Tameshk In Kitchen

Star Fruit & Berries

2011-01-06T02:26:00.005-05:00

This is a new post in over two years, so let's go with something light and refreshing.
Star Fruit & Berries is indeed an uplifting dessert.

Preparation Time: 5 minutes
2 Servings

Ingredients:
1 Star Fruit: a ripe medium size: Star Fruit is bright yellow when ripe with thin brown lines along the five ridges. The flesh is still firm.
¼ cup Blueberries
1/3 cup Raspberries

Directions:
1- Rinse all the fruits.
2- Prepare the Star Fruit:
a) With a sharp fruit knife remove the brown outer edge on each ridge. It cuts easily. Don’t go deep with the knife. [editorial note: I like the sour taste of the brown edge, so I just remove them and eat them separately. But if you have a more conventional taste you can discard the edge.]
b) Cut off the two ends of the star fruit.
c) Slice the star fruit on its horizontal axis.
d) Remove the seeds whenever you see one.
3- Place the star fruit on a serving plate and add the blueberries and the raspberries to the dish. Enjoy this refreshingly starry fruit dish.

Star Fruit & Berries

نوش جان (Nosh-e Jaan!)
Bon Appétit!

Persian Celery Stew; My style!

2008-10-11T05:31:00.015-05:00

I did not update Tameshk In Kitchen for a long time now; Laziness I guess.
Now: Celery Stew Recipe:

Celery Stew is my favorite Persian stew and by far my Mom is the ultimate creator of this most delicious and often underestimated Persian stew; this recipe is based on my Mom tips, but this by no means is her Celery Stew, for Magic of cooking does not pass easily to one’s children:

So here I will give you my version of the stew, which is limited to my American kitchen! Like most Persian stews, Celery Stew is best served with rice. I personally like it with bread as well but that is perhaps only me.

Farsi name for celery stew is Khoresht-e Karafs (Kho- Resh- T – e Ka- Ra- Fs)* and there are two kinds of celery stew: I divide them by color: red celery stew and green celery stew: the red one has tomato paste but just a little bit of mint and parsley. The green one doesn’t have tomato paste and it has a good amount of mint and parsley. By my own classification this is a Green Celery Stew.

Ingredients:

1½ lbs. Beef: Lean boneless beef cut into average (1inch) stew cubes. My mom uses lamb if you want to go with lamb use 2 pounds of lamb. I rinse the beef before chopping.

1 Celery Bunch: 4-6 cups of chopped celery: chop it into even slices; don’t make it too thin. It is better to buy a celery bunch rather than loose celery stalks, and used the leaves as well.

2 Onions: average size, finely chopped

2 ½ cups Fresh Parsley: washed and finely chopped; I sometimes use dried parsley (1 ½ cups)

½ cup Fresh Mint: washed and finely chopped (just use the leaves). You can go with ¼ cup dried mint

¼ - 1/3 cup Lemon Juice: Lime Juice is better but reduce it to ¼ cup. Add the lemon juice at the end of cooking about the last 10min. ( if you use Omani Lemons (dried lime) use only 2 tbsp lemon juice)

Canola Oil: about 3 Tbsp
4 cups Water: (about 4 cups)

Spices:
½ tsp Turmeric: (ground turmeric)
Dash of Saffron: Persian Saffron is preferred!
Salt & Black Pepper: I go with about ¾ tsp and it might be a little more than it is needed, I like the black pepper taste in it: the distinguish taste of Black pepper comes up both in Celery stew and in Ghormeh Sabzi Stew.
2 Omani lemons: It is actually dried limes. I use them as they are, round and dry; I just partially break their skin by pressuring the two Omani lemons against one another in one hand.

Rice
You can have this stew with any kind of cooked rice: my Rice recipe is here.

Directions:

1- Heat chopped celeries in a large pan with close lid. No water is needed; after they get juicy add about 1Tbsp oil to pan and stir. Remove the lid. Add salt and let it be for a little bit. Then turn off the heat. (This process (half-cooked celery) will get about 10-15 min) I sometimes half cook my celeries with oil and slat and freeze it a head of time and use it latter. Rather than let it cook with its own juice, many people fry the celery. I don’t, I like for the vegetables to keep their original taste.

2- Heat the oil in an average pot. Fry or sauté onions until the color changes to semi-golden. Add turmeric. Let it be for 30sec and then add chopped beef to the pot. After 3-5 min the beef will change its color. Wait for the beef to get a bit juicy then add 2 cups of water to the pot. When the water gets to boil, reduce the heat (leave it on medium).

