Rub the skin with a generous amount of olive oil. Optional: brew a little bit of saffron (couple of pinches) in 1/2 cup of boiling water and brush the skin and inside the cavity with the saffron water. Stuff the chicken with a mixture of golden onion, sauteed prunes and (optional) crushed walnuts. (If using walnuts, you may want to sautee the walnuts for a minute or two for enhanced taste and flavor.) After stuffing the chicken to your preference, roast the chicken per your usual methods till nicely juicy and done. (We preheated oven to 350 degree and then roasted it for almost 2 hours.)
4. Clean and wash rice until the water runs clear. Soak rice in cold water for two hours or overnight. (See detailed instructions for cleaning and soaking Persian rice here.) Drain rice just before adding to the boiling water in step #3.
5. Break off the long noodle strands (taking a bunch in hand at times) in half and then break each bunch in half again. Ending up with approximately 2″ to 2 1/2″ long noodle strands.
6. Bring 8-9 cups of water to a rapid boil in a large non-stick pot on high heat. Once boiling vigorously, add: 1/4 cup of salt; the drained, washed rice; and the noodles to the water. Stir gently a few times to loosen any grains stuck to the bottom of the pot. Boil briskly for approximately 6-10 minutes till rice grains lengthen and soften. Tip: Bite a couple of grains and when the grain feels soft to the bite it is ready to be drained. (For detailed instructions for preparing Persian rice, please see here.)
7. Drain rice in colander and rinse with tepid water. Set the drained rice in the colander aside.
8. Meanwhile, rinse the pot used to boil the rice. Then add  1/2 cup olive oil and 1/4 cup water to the pot.
9. In a medium sized bowl mix 4 tablespoons of yogurt with a pinch of saffron. Take a few spatulas of the drained rice and mix with the yogurt. (But don’t smoosh the rice.) Evenly line the bottom of the pot with this rice and yogurt mixture. (This mixture will become your tadig, bottom of the pot crunchy crust.) Place a few spatulas of rice over this. Then add  some of the dates and raisins and golden onion mixture prepared earlier. Repeat this layering process and when done, arrange the rice into the form of a pyramid.  Sprinkle the top of the rice with some ground saffron and cinnamon. Using the end of the spatula, make a few wells in the rice.  Cover pot with a lid and cook rice for 10 minutes over high heat. Then reduce heat to medium and cook for an additional 45 minutes.
10. Wet a cloth and set over the counter. Once rice is done, remove pot (w/out removing the lid) and place over the wet cloth and allow to rest for 5 minutes.

When ready to serve the rice, take a couple of spatulas (of the saffron and cinnamon sprinkled) top of the rice and set aside for garnishing. Place the rest of the rice in a serving dish, shaped into the form of a dome and top it with the saffron and cinnamon set-aside portion of rice. (Optional but delicious:  pour 2-4 tablespoons of either olive oil or melted butter over the rice.) Next, detach the the ta’dig (crunchy crust at the bottom of the pot) and cut into wedges and serve with the rice in the same serving dish or separately in another plate on its own. Enjoy alongside with the roasted chicken.

Make it. Enjoy it. And noosh’e jaan!

Happy Mehregan!

And finally, here’s the index link file to the recipes of the glorious bounty of Persian yummies and goodies for Mehregan. It’s been a pleasure to be part of this group and I want to try everyone’s recipes!

• Ahu Eats: Badoom Sookhte Torsh
• All Kinds of Yum: Jeweled Carrot Salad
• Bottom of the Pot: Broccoli Koo Koo
• Cafe Leilee: Northern Iranian Pomegranate Garlic and Chicken Stew
• Coco in the Kitchen: Zeytoon Parvardeh
• Della Cucina Povera: Ghormeh Sabzi
• Family Spice: Khoreshteh Kadoo | Butternut Squash Stew
• Honest and Tasty: Loobia Polo | Beef and Green Bean Rice
• Lab Noon: Adas Polo Risotto Style
• Lucid Food: Sambuseh
• Marjan Kamali: Persian Ice Cream with Rosewater and Saffron
• My Caldron: Anaar-Daneh Mosamma | Pomegranate Stew
• My Persian Kitchen: Keshmesh Polow | Persian Raisin Rice
• Noghlemey: Parsi Dal
• Parisa’s Kitchen: Morasa Polow | Jeweled Rice
• Sabzi: Yogurt Soup with Meatballs
• The Saffron Tales: Khorosht-e Gheimeh
• Simi’s Kitchen: Lita Turshisi | Torshi-e Liteh | Tangy Aubergine Pickle
• Spice Spoon: Khoresht-e-Bademjaan | Saffron-scented Aubergine Stew
• Turmeric & Saffron: Ash-a Haft Daneh | Seven Bean Soup
• The Unmanly Chef: Baghali Polow ba Mahicheh
• ZoZoBaking: Masghati

In a simple yet tasteful coronation ceremony earlier today, Pumpkin was crowned king. In a touching and wisely brief speech, King Pumpkin pledged his desire to carve a role in history as a just and yummy ruler.

If your pumpkin is not royalty, you can use it to make a Persianized pumpkin pie cafe latte, or, a Persian pumpkin Halloween kookoo. Yum!

  I recently had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of Fred Parvaneh, the wonderful creator of Fred’s Dog House — a creative, quirky and entirely fun foodie page on Facebook devoted to making hot dogs every which way.

I asked Fred to gift Fig & Quince with a guest post and he obliged with a very interesting and super appetizing Persianized hot dog recipe, dubbed The Arianne — as Fred is wont to name his recipes after his friends. (I’ll have to boast of getting a recipe named after yours truly as well — an intriguing melange of sausages, quince, anise pods, ginger, granny smith apples, clove and golden raisins — which, let me tell you, may have occasioned a delighted squeal.)

The enticing ingredients of The Arianne hot dog!

Now, for this Persian-cuisine-inspired hot dog, Fred used lamb sausages and a wonderful salad mixture of barberries, pistachios, slivered almonds, saffron and orange zest all snugly nestled inside a hot taftoon bread. Doesn’t that sound amazing? I’d definitely love to try it for myself and the recipe is below for y’all — who I know are drooling right now — and want to make one to gobble up for yourself as well.

