Iran with the thought

With all of the political issues going on in Iran and all of the negative attention the country is receiving, I decided to focus on some of the positive things about Iran and there is many to choose from. From what I hear, Iran is extremely clean, serene, and the food ain't too shabby either!




Persian food, by and large, is not what you'd call "pretty". The stews, in particular, range from dark green and gloppy to dark, dark brown and gloppy. Regardless, if I had to choose one culture whose food I would have to eat for the rest of my life, it could possibly be Persian.

As I've gotten older, I've perfected a few dishes while still striving for my mother's touch in others. Ghormeh Sabzi, or "Green Herb Stew" is one of the few I've nearly perfected.

Ghormeh Sabzi is deliciously savory and loaded with the flavors of several different green herbs. It's traditionally served atop Polow, but I haven't had the time to sift through the recipes to find some good Polow!

So here's my Iranian stew, enjoy!







Ghormeh Sabzi

1 or 2 lbs. of stew meat
1 potato
1 1/2 cup of rice
1 small onion, diced
2 green onions
1 cilantro sprig
4 italian parsley sprigs
1 cup pinto beans
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup oil
salt & pepper

Chop parsley, cilantro, and green onions. Cook until dark green.

In a large pan, cook meat, beans, and onion. Add parsley, cilantro, and green onions along with lemon juice, salt and pepper. Cook 30 minutes.

Cook rice until 1/2 done according to package. Drain and rinse. Cut potato into 1/4". Layer pan with potato and rice over the meat mixture. Cover with a kitchen towel and lid. Cook until potato's are golden brown (around 40 minutes.)

Next up, "Glorify the fourth of July!!"

Intermission..

While in the midst of my morning haze, I saw NYC's P.S. 22 chorus perform on "Good Morning America." I was completely blown away by two things, how amazing these kids are and what an awesome teacher Mr. B is! I hope I can be as good of teacher as he is.



They have their own blog and it's my new favorite thing!

Rat-a-tat-touille

ra⋅ta⋅touille

  /ˌrætəˈtui, -ˈtwi; Fr. rataˈtuy^ə / Show Spelled Pronunciation [rat-uh-too-ee, -twee; Fr. ra-ta-too-y^uh ] Show IPA

–noun

a vegetable stew of Provence, typically consisting of eggplant, zucchini, onions, green peppers, tomatoes, and garlic, served hot or cold. "rata" is slang from the French Army meaning "chunky stew" "touiller" to stir

---

Origin:
1875–80

I'm not sure if I can say for sure when and where I started learning the joy of cooking but I'm sure some of the following helped it along:
- Cooking for 2 instead of 1
- Getting kicked out the house (not literally, that would hurt) for college
- Watching the little kid movie, Pixar's Ratatouille

Out of the MANY different kinds of animals I had growing up, from fire belly toads to rabbits to dogs, the one pet I never acquired was a rat. I'm still not sure why but I'm positive that I asked multiple times. E on the other hand, had only 3 pets growing up. Felix the cat (female), Baby and Charlotte... both rats. Watching old family Christmas video's of one the rat's climbing the stairs and having miniature stockings, brought up some familiar feelings of wanting to nurture a different species.

E was pretty dead set against any pets. So cleverly, I thought if we could get pets that E has already had experience with it wouldn't be so much of a hassle. So when someone dropped off a beautiful calico/tortoise shell cat at my parents house around my birthday, you better believe I swooped up the opportunity! After the 1st "no", I knew I needed to up my game. I made protest signs and put them all around the house and requested the cat for my birthday. Well, who can deny a cute girl?



Soon after Callie was added to the family. we started the tradition of going to the movie's to see Pixar films with my brother C. I FELL IN LOVE WITH RATATOUILLE! So cute, so French, and so creative! Pretty instantly, I knew we just had to get a pet rat. Sure enough.....




Callie and Remy have brought so much joy into our lives. Although they have no say on big family decisions, they definitely are apart of our little family. Without further ado...

Ratatouille
recipe adapted from "Emeril Live"

prep time: 20 minutes
cook time: 40-45 minutes
serves 6-8 servings

1 large head of garlic, top sliced off to expose tips of garlic
5 tablespoons EVOO
2 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 3/4 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 large ripe tomatoes, halved
1 small eggplant, trimmed & cut lengthwise into 1/2" slices
1 large zucchini, trimmed & cut lengthwise into 1/2" slices
1 small onion, peeled & sliced into 1/2" rings
2 bell peppers, stem, seeds & ribs removed, cut in 1/2" lengthwise
1/4 cup dry red wine
3 tablespoons freshly minced basil leaves
2 tablespoons freshly minced parsley leaves
1 tablespoon freshly chopped thyme leaves
grated Parmesan, for garnish

Preheat grill. Before preparing the veggies, roast the garlic. Rub 1 tea. of EVOO & a pinch of salt & pepper onto the cut side of garlic. Wrap in foil and place on grill. Roast until soft and starting to caramelize, turning occasionally, about 25 minutes. Remove from grill and let sit until cool enough to handle. Squeeze the pulp from the garlic skins and set aside.

Rub 2 tablespoons of the oil and pinch of the salt & pepper on the tomatoes. Place on the grill away from the direct heat (or on the upper rack) and grill until tender and starting to char, about 6 minutes, depending on heat. ( The longer the tomatoes are on the grill, the smokier the flavor.) Remove from heat and when cool, remove the skin and roughly chop.

In a large bowl, combine the eggplant, zucchini, onions, and bell peppers and toss with 2 tablespoons of the EVOO, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of the pepper. Grill, turning until marked by the grill and tender, 3-5 minutes per side. Remove with tongs and let cool. Dice into 1/2" pieces.

In the bottom of a large bowl, mash the roasted garlic and 1 teaspoon of the EVOO to make a paste. Drizzle in the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of EVOO, 1 teaspoon of salt & pepper, and the wine and whisk to combine. Add the chopped veggies, tomatoes, and the herbs and toss to coat. Serve at room temperature, garnished with Parmesan. (Ratatouille can be made ahead and refrigerated overnight to allow flavors to further develop.)

-you can put ratatouille over any kind of carb: rice, pasta, boiled cubed potatoes, or toasted bread

Enjoy!



Here's to my "little chef" who makes my life tasty!

Ice cream, you scream, we all scream for employment checks!!

Just a quick note:
I started my new job yesterday and it was so much fun! I'm working at a Lu Lu's Ice Cream Shop in downtown Kelseyville. So if you're in the neighborhood, stop by!