3- You can start cooking the rice at the same time as you are following number 2.

4- Add half cooked celery. Add chopped parsley and mint. And add one more cup of water. Let it boil, No need for increasing the heat. Add black pepper here (no salt yet). Let it simmer on low heat for about 30min with closed lid. Please note that people often sauté mint and parsley, I don’t.

5- Add lemon juice and salt and Omani Lemons. Stir. Add water if need. Cover the pot let it come back to boil and serve it after 10mint.

Celery Stew; Khoresht-e Karafs!

Noshe Jan (نوش جان)!
Bon Appetit!

*PS. The T after Khoresh, in Khoresht-e Karafs (Kho- Resh- T – e Ka- Ra- Fs), my mother rightly mentioned that, is a common mistake to make the pronunciation easier: the correct version would be Khoresh-e Karafs (Kho- Resh – e Ka- Ra- Fs).

Chicken & Plum Stew

2008-04-15T18:36:00.018-05:00

Actually Chicken and Prune Stew is more accurate for the name, since we use dried plums and not fresh ones. My grandma makes this stew with very ripe plums, apples and carrots, everything fresh, I love it. But for this stew I am eliminating apple and carrot since I think the rich taste of plums/prunes deserves a stew of its own. This stew should be served with rice, like most of Persian stews. For cooking rice please check the direction on one of my previous recipes like here.

Chicken & Plum Stew:

Preparation & Cooking Time: 45 - 50 minutes
4 Servings

Ingredients:

6 to 8 Chicken Thighs: about 1 Lb. I use skinless and boneless chicken thighs (washed: I almost wash everything). Since I love chicken breast and not thighs I always put 1 or 2 pieces of chicken breast for myself and deduct the same number from the thighs. The chicken breast is drier and less fatty than the thighs and so for this stew I think thighs work better.

½ cup Prunes: about 10 average size dried plums. Cut each prune in half. No need to wash them.
1 Onion: (average size) diced
2 tbsp Canola Oil
1 ½ tsp Sugar
1 tbsp Tomato Paste: (Optional: when I use tomato paste I do not use sugar)
1½ cup Water: Usually chicken produces enough juice while cooking: but I add some more water after all the juice is out.

Spices:
1tsp Turmeric
½ tsp Persian Saffron: If you cannot have Persian Saffron, you have no choice but to use the average quality Spanish saffron.
Salt & Pepper

Directions:

1- Heat the pot and add the canola oil. Add diced onions and fry them until their color changes to semi golden (about 3 minutes). Add turmeric powder to the pot, stir and let the turmeric fries with the onions for about 1 minute.

2- Add your rinsed chicken thighs to the pot. Stir and close the lid. The chicken’s color changes after about 5 minutes. Now add the water and pepper. Bring the water to boil and then let the pot stay on medium heat. If you are using tomato paste you should add it at this stage. Then let the chickens cook for another 10 minutes.

3- Add the prunes, saffron and Sugar and let the chicken cook completely. At the end add some salt. I found Prunes and Sugar complete each other’s taste. They also give a very rich color to the meet.

4- Your stew is ready in 45 to 50 minutes. Serve with rice.

نوش جان

(Noushe Jan)
Bon Appetit!

Photo Trailer for Peanut Butter Brownies

2008-04-02T22:49:00.006-05:00

I noticed that I did not have any exclusive post in my Tameshk In Kitchen for our New Year, Norooz. So I decided to give you just a photo of these Heart Shaped Peanut Butter Brownies: designed by Little e, baked by Ada, delivered by my husband and eaten by me; well not all of them but I assure you that I contributed a good share in eating them. Although I am not a fan of peanut butter, I like the taste of these brownies. As soon as I get the recipe from Ada, I will post it here. For now please enjoy this photo-trailer. (like movie trailer ;D)

Heart Shaped Peanut Butter Brownies

More Than A Spice Dictionary:

2008-03-24T02:54:00.014-05:00

Have you ever had any difficulties in finding spices' names in another language?

Gernot Katzer’s Spice Pages is a superb website, introduced to me by our friend, Kia. Gernot Katzer’s Spice Page is more than a spice dictionary and offers answers to many of your questions about spices, like their origins, usage and botanical information.

To find out about most of spices that you know the names in other languages, for instance in Farsi: click on indices, click on Multilingual and then choose your language’s script, for instance Arabic script. You can find the name of your spice in Farsi and find more information on it in English. There are six lingual categories offered in that part.