But before we all run to our pantries and oven to recreate The Arianne, l decided to seize the opportunity to make this post do double duty as Part 2 of in the series of “Iranian People (Persians)” (part 1 here) and so I interviewed our intrepid guest host and asked him a question or two. In what I’ve come to recognize as his signature style, Fred answered the questions in a manner that is open, generous and genial.

The Debonair Mr. Parvaneh

How about a little intro? What is your story?

I was born in Tehran in 1957 to a Muslim dad and an Armenian mom. I have a younger sister that now lives in Los Angeles. Both my sister and I attended the Bahar e no (Ms.Mary) Elementary School and then Iranzamin -Tehran International School for high school. I graduated in 1975 and came to the USA for college. I attended Bucknell University and then Northeastern University and studied civil and structural engineering. I’m divorced and have two sons (Andrew-22 years old, and Philip-19 years old) both in college. The last time I was in Iran was the Summer of 1976 as both my parents lived in London and had become UK Citizens.

Hobbies: Food and Drinks. I like to try as many new and ethnic restaurants that I can. Enjoy movies, plays and cultural events. Big fan of alternate music. I like watching sports, football (Patriots) basketball (Celtics) tennis and a devout fan of the World Cup. I’m an avid reader of anything on the Web and enjoy the different social sites. I’m constantly amazed by technology and science. I currently live in Montclair, NJ and I work in NYC for JPMorganChase.

What inspired you to create Fred’s Dog House page? How long have you been doing it?

About 7-8 years ago I visited my cousin who resides near Wembley in London. We went to a small restaurant called “Gourmet Burger”. It  took the basic hamburger and transformed it to a gourmet creation by offering customers a variety of unusual and fanciful toppings and side dishes. The line to the entrance was around the block and people would use their phones to order (this was way before apps became a common day practice). I was completely enamored with this restaurant and it turned out to be the inspiration behind “Fred’s Dog House”.

In 2008 I retired from my profession as a mortgage banker and decided to pursue other passions. I looked into opening a small restaurant near my residence in Mendham, NJ that will serve gourmet hot dogs, but I was faced with many bureaucratic and financial challenges, I decided to shelve the project. Coupled with the collapse of the financial markets, I decided to go back to my field of experience, but left the door open to revisit the restaurant at a future date. [Editor's note: I predict a pop up Fred's Hot Dogs restaurant!]

You demonstrate great creativity within a very focused concept which is no easy feat. Where do you get your ideas? How long does it usually take you from idea to execution?

I have been experimenting with a number of recipes for a while, but for the Facebook page, I usually think of one person to dedicate the recipes to and come up with a hotdog creation that fits their personality or taste. For example, my son Andrew has always liked spicy buffalo wings, so in honor of his birthday, I came up with a hotdog recipe that featured a spicy buffalo sauce. Once I have an idea ( normally doesn’t take more than 5 minutes), I do a little research on the internet and then come up with a finished recipe. The entire creation takes no more than 15 minutes.

Why hot dogs?

Why Hotdogs indeed?!!!

There is a butcher in Chester, NJ that makes his own hotdogs and sausages. They are a small family run meat market that is well known in the area. Every time I bought their hotdogs, I was astounded at how delicious and unusual they taste. With the “gourmet burger” concept in mind, I decided to apply it to these particular hotdogs to give it a different spin. The name of the page-proposed restaurant is based on my first name, my affection to dogs ( the animal kind) and of course, hotdogs and sausages in general. Plus, I love a good hotdog once a while.

Why do you keep it as a Facebook page and not a blog?

About a few months ago, FB changed its fan page requirements and made it easier for people to create and manage business or just for fun fan pages. On July 27, 2014, a particularly idle day, I decided to create the “Fred’s Dog House” page. My main focus was to have a fun outlet on the computer and to see if the concept will render positive results. I was happy to receive positive feedback from friends and family. In particular, I want to mention one friend, Dr. Nina Ansary, who from the first day’s of the page has been enormously supportive in sharing the posts. I will be remiss in my duties, if I don’t mention her name and express my deep gratitude for her continued support.

As far as the FB page vs a blog … This is an experiment at this stage and I most certainly will like to take it to another level by creating a proprietary website and start a regular blog with links to social sites.

I do not have a formal education in food preparation. I have neither attended a cooking school, nor worked in a restaurant in any capacity. My only “experience” has been cooking for family and friends, making many mistakes and learning from the Food Channel or various media presentations.

What’s your favorite thing to eat when not eating hot dogs?

I’m an Iranian-American, or is it American-Iranian? I am proud to be a citizen and I’m proud of my Persian Heritage and as such, my favorite food is … Persian! Except, dolmeh … I despise dolmeh :)  [Editor's stunned note: even quince dolmeh? Can not compute!]

When not eating hotdogs, or Persian food, I like a good pizza. I’m a sucker for ice-cream, quite fond of Indian, Italian, Malaysian, Japanese, Chinese and French food.

What is your motto when it comes to cooking?

Food should explode in your mouth with a variety of flavors. It should look beautiful when presented, and must be easy to make.

What is your motto when it comes to eating?

Eat what you like, but develop an adventurous taste. Try as many ethnic cuisines as you can, it’s an eye opening to a country’s culture and people.

Indeed! And on this note, let’s hop and skip over to the recipe portion of our programming. Shall we?

♦

   The ARIANNE

Persian Cuisine Inspired Lamb Sausages with Barberries (Zereshk), Pistachios, Slivered Almonds, Saffron and Orange Zest Salad in a Taftoon Bread

• Lamb sausages
• 1/2 cup slivered dried orange peel, or the zest of 3 oranges
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon ground saffron
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds
• 1/2 cup halved raw pistachios
• 1 cup julienne carrots, cut 1/8 inch thick
• 8 cups torn romaine lettuce
• 1/2 cup shredded red cabbage
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 cup dried currants or small raisins
• 1/2 cup dried barberries
• 1/4 cup red wine salad dressing,
• Salt and pepper

Soak the orange peel in cold water for 2 hours and drain. Boil in fresh water for 5 minutes and drain. Repeat. Bring 1 cup water to boil, add the sugar and stir until it dissolves, then add the orange peels and boil until the water has completely evaporated. Set candied peels aside.

