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Cardamom – Give’em “Hel”
The other week I made a breakfast smoothie and a visiting friend suggested posting its recipe on Fig & Quince. “But it isn’t Persian food,” I protested. “Just add some saffron to it and call it...
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Shir Berenj – Rice Pudding
Shir-berenj is the Persian incarnation of rice pudding, that universal comfort food. If food were people, shir berenj would surely be a pilgrim, (desiring to be) pure and virtuous. Milk, water, rice...
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Noon’o Panir’o Hendooneh – Deconstructed Watermelon Sandwich
You’ve heard the saying “if you can’t stand the heat get out of the kitchen”? As far as advice goes, this one sounds somewhat aggressively charged but also particularly apt with this heat wave as the...
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Maloos Zardaloo – Charming Apricot
When I was a kid we got a German Shepherd puppy we named Maloos. “Maloos” is an adjective in Farsi that is used to describe a quality of charm: a docile, sweet, borderline babyish type of adorable...
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Khoresh Rivas – Rhubarb Stew
Khoresh is a genre of Persian food that is not merely a staple but also a quintessential pillar of Persian cooking. Widely translated as “stew”, Khoresh is certainly stew-like or stew-ish, but it is...
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Paloodeh Talebi – Cantaloupe Cooler
E. E. Cummings wrote that “kisses are a better fate than wisdom” (isn’t that beautiful?) and I’m here to tell you that sipping a paloodeh talebi is a better fate than not having one to sip. Paloodeh...
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Salad Shirazi
Shiraz is one of the most historic, storied, and down-right poetic cities of Iran. The birthplace of revered Persian poets Saadi and Hafiz, Shiraz is known for the splendor of its architecture,...
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Shirin Polo – Sweet Rice
In Persian cooking, all roads eventually lead to rice. The holy grail of making “polo” (Persian-style rice) is a bed of aromatic fluffy rice, not one single grain sticking to another. Like all tasks...
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Mast’o Khiar – Cucumber & Mint Yogurt
Some people are prickly lots and a trial to deal with. In Farsi we have a saying for challenging beings like that: “bah yek man asal ham nemish’eh khord’esh” which translates to: “you can’t eat ‘em...
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Maman’s Kwickie Koofteh
In the U.S., you would probably take a homemade casserole to help out a distressed or overwhelmed neighbor. In Iran, or among Iranians in diaspora, you would show up at a stressed-out neighbor or...
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Mistakes: They Were Made
Those of you who subscribe to Fig & Quince just received a jumble mumble full of stumble draft that was not meant to go live but alas, we suffered from a case of premature publication. Oh dear oh...
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Moraba ‘yeh Anjir – Fig Jam
Once upon a time, in a land far far away (in the same galaxy though and close to my heart) my lovely mother used to make these unbelievably amazing whole-fig jam preserves that were golden and...
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Khoresh Kadoo Halva’ee – Halloween Stew
Khoresh is Farsi for stew – you may recall. A few posts ago we made a gorgeous rhubarb stew (modesty: out the window!) and the festive concoction pictured above is another type of Persian stew called...
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Toot – Marzipan Mulberry
Hurricane Sandy huffed and puffed and blew through the East Coast on Monday and in her wake left a trail of heartbreaking woe. I was among the lucky ones who didn’t experience any hardship save for...
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Dolmeh ‘ye Beh – Stuffed Quince
Quince (called beh in Farsi) is a fruit that is so aloof it may as well be a root vegetable. Often sporting a bit of mossy fuzz, quince is a homely yellowish thing with a thick skin you are well...
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Āsh ‘eh Anar – Pomegranate soup
(Before we delve into āsh, let’s take care of the tricky matter of its pronunciation. Āsh should be pronounced as if you’re going to say Osh Kosh Magosh and not as if you’re Scarlette O’Hara...
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Shalgham Pokhteh – Turnips (Bless Their Heart)
Ah, turnip! Or shalgham joon, as I call you in Farsi, I can’t say I have fond childhood memories of you. Probably because I didn’t like you not even one bit but Maman forced you down my throat...
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It’s a Khorma. It’s an Aloo. It’s Khormaloo! Or: How to Eat a Persimmon
Khorma is the Persian word for “date” and aloo is the word for “plum.” Put them together (khorma + aloo) and clap your hands and you get: khormaloo! (Who knew that the Brangelina, Bennifer modern...
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Go Running Through This World Giving Love Giving Love*
For many years my mother preserved the flowers that crossed her path or whose paths she crossed. It was not unusual for her to return from a neighborhood walk with a few dainty tokens in her hands,...
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How to Eat a Pomegranate: Persian Style! (Part Yek. That is: Part I)
When starting this blog, a little fellow (let’s call him Felfeli) graciously agreed to lend his charming presence to Fig & Quince on select occasions. In fact, he inaugurated our place-holder...
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