“Be my guest take a look at it and you will go back there whenever you have spice questions” Says Kia.

Alpinia calcarata ripe fruits

A Simple Banana Cake

2008-03-11T02:02:00.011-05:00

A Miracle Banana Cake:

Baking a cake is the hardest thing that can happen in my kitchen and for me every single time I bake a cake and it tastes good is a miracle. This Banana cake was the first cake I have baked. And it is a miracle that has never stopped from happening. It is easy to make for its ingredients are easy to find in every kitchen. Among my friends Dario loves this cake and I know another friend is waiting to examine this recipe.

Baking Time: 50 - 60 minutes
350° F and 5x9 in loaf pan

Ingredients:
3 Ripe Bananas: Tip: I have made this recipe with two or even one bananas. It still comes out perfect. So go with as much ripe banana you have ready at your kitchen.
1 ½ cups Flour
1cup White Sugar
¼ cup Canola Oil: you can use the same amount of butter instead of canola oil
1 tsp Vanilla Powder or Vanilla Sugar Powder
1tsp Baking Powder
½ tsp Baking Soda
1 Egg

Directions:
1- Preheat oven to 350° F. Use an aluminum foil to cover your loaf pan and spray your pan with canola oil nonstick spray or just grease it with a small amount of canola oil.

2- Mash the ripe bananas: I use a fork to smash the bananas. It is really easy; just put the bananas in a big plate crush them with the back of the fork.

3- Mix the bananas with the flour, baking soda and baking powder and oil. Then add the egg, vanilla and sugar. Mix well and pour into your baking dish.

4- Bake for 50 - 60 minutes. See if it is baked through. Check with a narrow stick or a toothpick.

A Bowl of Mixed Berries!

2008-02-29T16:12:00.010-05:00

Mixed Berries for Breakfast:

Please note that this is not really a recipe. It is just what I put together and like its combination/mixture. I usually eat fruits for breakfast; eating a bowl of mixed, peeled & sliced apple, banana and orange with a cup of hot tea is my usual morning. The days that I really want to be a good girl I have the above fruits with my cereal. From time to time I make a change in my choice of fruits and recently I switched to berries. Not only I love berries, as you can read in the title of this blog, but also I find berries a less time-consuming choice: easy to wash and no need for slicing (except for huge strawberries). So once every couple of weeks, I make one bowl of Mixed Berries and I keep it in fridge. If we have it with our morning cereal it will last us for three days. I sometimes serve it as dessert, and even Alpez, my food critic friend, loves it. If you want to make it for dessert you can have it with whipped cream, ice cream or any kind of gelatin desserts, but I personally like it without any of these additions. The fruits for this mixture are all fresh and raw.

Ingredients:

1 ½ Cups Raspberries: rinsed. I use red raspberries.
1 Cup Blueberries: rinsed
2 Cups Strawberries: rinsed and sliced. I try to go with little strawberries, but usually they are huge, so I slice each in four pieces.
1 ½ Cups Blackberries: I switch between strawberries and blackberries. I usually don’t put them together, No reason at all.
No Sugar is needed.

Directions:

Mix the berries. (It is really confusing, I know!)

نوش جان

(Noushe Jan)
Bon Appetit!

Tips:
1- For a fancy presentation of this dish you can use some Vanilla-Sugar. I think you can guess I don't do it.
2- Keep the mixed berries in a lidded container for refrigerating.

Lulu Carpenters Octagon Café

2008-02-15T21:56:00.007-05:00

I was in Santa Cruz for couple of days. Lulu Carpenters Octagon Café was one of the discoveries of those days. I went there to meet with Professor Burke; a nice meeting in a nice place. The place was packed, but pretty quiet compare to its population. We were lucky to find a table while waiting for our coffee to be brewed. In Lulu’s café every coffee order is measured, grounded and brewed freshly. I should mention that at Lulu Café your coffee costs you more than usual, simply because you get a coffee better than usual. I got a cup of Cappuccino which is a small sign of Lulu’s neat style.

In the same neighborhood there is another Lulu Carpenters Café. The Octagon one is located on 118 Cooper St next to McPherson Art Museum.