Stir saffron into 2 tablespoons of boiling water; set aside.

In a small skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the almonds and pistachios and saute for 2 minutes. Add the carrots and orange peel and saute until nuts are lightly brown, about 2 minutes. Stir in the saffron water and remove the pan from the heat. Cool the mixture to room temperature.

Arrange the lettuce and red cabbage in a serving bowl. Top with tomatoes, currants, barberries and the cooled nut mixture. Toss with the red wine salad dressing. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Grill Lamb Sausages until well done.

Heat Taftoon Bread in oven

Taftoon Bread

Place Grilled Sausages in Taftoon bread, cover with “Salad” and fold taftoon bread like a wrap,

Enjoy with a great bottle of Pinot Noir.

 ♦

Thank you dear Fred for a lovely guest post: creative recipe, beautiful photographs, and a frank, terrific interview. And you guys, be sure to visit and ‘like” Fred’s Dog House and check out all of his interesting culinary spins on hot dogs. You can also follow the delightful Mr. Parvaneh on Twitter as well.

Here’s how the Persianizing popcorn idea came to be:

I’d like to lose 10 pounds. This is not for health reasons, I confess. I’m fit, in fair shape, and knock wood, no health problems. It is, I confess again, for combined reasons of vanity and comfort: I like how I look and feel when I’m a tad bit lighter. Now, losing weight is not a unique or laudable goal by any means but it is a fine goal so far as those things go. In any event, it is my goal. So, again: fine. But the problem is that as much as I like to lose these 10 pesky ponds, I am a shekamoo. I really, really like to eat. D’uh. I have a food blog! And if you’re reading here, I don’t need to tell you how amazing and awesome food is. In fact, certainly one iteration of heaven might be that it’s a place where you’ll get to eat anything and everything you want, as much as you want, without any consequences. Glory be! Amen!

Now, I have mastered portion control when it comes to meals. In fact, not to brag, but I returned from my epic trip to Iran a good five pounds lighter than when I entered Iran. OK, I am bragging but I hope you’ll forgive me, because you see, it was no mean feat to both allow myself to taste and enjoy the seemingly infinite array of incredibly delicious food available to me in Iran, the kind of food that I had been pining for with nostalgia and day dreaming about with drool forming in the corners of mouth, and yet manage to avoid the slippery slope of gorging with reckless abandon. A fine line to cross. Not a line as scary as this but one that did take a good bit of conscious exercise of self-control and self discipline. Discipline and control of self are issues that I have grappled with (with some dire consequences) my entire life and it has taken quite a bit of soul searching to little by little trade my tendency for leaning towards instant gratification and its much darker sibling, self-destruction (hello darkness my old friend) and to instead pause and consider my options and at least make an attempt, feeble as it may be, to make choices that would have positive results. As such, I am indeed proud of having gained (ha, unintended pun) somewhat of an upper hand in this battle arena and thus hope you’ll pardon me as I pat myself on the back. Pat, pat, pat!

Anyhow, like I said I’m more or less in control when it comes to meals but my Achilles’ heel is that I love and crave to munch on a snack. And by snack, I mean a fun snack. And by a fun snack, I of course mean: junk food. Heavenly heavenly junk food! Boy do I love junk food. For awhile, I’ve assuaged this craving by munching on Sour Power Straws. Here are the pros: they are sour and chewy in the most wonderful way; there are 9 straws to a package thus allowing one to get a good bit of noshing mileage out of it; and at 175 calories, so not a big deal. I almost burn as much walking to the deli! (I also see things like this when I go to the deli. Which: my eyes! Lord have mercy!) But Sour Power Straws take their toll on the surface of the tongue and I do enjoy and value my poor tongue and its awesome taste buds so it was time for me to turn towards something else.

As much as I enjoy sweet things, give me sour and salty any day, and if you make it crunchy too, I will go weak in the knees and start drooling. Like: salt and vinegar potato chips? Oh my gosh. I could eat a mountain of those! So with crunchy being the operative word, I thought: pop corn! And I tried to figure out a way to make it taste salty and sour in the best way possible.

Sadly, a bag of pomegranate powder I’d bought in the hustling and bustling Babolsar market in the Caspian sea northern region of Iran, one that I had duly and lovingly carried back to the U.S with such high hopes and tender dreams, left me heartbroken by going all bad and moldy. Otherwise, I would have melted butter and mixed it with the aforementioned tangy sour awesome pomegranate powder. But now what? It was back to Persianizing square one!

It is a truth by now universally acknowledged that when it comes to Persianizing food, you throw the following at it: rosewater, saffron and cardamom. Ahu of Ahu Eats (a wonderful fellow Persian food blogger) calls it “the holy trinity of Persianizing!” Ha! Good one! The Persianizing trifecta!

Now, the mere thought of either rosewater or cardamom with pop corn makes me pucker up — and not in a good way. But saffron and popcorn? Totally makes sense. And guess what? Hot freshly popped corn sprinkled with salt and drizzled with a melty concoction of butter and saffron tastes really good. Shocker, I know! Alert the press! And I know, I know, butter is not that great when you’re aiming for preserving your girlish figure but a little of it goes a long way. I mean you don’t have to drench the pop corn with butter, just add enough to give it depth of flavor and taste.

Anyway, I made this Persianized saffron butter pop corn for company at some point. And these were their reactions: “ummm, it tastes good!” one said, munching away. The other said: “mmm, this is good!” And yet another announced: “It’s kind of like ta’dig!”  Now, hold your horses, I wouldn’t go that far!