My Cappuccino Cup, Lulu Carpenters Octagon Café,
Santa Cruz, Jan 2008

Honey Topped Salmon Fillet

2008-02-06T02:18:00.002-05:00

Honey Topped Salmon Fillet
The first fish dish I had in the United States was this Salmon with Honey. It made me convert from a devoted fish-hater to a fish-lover enthusiast. The credit for this recipe and my exciting conversion goes to my dearest friend Ada. I usually serve cooked vegetables in the side. Rice also makes a good side dish for the Honey Topped Salmon.

Note: This dish is not as sweet as it sounds. So don’t let the honey part scare you. Honey eliminates the fish smell and gives the salmon a teriyaki like taste.

4-6 servings
Preparation & Cooking Time: 60 minutes on 350°F

Ingredients:

1lb Fresh Salmon Fillet: I usually get the whole amount in one piece. You can also use Salmon steaks (more than one piece) the only difference is that you should cover both sides of the steaks with honey.
3 tbs Honey: You may need more than 3tbs. It depends on the size of the fillet. So use as much as you need to cover the skinless side of the fillet.
1 Onion: Average size, sliced (optional)
No Oil: I do not use oil. Salmon has enough fat in it.

Spices:
Garlic Powder, Salt and Pepper: just enough to season the salmon.
3 Garlic Cloves: crushed or sliced (optional)

Side Dish:
3 Carrots: Average size, cut into julienne stripes
1-1½ lb Mixed Small Red and White Potatoes
2 tbs Canola oil
Some Black Pepper

Directions:

1- Preheat oven to 350°F. Rinse the Salmon fillet. Then genteelly dry the fillet with paper towel.

2- Season the salmon with salt, pepper and garlic powder. A quick reminder: we only season the skinless side of the fillet.

3- After using slat, pepper and garlic powder, use a sheet of aluminum foil to cover an oven safe dish or tray. Use a dish large enough so the fillet fits easily. Place the seasoned fillet in the dish. Pour the honey on the fillet so it covers the fillet. You can use the back of a spoon to spread the honey. It is important to use the aluminum foil since burned honey does not clean off easily.

4- On the top of the honey you can put some garlic cloves. I usually bake some onions in the same dish next to the fish. No Oil is needed. Place the salmon in the oven. It is ready after 50 minutes. Check the dish from time to time, so you can control the crispiness of the Salmon.

Side Dish:

I usually prepare the side dish before the salmon. I put it in the oven from the beginning of the preheating process.

1- Wash the potatoes and carrots thoroughly.
2- Skin the carrots and slice them in stripes. Do not slice potatoes.
3- Grease an oven safe dish and place the potatoes and carrots in it. Use some oil to grease the veggies on the top. Pepper them and put it in the oven. They will be ready in about 40 min. I like the carrots to be a little bit dryer; that’s why I put the side dish into the oven before the salmon.

نوش جان

(Noushe Jan)
Bon Appetit!

Chez Panisse & Fedora

2007-12-27T00:27:00.000-05:00

Here are two Café -Restaurants introduced to me first by my sweet friend, Aaron. I went to both and I am a fan now. Unfortunately for me one of the places is far away in California; but fortunately the other one is just 10 min drive from my house.

If you live around San Francisco bay area you have probably heard of Chez Panisse restaurant and café. The café was founded by Alice Waters & her partners in 1971 and named after a character called Panisse in the trilogy play-movie of Marius, Fanny and Cesar. Chez Panisse is famous for its seasonal menu that changes every day and varies based on the availability of ingredients on that season. It has a Café for lunch and a Restaurant for dinner. It is very hard to find a spot for dinner without reservation and you should reserve it way a head of time. For lunch the space is more available but it never hurts to reserve your table. I was there on November 30th; Persimmon’s touch made that day’s menu very colorful. Chez Panisse is pricey, but it’s worth trying.

If you live around Princeton and enjoy café atmosphere, Fedora Café welcomes you. Fedora is a small magically decorated café and very family friendly. Its Harry Pottery look – when I said magically decorated I meant it – makes you hungry. For working though, if you like to work in coffee shops as I do, is not that good. You can read a novel and enjoy your lunch but I’ve never seen anyone working there especially with a laptop. Fedora is located at 2633 Main Street, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648. You can call them at (609-895-0844) they are very responsive. you can read another review for Fedora here.

Hold the Season in Your Hands !
Fig Leaf, Chez Panisse, November 2007

Meatloaf with Hard-Boiled Eggs

2007-11-09T12:56:00.001-05:00

Meatloaf with Hard-Boiled Eggs

4 servings

Preparation & cooking time: 55 minutes on 350ºF

Ingredients:

1 ½ pound Ground Turkey: depending on what I have at home, sometimes I use ground beef, but I prefer turkey.
1½ cup Breadcrumbs
½ cup Milk or Water: I use nonfat milk. Feel free to use water instead. I have used it and I didn’t feel any particular change in the taste. So it has been tested!
¼ cup Fresh Parsley: chopped.
2 average size hard-boiled eggs: For how to boil the eggs take a look at the Tips!

Spices:

1tsp. Dried Thyme
1tsp. Dried Oregano
1tsp. Dried Rosemary
2tsp. Black pepper
1½ tsp. Salt
No Oil is needed!

Directions:
1- Preheat the oven on 350ºF

2- Soak the breadcrumbs in the Milk or Water. Let it stand for about 1 minute: The idea of using breadcrumbs is to add extra moisture to the meat especially if we are using turkey. If we do not mix it with water or milk the crumbs start to absorb the moister already in the meat and the result is an uneven and dry meatloaf.

3- In a mixing-bowl mix the ground turkey, the soaked breadcrumbs, chopped parsley and spices. Mix well!

4- Peel the hard boiled eggs. Split the meat to two almost equal halves. Put the first half in the oven dish. Shape it like the bottom of the dish or in a small rectangle. Place the boiled eggs on it and add the other half of the meat. After shaping the meatloaf you can add some black pepper and thyme to the top.

5- Place the dish in the oven and cook for 40 minutes.

نوش جان

(Noushe Jan)
Bon Appetit!

Tips:

1- It is better to use a loaf oven dish. If you don't have the dish feel free to shape the meatloaf by hand and put it on an oven tray.

2- Put the eggs on a saucepan with cold water – water should cover the eggs. Put the stove on high heat. Bring the water to boil and then bring the heat down and let it cook for 12 minutes. The whole process is 15 minutes. Drain, let the eggs cool down and then peal them.

Shirazi Salad with Green Pepper and Apple:

2007-10-18T15:21:00.001-05:00

This recipe is inspired by my friend, Paiyz, and her creatively appetizing salads. Shirazi Salad with green pepper & apple is a great lunch. Serve it with Pita bread, hummus or feta cheese.

Shirazi means from Shiraz: a city located in southwest Iran, where, among many of its attractions, Shiraz wine is originated. Depending on where one is from, I guess, Shirazi Salad changes its name to Israeli Salad. Also there is a Greek version of this salad. The trick for a good Shirazi salad is in its finely chopped vegetables. But for this recipe I like to chop the greens a little bit larger than usual.

(4-6 Servings)

Ingredients:

1 Green Apple: chopped. To prevent discoloring: put the chopped apples in a plastic bag and add some lemon juice to it. Mix well and let it stay for about 1 min. (I like green apple for this salad because of its sourness. But you can use any kind you like.) Do Not Peel the apple!
3 Cucumbers: average size or 1 and a half if it is large: peeled and chopped. (If I use organic cucumber, I either don’t peal or I peel the cucumber in stripes.)
3 Tomatoes: average size, chopped the juicier the tomato is the better the salad becomes.
1 Green Pepper: chopped
½ Onion: average size, finely chopped (optional)

Spices:

1 tbs. Olive Oil
1 tbs. Lemon Juice
½ tsp. Lime Juice: (optional)
1 to 2 tbs. Dried Mint: (you can replace it with 2 tbs. of finely chopped fresh mint)
A dash of Salt and Black Pepper

Directions:

1- Mix the chopped vegetables: Apple, Tomato, Cucumber and Green pepper. Note: if you don’t want discolored apples use the lemon juice trick. Let the mixture stay for about 15 minutes; the tomato’s juice can get into the other ingredients. After that you can add the onion.

2- Add the spices before serving and mix well.

نوش جان
(Noushe Jan)
Bon Appetit!

Coffee Shops Across America:

2007-10-08T14:54:00.000-05:00

While riding our Honda Fit, Fandough (Hazelnut), across the country, from Princeton NJ to Berkeley CA, we stopped at many different coffee shops in different cities just to caffeinate ourselves with hot tea and sometimes coffee.

Here are three of those memorable coffee shops. Some are already known and some are isolated, but all three have a good tea collection and a nice ambiance to work. Keep them in mind when you pass these cities, especially if you are in the habit of working in coffee shops as I am.