I also Instagrammed a teaser post about it, because let’s recite the first rule of life again: If you don’t Instagram it, it did not happen! And I got a few fun comments that I’ve got to share with you:

Marjan Kamali (author, professor, my friend) said: “I’m so excited about it. I bet it would be nice with tea.” And yes, I think it would be nice with tea! And with Together Tea! (You should totally read this book.)

Amanda Fatherazi (doll designer par excellence) suggested: “how about a #persianversion of caramel corn; add a coating of sohan asali for some extra crunch!” Which, my oh my, that is such a mouthwatering idea! But I’m afraid of making sohan assali as documented here!

My Persian Kitchen (another fellow Persian food blogging friend) said: “oohhh I love making homemade popcorn and persianizing it!!” Which reminds me, I have to ask Sanam how she Persianizes her pop corn.

Royal Montgomery summed it up brilliantly by quipping thusly: “Recipe: add popcorn to Hafez. Mix well. eat popcorn & read your fal.” Perfectly said!

Now before getting to the recipe, I hasten to add that the book of Persian poetry cavalierly used as food styling prop is not the Rubaiyyat of Hafiz, a book of poetry that Iranians use as an oracle of sorts to tell fortunes and make predictions. (It’s all in fun, not taken entirely seriously.) Rather it is a book of poetry by a poet named Baba Taher ‘eh Oryan, which literally means: The Naked Baba Taher.  Why did this 11th century Persian poet earn the monicker of “naked”? Did he really go around sans clothing? I know not. I do know that legend has it that he was a wandering dervish who spent much time in jungles and mountains. So maybe his clothes were thus quite tattered, leading people to think of him as naked? Perhaps. Fun fact: “Baba Taher poems are recited to the present day all over Iran accompanied with Sih-tar (three stringed viol or lute).”  (Read more at the source.)

And with that, we finally arrive at the recipe portion of our programming. What a long post for such a short, simple and basic recipe. I feel bad, like maybe you’re not getting your money’s worth!

But anyhow, finalement, the recipe: voila!

♦

Persianized Buttery Saffron Popcorn
Serves a few shekamoos

• 8 cups of freshly popped corn
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/4 tsp ground saffron dissolved in 2 tablespoons of hot water
• coarse sea salt to taste
• a dusting of sumac (optional*)

Edited to add Suzanne’s inspired idea of finishing off the whole thing with a dusting of sumac. Which sounds very good: it will add just a touch of tartness to the whole buttery saffron-y affair and I expect will be yum.

Put popped corn into large a bowl and sprinkle with coarse sea salt to taste.

Melt butter. Dissolve saffron in 2 tablespoons of hot water. Add to melted butter and stir to mix. Drizzle over popcorn and toss until well coated.

Enjoy! But don’t enjoy it too much. Exercise some self control. Please! ;)

Mujigae Ddeok | Korean rainbow-colored ricecake by @CaramelFlahn

Gentle Reader! Do I have a special treat in store for you! It is my pleasure to introduce you to the utterly talented culinary enthusiast Caramelflahn (Helen!) who is my new Instagram friend and cooking inspiration and obsession. I found Helen after stumbling on the sensuously fluffy and gorgeous rainbow-colored Korean ricecake creation of hers you see above, called ‘mujigae ddeok.’ Needless to say I gaped and gasped and oooh’d an aaaah’d upon spotting this beauty. Once I resumed my powers of reason and speech, Helen and I conversed and bonded over our mutual frustration with the 1001 ways one can spell Persian or Korean nouns in English. Words like ‘mujigae’ which means rainbow in Korean.

I begged Helen for a guest post and she complied by writing not one but two truly stellar guest posts for Fig & Quince. One is savory, a classic Korean dish imbued with intriguing inspirations from the Persian cuisine; the other is sweet and seductive as a nightingale’s song in a Persian garden. I’m entirely flummoxed and spoiled for choice as to which guest recipe post to present to you first, but either way, that’s a dilemma for another day, since I have a foodgasmic wealth of material to present first that deserves your uninterrupted attention and requires a tissue or two to wipe off the drool as your mouth waters. You see, Helen prefers to remain alluringly mysterious and mostly anonymous, however, I managed to coax an interview as well as a priceless photo out of her, and today, I share this earnest, thoughtful and fun interview with Helen about food, cooking, eating. I also quizzed her about some of her impressive culinary creations, including her sky scraper 100 layer lasagne and an awesome half beer half chicken Korean dish, and I will torment you by posting photos of a few of her mouthwatering dishes as well.

But first, a fun self-captioned photo of our most honored culinary sensation captured doing what she does naturally, beautifully and with gusto and passion: enjoying food!

“My friend Matt and me at Eleven Madison Park losing our minds when we found out the amuse bouche was a bakery box of savory mini black-and-white cookies with black truffle and parmesan.  We are obsessed with black-and-whites and truffles, and that amuse bouche was quintessential NYC perfection.  Our reaction was completely unscripted.  That’s just how we are around food all the time.”

So Helen, what got you into food?
I’ve always loved food, eating, and watching my mom cook dinner from scratch every night when I was a little kid.  I grew up in rural Ohio where we were literally the only Asian family in the entire county, and the nearest Asian grocery store or Korean restaurant was over an hour away.  I would get so excited when I got to go with my mom to the Korean grocery once a month or so and would be fascinated by all the different sights and smells I never saw at the American stores.  I’d watch my mom carefully pick all the ingredients she couldn’t find in our hometown and see her get excited when rare treats like live blue crabs would be available.  This awareness of how difficult and special it was for us to eat what we did, where we did, really developed my appreciation for food in general from an early age.  We had to drive over an hour just to get tofu. Can you imagine?

I didn’t really start cooking until college, though, when I joined my dorm’s culinary team.  It was essentially a cooking club, and we had access to a huge, gorgeous, professional-level kitchen and would create elaborate feasts for the entire dorm once a month or so.  We made everything from scratch, from entire roast turkeys to sushi to puff pastry.  It was then that I finally got to try out all the recipes and techniques I had watched wistfully on cooking shows as a child.  From that point on, I was completely hooked.

Do you often return to Korea? Have you ever been for a visit?
I’ve been to Korea only once, and that was back when I was 6-years-old :(

It’s changed so much since I’ve been there, and I would absolutely love to go back, especially since I am obsessed with K-pop, K-dramas, Korean skincare and beauty products, Korean pop culture in general, and, of course, the food. (Editor’s note: Thanks to Hulu, I’m obsessed with Korean soap operas!)

I asked you to share photos of some of your favorite dishes with me and through our interview I’ll ask you about each. Let’s start with this jaw dropping lasagna, excuse me, I mean lasagne, sky scraper! Please tell me about the genesis and construction of this culinary architectural feat.

Del Posto 100-layer lasagna | As constructed by Helen

This was my (successful, I think!) attempt to re-create the legendary 100-layer lasagna at Del Posto, all based off of an Eater article and a lot of research. I had the 100-layer lasagna during a trip to NYC, and it was easily my favorite part of the tasting menu I enjoyed there. This is not your nonna’s Sunday lasagna. It really is 100 layers, give or take a few layers. The pasta layers are paper-thin and silken tender. The filling is pudding-like yet meaty. The tomato sauce is flavorful but not overwhelming. Together, they create the most delicious lasagna I’ve ever eaten. It is, in a word, remarkable. There’s no official recipe available, so I had to create one myself and cross my fingers that the 3 days it took me to make that lasagna wouldn’t be in vain.

It’s sliced cold and unbaked to keep it from falling apart since it’s so delicate. It’s then seared in a some clarified butter to give some nice crispy toasty edges and baked to heat it through. It’s served in a small puddle of tomato passato and finished with a bit of parmesan. It’s AWESOME.

Do you cook everyday?
Not during the summer because I despise being hot.  I don’t like moving more than 10 feet away from the A/C during the summer let alone being stuck in a sweltering kitchen over a roaring stove.  However, once fall hits, you’ll find me in the kitchen.  That being said, I also love dining out and can give great restaurant recommendations of nearly every city I’ve ever visited.

Tell me about this dish. What is it called? What is its provenance?

bun thit nuong cha gio – Vietnamese vermicelli noodle w grilled pork

It’s called bun thit nuong cha gio and it is a Vietnamese vermicelli noodle bowl with marinated grilled pork, homemade do chua (Vietnamese pickled carrot and daikon), mung bean sprouts, cucumber crispy fried red onion, crushed peanuts, fresh perilla leaves, mint, Asian basil, and homemade cha gio (fried spring rolls filled with pork, shrimp, wood ear mushrooms, carrot, and all sorts of other good stuff). Served with a side of nuoc cham sweet and tangy fish sauce. SO GOOD.

What is your tip to people who want to cook but find it intimidating? What is your favorite cookbook?
My tip is to just do it.  Every expert in anything was a beginner at one point.  Start with something simple that you’re excited to eat and that has a good, clear recipe. I’ll be honest, my all-time favorite cookbook is The Joy of Cooking.  It’s a classic, and the recipes are clear and fantastic.  I may or may not have made the baked artichoke dip to eat solely as my dinner before.

We met and bonded when you posted this fluffy ddeok of my dreams! The rainbow-colored Korean rice cake that you said must have the three pink yellow green colors. Tell me more about ddeok.  For example, why does it have to have those three  colors? Any significance?

Rainbow Cake! Korean Style!

Ddeok IS amazing! Ddeok is just the general term for any sort of Korean rice cake and has several forms and varieties and can be sweet or savory.  As far as the pink, yellow, and green colors in mujigae ddeok (rainbow-colored ddeok), I actually am not sure why it always has those three colors.  I’m sure there’s a nice story behind it, and I wish I knew what it was!

How do you deal with the hassle of multiple spellings when writing about Korean food?
I really hate multiple Romanized spellings of Korean words.  It makes hashtagging a total pain.  Ddeok is often also spelled as tteok or dduk, which is just one example of multiple Romanized spellings of a single word.  The last one is the phonetic spelling, which is why it’s fairly common.  Lots of letters in the Korean alphabet actually are more like hybrid sounds of English letters. Like the “d/t” sound of ㄷ or ㄸ.  It’s somewhere in between the two, like a soft “t” or hard “d”.  I think it’s closer to a “d” than a “t”, hence “ddeok”.  But some people prefer the “tteok”, so I have to remember to include to hashtag #tteok, too, if I want that pic to be searchable.  It’s annoying.  Just agree on one Romanized spelling, please!

And what is this dish, pray tell?

ddeijbokki / popular Korean street food

Ddeokbokki! I included this just because it’s another form of ddeok/Korean rice cake. You don’t have to include it since it’s probably a little redundant. This is spicy stir-fried chewy rice cakes with fish cake and egg, and it’s a very popular street food in Korea.

You already answered this to me privately, but I’m going to ask you again: Why oh why oh why don’t you have a food blog?
I really am too lazy to maintain a food blog!  I’d have like one post every two years or something.  Instagramming it is so much quicker and easier.  Maybe one day I’ll have one, but I don’t see it anytime in the near future.

I have to include a photo of your succulent looking apple pie.

Lattice top apple pie — rich bubbly and delicious!

Good ol’ fashion classic American apple pie, messy and bubbly and delicious. The crust is made with lard, so it’s extra flaky and rich and delicious.

And while I’m at it, I also have to include a gratuitious shot of your indecently lustful tower of chocolate chunk cookiest. I mean, Helen, have some consideration for your viewers! Please!

An Indecent exposure to chocolate!

And what’s the story here? It looks mighty appetizing!

I bought a can of pumpkin purée on sale just because it was so cheap. I had no idea what I was going to do with it, but I figured something eventually would come to mind. I knew I didn’t want to make a pie out of it, though, because everyone makes pumpkin pie. A few days later, I had a craving for blondies, so I decided to make pumpkin blondies with lots of nice, warm, autumnal spices. The batter looked a little lonely, so I tossed in a couple fistfuls of mini chocolate chips I had on hand before I popped them in the oven. They were great! Rich and buttery and fudgy.