Grounded Specialty Coffee
308, Main St. La Crosse, WI

Their Dark Chocolate Muffins are great. Add to it their nice owners, I guess a husband and wife and an ultra clean restroom (crucial factor for me!) They are famous for their double-shot espressos.

Trout River Coffee Bar
211 W. Front St. Downtown Missoula, MT

Everything is great in Trout River; especially it is a very good place to work. Not too cold, not too warm enough light and no loud music.

Michelangelo’s Coffee House
114 State St. Madison, WI

They make a great coffee and cappuccino. The owner is a warm and intelligent Lebanese-Mexican and obviously an admirer of Michelangelo.

Michelangelo's Coffee House, Madison, 2007

Fresh Pear Cake

2007-10-02T19:10:00.001-05:00

Fresh Pear Cake

Baking time: 1-hour10 minutes
10” Bund Cake pan
Oven temperature: 325º F

Ingredients

4cup pealed, cored & chopped fresh Pears
2cup white sugar
2/3cup Oil (Canola) (use nonstick cooking spray for greasing your pan)

2 eggs ( I use two whole eggs but you can use 4 egg white)

3cup all-purpose flour
1tsp salt
1½ tsp baking soda
1tsp ground nutmeg
1tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground cloves

1cup chopped walnut (Only if you like nuts, I don’t)

Directions:

1- Preheat the oven to325º F and spray the pan

2- Mix chopped pears and sugar and let it stay for about 1 hour. At the end of the hour you will have a juicy mixture.

3- Beat the eggs and add oil and the pear mix to it (you can add walnuts in this stage if you like or wait and add them at the end of the mixing process).

4- Stir flour, salt, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves separately and then add them to the pear mix. (Add the nuts if you want)

5- Put the batter in the oven. Your Fresh Pear Cake is ready after 70 minutes. Use a toothpick to be sure the cake is evenly baked.

نوش جان
(Noushe Jan)Bon Appetit!

General Tips for Baking Cakes:

2007-10-01T16:09:00.000-05:00

Tips for Baking Cakes:

1- Prepare all the ingredients you need for a recipe: You can add new things to a recipe or eliminate something you do not like: I usually eliminate nuts if there are any in the recipe and for that I bare Alpez’s harsh disapproval: If you like nuts you can always add them to the batter.

2- I usually measure the ingredients (based on the recipe) a head of time and put them in small bowls so I can add them to the batter when I need them.

3- Always preheat the oven to the required temperature. Turn on the oven 10-15 minutes before you plan to use it. Make sure the oven’s rack is in the center.

4- Have all the ingredients at room temperature.

5- To avoid lumps and swellings try to mix and sift dry ingredients (Flour, Baking soda, Baking powder, and spices) together and separately mix non-dry ingredients (Oil, Egg, Milk, Sugar, butter). Note that Sugar is considered non-dry. At the end add the two mixtures together.

6- While mixing use your spatula to scrape sides and the bottom of the mixing bowl.

7- Add nuts and other dried fruits at the end to your batter.

8- Grease your baking pan with vegetable oil (I spray Canola Oil). For most cakes Olive oil is a big NO. Use a brush for greasing the pan evenly unless you are using a spray.

9- To make sure that your cake is done use a toothpick or a thin wooden stick and insert it in the middle of the cake if it comes out clean. You are done. If not let the cake be for some more time.

10- After the baking is done and before removing your cake from the pan let the cake to stay in the pan for 5-10 minutes. Then with a spatula loosen the edge and turn the pan over. Also wait for the cake to cool down before serving.

10+1- This one only applies to me: Don’t bother with Tiramisu. You will always ruin it as you did in the past.

Bonaparte Breads, A French bakery in Baltimore, 2006

Mini Pan-Kebab & Rice

2007-05-16T16:04:00.001-05:00

Preparation and Cooking Time: 40 min
4 Servings

Ingredients:

Mini Pan-Kebab:

1 lb Ground Beef, Chicken or Turkey: (Use about 1lb if you are not mixing it with breadcrumbs. I do mix the meet with breadcrumbs and milk. So I use less than 1 pound of meet. I often use turkey because it has less fat and because of that it is dryer. The dryness is the main reason for using milk-soaked breadcrumbs)
1Cup Breadcrumbs
1/3 Cup Milk: (we will mix the milk with breadcrumbs to add more moisture to our meet feel free to use the same amount of water if you have any dietary restriction or simply if you are out of milk)
2 average size Tomatoes: Slice them.
1tbs Canola Oil

Spices:

½ tsp Salt
1tsp Black Pepper
½ tsp dried Thyme or Rosemary (optional)
½ tsp dried Parsley (optional)
A dash of Garlic powder
A dash of Onion Powder (optional)

Rice:

2 Cup Rice: (I use basmati)
3 cup Water
1 tsp salt
2 tsp Canola Oil

Directions:

1- Rinse Rice and put it in a small nonstick pot or rice-cooker. Add 3 cups of water, add salt and stir. (I just use a dash of salt but you can go as much as any amount less than 1 tbs.)
Add oil; don’t stir the oil, later it will absorb on its own. If you are using rice-cooker turn on the rice cooker and your rice should be done in about 35 min. If not: put your pot on the stove on high heat; when boiled, bring the heat down to medium or low (depending on your stove) and put the lid half on. The rice will be cooked in about 20 minutes after you put the lid.

2- Soak breadcrumbs in milk or water. Let them soak for 1 min. then add this to your ground meet. Mix it. Add the spices and mix well. [I wear surgical gloves and mix everything with my hands] Form/shape the meet mixture with your hands: first make a small meatball then flatten the meatball.

3- Heat the pan for 1 min then add oil and after some seconds start putting your Mini Kebabs in the pan. The heat level is on high.

The Kebabs should not overlapped, place them neatly in the pan. After the pan is full bring the heat down to medium. Turn the Kebabs over and let it be for about 4 min on medium heat. (You can also close the lead, if your pan has any) After the both sides of the Mini Kebabs are cooked empty half of the pan and add the sliced tomatoes to the pan. Do not add any more oil. Let tomato juice soak the kebabs. You are done depending on how cooked you like your tomatoes!

Noshe Jan (نوش جان)!
Bon Appetit !

Philly & Boston I

2007-04-09T21:51:00.001-05:00

Last weekend I was in Boston; so I visited Mike’s Pastry on 300 Hanover Street. I could have spent the whole day there wondering around. Not only the outside’s chill invites people inside but also the sweet smell of apple, cinnamon and vanilla call out for you. Though Mike’s Pastry is famous for its small sweets, I liked its piles of pies.

If you go there during weekend, you find Mike's very crowded.

Also the weekend before this, we went to Philadelphia to taste the famous Philly Cheese-stake. We went to Geno’s Steaks, one of the two popular Philly Cheese-stake shops; the other is right across the street from Geno’s. Apart from the clear sign that orders you: Speak English You are in America and the fact that the management reserves the right to refuse service, the onion topped Cheese-steak is absolutely delicious.

Another amazing thing is that despite the long and crowded line, there is not much waiting and Geno's is open all night long. I couldn’t have a whole portion but no worries on that part, my company took care of that.

This is Pat's King of Steaks, across the street.

Chicken Burrito with Turmeric, Lemon Juice & Saffron:

2007-03-25T01:43:00.001-05:00

This is not as hard as it looks, we have this food very often. The credit for this delicious dish goes to our lovely friends Pat & Jennifer. I only changed it a bit.

Preparation and Cooking Time: 45 minutes
4 servings

Ingredients:

1 large (or 2 small) size Onion(s) (leave aside ¼ of one for Guacamole)
1 lb (½ Kilo) Chicken Brest or Boneless Thigh
1 ½ cup Rice
About 3 tbs. Canola Oil (one tablespoon for Rice two for Chicken)
1 or 2 average size Garlic cloves (If you use fresh garlic cloves and chop them up, you will get a strong garlic taste, which I love but Alpez doesn’t, unless it is used in Seafood. If your taste is closer to Alpez you can just put the 2 garlic cloves as a whole in the chicken pot and then later bring them out or simply use a dash of Garlic Powder.)

Although it is not common to say the amount of water needed for a recipe, I will assume you are as neophyte as I was in cooking so:

About ½ cup Water (for Chicken)
About 2½ cup Water (for Rice)

1 can of cooked Black Bean
Tortilla bread (At least 4 large size Tortillas; I get pack of 12)
Sour Cream (serve with the meal)
Mild or hot Salsa (serve with the meal)

Guacamole

1 average size ripe Avocado
1 or 2 average size Tomato(s)
¼ of an average size Onion
½ cup chopped Cilantro

Spices:

A dash of Garlic powder (for cooking the chicken)
½ tsp Turmeric
2 tbs Hot Sauce (for Chicken and also when the meal is served)
1 tsp Chili powder (for Chicken)
1tbs Lemon Juice (for Chicken)
¼ tsp Saffron (can be grounded or not) (of course Persian Saffron is the best but you can take it easy and use average quality Spanish Saffron) (for Chicken)
Lime zest, Salt (for rice and ½ tbs. for Chicken) & Black Pepper (for chicken and black Beans)

Direction:

First we cook Rice and Chicken; at the same time we will prepare Guacamole and the last step is warming/cooking the Tortilla.