What has been your most enjoyable culinary inspiration or discovery?
I think I enjoy the inspiration of a culinary challenge the most, just to see if I can do it.  For example, even though I’m not vegan, sometimes I’ll try to remake a dish to be vegan, just to find out if I can.

One of my favorite culinary discoveries is Blis maple syrup, which is pure maple syrup aged in bourbon barrels.  I’ve been using it for years, but it’s still one of my favorite seasonal pantry staples.  It’s a total splurge,  but the warm, rich bourbon flavors make it totally worth it.  I love drizzling it over sweet potatoes or just a bit on steel-cut oatmeal.

What is the biggest food / kitchen disaster you had?
Yikes.  I’ve had a lot.  Not the most disastrous , but definitely one of the most whimper-inducing was when I made chicken soup one time.  I had simmered the whole chicken, carrots, onion, celery, etc for over 4 hours and was getting ready to strain out the solids.  Since the solids simmer for hours and turn to mush once touched, I pour everything through a colander into a big bowl to catch the stock.  Well, I forgot to put the bowl until the colander and dumped over 4 hours of working and waiting down the sink.  I wanted to cry.

What is your favorite type of food?
OMG, this is an impossible question!  I love just about everything!  Overall cuisines, I’d have to say all Asian cuisines in general.  I don’t think it’s because I’m biased.  Asian food is legitimately amazing. Dumplings, noodles, soups, stews, rice, buns, bubble tea, shaved ice, curries, dosas, satays, sushi, everything.  My favorite is the dirt cheap obnoxiously good eats you find in random unmarked holes-in-the-wall.

I also love Latin cuisines.  Tostones, maduros, pupusas, arepas, yucca frita, empanadas, pollo guisado, beans cooked in lard, oh man, I love all of it.

Animal-style In ‘n Out cheeseburger.  Lobster from Maine when you’re actually in Maine.  Raw oysters with lots of mignonette.  Potatoes cooked in duck fat.  Duck breast.  Roasted winter squashes.  Pureed sunchokes and celery root.  Also haute New American, I’ve got to admit.

What is the best thing you’ve ever made?
Ooh.  Hmm.  Maybe because it’s in my recent memory, but I’d have to say it’s my chimek (Korean double-fried chicken with beer. Chi = chicken, mek = mekju, the Korean word for beer).  I didn’t make the beer, but that fried chicken practically brought tears to my eyes.  I’m going to make a potentially inflammatory statement when I say that the South (Koreans) make the best fried chicken in the entire world.  No offense to my friends from the South (United States) – that thick, craggy, crunchy heavy chicken is definitely delicious and has its time and place.  But nothing beats the obscenely juicy, outrageously crunchy, Korean double-fried chicken with the super nubbly bubbly blistered eggshell-thin skin that shatters into golden fried shards of magic. And the sauces they’re usually coated in – traditionally a sesame garlic soy or a sweet spicy chili – taste like unicorn tears.  When done well, the “naked” plain fried chicken is beyond phenomenal, too.

There aren’t any chimek places where I live, so my only option to have it is to make it myself.  So I did.  And it was sooo good and sooo crunchy.  I said this in my Instagram post of the chimek I made, but it seriously sounded like I was crunching on gravel or the bones of small children when I bit into it.  And the flesh was so hot and drippy juicy. Not that it would last this long, but if you left out for hours, it would still be super crackling crunchy, even when coated with the sauces that just shellac the skin in a meat candy glaze.  It was seriously the best fried chicken I have ever eaten in my entire life.  Restaurant of homemade, American or Korean or whatever other nationality.  No joke.

So what have we got here then? The famous chimek you were talking about?

Ban Ban Chimek from scratch!

Yes, this is a ban ban chimek I made from scratch. One of the best things I’ve ever made and one of my favorite dishes I’ve made in recent memory.  “Ban ban” means “half and half”, and “chimek” is short for Korean fried chicken and beer (chi- for chicken, -mek for mekju, the Korean word for beer).  Half is a spicy sweet gochujang (sweet red pepper paste), and the other half is a sesame soy garlic.  Well, roughly half.  I left two drumsticks “naked” because this is really good fried chicken plain, too.  Super crunchy, crispy, juicy, and delicious.  Best.  Fried.  Chicken.  EVER.

Always served with pickled Korean white radish (“chicken mu”), and always either wings or
drumsticks.

What is your favorite ingredient or spice?
Favorite spice easily is cardamom.  I am obsessed with cardamom.  And since I can’t mention spices without herbs, my favorite herb is cilantro.  No, mint.  No, basil.  No, sage. . . Okay, forget favorite herb.

Ingredient, I’d have to say would be white or black truffles.  I will eat anything with truffles in it.  Also floral flavors, like jasmine, rose, lavender, violet, etc. I will also eat anything that tastes like flowers.

Do you have a favorite book that’s about food? Not a cookbook … but fiction, essay bio or memoir?
Probably most people’s favorite, too, but I have to go with _Like Water for Chocolate_ by Laura Esquivel. I love how Tita’s strength and emotions were conveyed through her cooking, and I thought the folksy recipes and home remedies were really charming. The culinary team I was a part of in college actually recreated the quail in rose petal sauce that Tita made, and it turned out amazing.

Also, not a book, but an essay I love about food is the aptly named “Coffee” by Anne Fadiman, my favorite author. Actually, it’s part of a collection of familiar essays of various topics in the book _At Large and At Small_ by Fadiman. I love how she describes in detail how she first became accustomed to — then hooked on — coffee and her nightly ritual of making and drinking cup after cup in college with a friend. She then discusses the history of coffee consumption, why it’s so addictive, and even the recreational drugs of choice for various writers of the past. It’s awesome.

Please also tell me about this dish. Black food! Looks rather avant garde!

Jjajangmyun | Stir-fried black bean sauce noodles

This is called jajangmyun. Stir-fried black bean sauce noodles with pork belly, potatoes, and zucchini. In America, it’s typically considered a Korean dish, but in Korea, it’s considered a Chinese dish. So, I guess it’s a Chinese-Korean dish?

What’s your go-to junk food?
Sweet: Chocolate! I love all chocolate (including white, which, yes, I know isn’t technically chocolate), but my favorite is milk chocolate. Super luxe, Hershey’s, it doesn’t matter. I adore it all. I need to have at least one piece every day. My purse always has some emergency chocolate in it in case I’m stuck somewhere away from my home stash and I might go to jail if I don’t get some chocolate in my system asap.

Also Hi-Chews, which are a fruity chewy Japanese candy that’s kind of like a plasticky version of Starbursts, but a million times better. I can easily plow through an entire pack in one sitting without realizing it. Best flavors are green apple, cherry, strawberry, and grape. And the grape is like a Concord grape! Not weird gross grape.

Savory: Cheetos. The original crunchy kind. I actually rarely eat Cheetos/chips in general, mainly because I know if I open a bag of Cheetos, the next thing I know, I’ll be waking up in a ditch somewhere with no memory of how I got there, surrounded by piles of empty Cheetos bag with my face and hands covered in neon orange fake cheese powder.

If you had to be a dish, what dish would you be and why?
Dumplings. I guess if I had to be specific, mandu, since I’m Korean-American. I’m small, but I pack a punch and am filled with all sorts of good things. You might not always be sure what’s going on in inside, but all you have to do is give a little poke, and I’ll let you know. . . That sounded kind of threatening. I didn’t mean it that way!

What is your motto when it comes to cooking?
The more warm and loving side of me: “Make it the best you can, have fun, and share it with those you love.”

The more honest and practical side of me: “Eating and cooking is an art, not just something you do. Do not invite people who do not appreciate food and cooking or have poor palates. It will ruin the meal for everyone.”  I found that line in a book on entertaining I was browsing through in The Whitney in NYC.  Even though it sounds kind of harsh, it really resonated with me.  It’s.  So.  True.  How many times have I had a meal ruined because someone else wanted to eat something more “safe” and bland?  Or have been horrified by someone who insisted on putting ranch dressing on everything? Or spent hours of time and effort into preparing a meal only to have someone not even notice what went into the dishes?

What is your motto when it comes to eating?
See above.  Also, “Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.”  I really hate it when people say something is gross when they’ve never even tasted it.  I’m willing to try just about anything at least once. (Editor’s note: I shall see you in Tehran for a kaleh pacheh breakfast at dawn, Helene!)

What is your motto when it comes to life?
Nothing is worth it if you aren’t happy.

♥

This concludes our interview. Thank you so much Helene joon for this most wonderful interview and for giving us a peek at your enticing, exciting, eclectic, adventurous, ambitious yet never stuffy love affair with cooking and food. A huge round of applause!

Now, in a day or so, I will post one of Helen’s delectable guest post recipes. Savory or sweet, it is a win win. Meanwhile, gentle reader, if you’ve been following along you can see that this girl loves to eat and she also knows how to cook and bake with the best of them, so, if you like food at all (which, uh, I assume you do if you’re reading here unless you’re just here for my sparkling wit and abundant charm which well I can’t say I blame you) I URGE you to follow Helen’s creative and joyfully appetizing Instagram account.

Till soon, my friends!

Hi everyone! How do you like my little needlepoint lady? She’s dancing like a twirling dervish and do you know why? Because her heart is filled and made buoyant with deep thankfulness! And guess what? Today is Thanksgiving Day here in the United States. A day centered around food, family and giving thanks.

I plan to reflect at length regarding gratitude before the year is over, but right now I must say that when I count my blessings today (as I plan to do sometime before or after wolfing down turkey, stuffing, and pie, lots of pie!) the fact that you take the time to read here is one of those many blessings, and it’s one that makes me as profoundly thankful as this dancing needlepoint lady. (Thank you! ♥)

Often, when I think about true gratitude — the buoyancy of feeling deeply and sincerely thankful — this poem of e.e.cummings, one of my favorite poets, pops into my head. It encapsulates in a simple and gorgeously earnest way the soaring transcendental nature of spirituality and conscious gratefulness. I can’t in good conscience pass up the opportunity to share it with you here:

i thank You God for most this amazing

i thank You God for most this amazing
day: for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes

(i who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun’s birthday; this is the birth
day of life and of love and wings: and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)

how should tasting touching hearing seeing
breathing any–lifted from the no
of all nothing–human merely being
doubt unimaginable You?

(now the ears of my ears awake and
now the eyes of my eyes are opened)

– e.e. cummings

 ♥

Whether you are one of the millions celebrating this beautiful holiday today or if today is just a plain regular Thursday for you, may you have a most amazing greenly leaping illimitably life and love and great happening blue true dream of sky day!

Thank you so much for reading here! It means the world to me.

&

Happy Thanksgiving!

Who am I? What is the meaning of life? What should I do with the Thanksgiving turkey leftovers?

These are age old existential questions we angst over. I confess I’m still grappling with the first two but I do have an idea how to transform the all-American leftover turkey into a nourishing, comforting food with a philosophical Persian flair. That cunning dish being none other than ‘halim‘: a slow-cooked porridge made with wheat (usually, or bulgur) and meat (lamb, chicken, or turkey) topped with a generous drizzle of melted butter and sprinkled with just enough sugar and cinnamon to delight one’s inner child.

Nutritious and highly caloric, halim is traditionally served as a hearty breakfast, often in cool seasons — best suited for days of vigorous activity or hard work, but equally delicious when one is hardly working as well.

Before the advent of food processors, making halim required patient commitment and a good bit of elbow grease. Turning hard grains of wheat into a creamy paste by hand is not the work of the meek. My mom tells tales of neighbors pulling all-nighters, making halim in big pots called ‘patil’ — stirring, stirring, stirring — using wooden spoons with very long handles (“almost resembling oars“) while chanting ‘salavat’ and reciting prayers. “Basically, they were meditating while cooking it!” Mom observes.

It bears mention that halim is a type of dish that is among the ‘nazri’ food — like halva, or sholeh zard — that is to say among the traditional class of edible fare that the devout in Iran make and distribute to the needy as alms during the holy month of Ramadan, and also at anytime during the year as a vow and gesture of either hope or thankfulness that a specific prayer will be or has been answered.

There are cafes and little hole-in-the-wall eateries in Iran that make nothing but halim. During my epic trip to Iran, one of my school friends insisted on taking me to a famous halim shop in Tajrish Square to stock up some for next days’s breakfast and even though it was quite late at night, people were in long lines buying big buckets of halim to take home for their own breakfast. Here’s the thing though, that halim was kind of OK but the most delicious halim I’ve had to taste was one made by Taste of Persia, right here in New York, in the fair isle of Manhattan. If you’re in the neighborhood, you have got to try it! It’ll make you a convert.

In the Iranian American community at large, halim seems to be gaining a foothold as the thing to make during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. This is based on my entirely unscientific anecdotal observation! To wit: I got the bright idea of making halim to use up the leftover turkey, and I thought I was oh so clever, but texting with a friend in California, she said she was just about to make halim for her boys! The next day, another friend on Facebook said she loves to make leftover turkey halim as well — she makes hers by folding in heavy cream instead of broth or water by the way and tops it with plenty of brown sugar, which sounds truly yum and decadent.

Thing is, Thanksgiving turkey halim doesn’t have to be the exclusive domain of the Iranians in diaspora. It makes delicious sense to use up leftovers in a slow cooked way that adds a leisurely touch of grace to a day off from work, and to make a comfort food that blends flavors and transforms and ultimately transcends what was left over to what will be in its own stellar class, to be coveted and craved. Gobble, gobble! Persian style!

Hi everyone! This post is not related to food except insofar as it relates to what I do to put the bread (and sometime the yummy kooloocheh) on the table. Have I ever told you? No? Well, don’t be mad, it’s not like you ever asked! Some other time I’ll tell you all about “Azita version 1.0″ and what (shenanigans) she was up to but as far as the current model “Azita version 2.0″ goes, what I do is: I write, design and illustrate. I make things!

One of the things I love doing is making portraits of people, pets, things, objects! I sometimes think about opening an Etsy shop for custom portraits and maybe one day I will, but meanwhile, just in time for the holidays and with the season of peace, love and gift giving upon us, consider this post to be my pop-up shop in my own itty bitty corner of the Internet. Where the rent is good, the view is tranquil, the air is fragrant with a hint of cardamom, and the shopkeeper (that’d be yours truly) greets you with a big smiley open arms embrace and gives you ‘chaii va shirini’ (tea and cookies.)

So, gentle reader, if you have the time, please do take a look and browse my pop up online shop! If you like what you see, do consider commissioning your very own custom portrait as either a keepsake for yourself or as a unique gift for the nice (and what the heck, even the naughty) people on your holiday gift-giving list. (To sweeten the pot, I’m offering a 35% discount on all orders placed in December! Yowza!)

(While I have your ears, I may as well also tell all of you bloggers and small business owners that I offer a super duper graphic design package deal for revamping your brand and online presence: everything from creating your logo, banners, gravatars, to all of your social media icons and web graphics. I can also design your business cards, fliers, brochures & newsletters. If you need help with content and copy, I can help you out with that as well. If that’s something you’re interested in,  contact me and let’s talk.)

Fig & Quince’s Pop Art Custom Portraits | People, Pets, Snapshots, Milestones

Why get a custom portrait done?

The portrait is an art form that has been around for thousands of years. A beautiful custom portrait makes a gratifying gift to give or to receive. Unique, timeless, fun! An instant heirloom. Perfect for decorating and personalizing any office or home — a great way to memorialize a family snapshot; a beloved person or pet; or a significant event like a graduation, birth, wedding, anniversary, and other milestones.

(Scroll, scroll, scroll and then scroll some more to view a number of work samples! Details and pricing are below as well.)

♠

For the portraits, I work from photographs and use a digital vector art medium. The final artwork will be a downloadable file that can then be printed and framed. (If you prefer a traditional non-digital format, i.e.  acrylic or mixed media collage, I’m very much open to that discussion as well. Please check out my portfolio website to view samples of my other art styles and let’s talk.)

So have I convinced you to have a have a custom portrait made from a favorite photo? Hope so! Made just for you! To keep or to give. A fun, personalized, and perfect gift!

Here’s how it would work:

1. Contact me (Email me with your contact info and a few of your favorite photos. We’ll then schedule a time to talk and go over the details: color, background, concept, everything else.)
2. Review & Approve (After you place an order, I will provide you with a proof in 3-5 business days. You can request as many changes as you need to approve it! I want you to be super duper happy with the results.)
3. Receive & Enjoy (In 1-3 business days I will email you a low rez file. Upon final approval, you will receive an instant digital downloadable file of your custom artwork.)

Format, Size, Pricing, Method of Payment, Framing & Shipping:

Format: The artwork will be a high resolution digital file that you can dowload.

Size: Dimensions will be to your specifications. I will be happy to provide you with 3 different sizes for the same price.

Pricing: $150 per subject per portrait, with a solid color background. Additional subjects an additional $25-75 per complexity. If you want a family snapshot, I am open to discussing a flat rate instead of a per-subject-rate to make it less cost prohibitive. (35% off applicable to all orders placed in December!)

Payment: 50% deposit required when placing an order; remainder due upon final approval of the artwork.

Method of Payment: At this point I am only set up to accept payment via PayPal. If we know each other in real life, I can also accept personal checks. 

Note: Printing, framing and shipping of the artwork are not included but if you prefer, can be arranged, and will be priced separately.

I would love to make a beautiful artwork for you and look forward to hearing from you. You can contact me via email (fig at figandquince.com) and remember, for the grand opening of Fig & Quince’s pop art pop up art shop, 35% off of all orders placed in December. Now that’s a good deal!

And that’s all folks!

xoxo

ps For those of you subscribing via email: apologies re the weird post last night. It was a forgotten draft post and for the life of me, I have no idea why or how it got published! It is a mystery, Doo Roo Doo Roo Doo Roo Doo Roo!