1- Rinse Rice, put it in a small nonstick pot, add about 2½ cup water, add salt and stir. (I just use a dash of salt but you can go as much as any amount less than 1 tbs.) Add oil; don’t stir the oil, later it will absorb on its own. Then put it on the stove on high heat; when boiled, bring the heat down to medium or low (depending on your stove) and put the lid half on. The rice will be cooked in about 20 minutes after you put the lid.

2- Chop the Chicken Brest in small cubes (almost 1 by 1 inch), chop the Onion (leave ¼ of it aside for Guacamole), fry the chopped Onion in Canola oil until they are soft (about 3 min.) and then add Turmeric. Let it stay for another minute. (Don’t let the onion to become golden, it is not needed for this dish). Then add the Chicken to the pot and mix with the onion-mix. Add fresh garlic. You don’t want to fry them; we just need the taste. Let it be for 3 more minutes before adding other spices. You can close the lid. Then stir and add Chili Powder, Garlic Powder (if not using fresh garlic), hot sauce and black pepper. Add ½ cup water to the pot, close the lid and let it be for 15 minute.
Caution: DO NOT add Salt, Lemon Juice, Lime zest and Saffron now; Salt and lemon’s acidity makes the chicken hard and slows the cooking process)

Occasionally check it to see if it needs stirring or more water. After 15 minutes taste your chicken and then if cooked (no Pink part) add lemon juice, lime zest, salt and saffron. Chicken in done after 2 to 3 min.

3- Guacamole: I like it this way with no salt or pepper:

Chop onion, Cilantro, and tomato thinly, then cut Avocado in half, take out the large stone in the middle with the help of your knife (Once I tried to dry the seed: after couple of days the beautiful brownish skin of the core dried out and felt apart leaving me with a colorless thing!) scoop the green flesh of avocado out with a spoon then smash it with the back of the spoon in a bowl, then add the chopped onion, tomato and cilantro.

4- Rinse black bean so it is clean of the black liquid of the can , add a little black pepper to it put it in a microwave, until it is hot ( 2 minutes with my micro on high)

5- heat a nonstick pan (no oil) put one tortilla at a time warm/cook both sides, wait for each side to puff then it is ready.

6- Put a tortilla your plate help yourself with rice, chicken, beans, sour cream, guacamole Salsa and hot sauce then wrap tortilla and Noshe Jan (نوش جان) ; Bon Appetit!

Chicken Burrito with Turmeric, Lemon Juice & Saffron

Some General Tips and Info:

2007-03-24T23:12:00.000-05:00

Here allow me to introduce two honorary members of Tameshk In Kitchen, comments of both will occasionally find their way here.

The first is, My lovely husband, a poor mathematician who has to put up with my cooking and who thinks that all of my cooking products need more salt and all of my baking products need more sugar, which I disagree (of course).

Then there is our Food Critic: Alpez, a friend of mine, still single in his mid 40’s, who once could simply enjoy eating, but after he started his new job as a food critic in one of New York’s most famous magazines, he can’t enjoy any food or drink before ruining the reputation of the cook, the restaurant and many times the poor bartender, especially if the bartender is a young attractive female. (Of course Alpez is not his real name but the name that we agreed on, in a cold December morning while commuting from Princeton to New York City via NJ Transit. Also I am not allowed to reveal the name of the magazine in which he writes.)

General Tips:

I wash everything, which is washable before slicing them. Do not forget your hands and I try not to slice them but sometimes it happens.

Don’t worry if you burn things; it happens! Just wash the burned pan after it cools down, but don’t let it stay for a day or two; it becomes harder to clean.

Never Ever use burned oil, simply throw it out. (First pour it in a none-plastic bowl; then after it cools down, dispose it. Do Not pour it into the Sink)

Heat level varies from stove to stove and you will become an expert about yours if you start using it. [I have a gas stove now, but I have used electric stoves and I believe their high temperature is higher than that of gas stoves.]

Tameshk In Kitchen: Manifesto

2007-03-22T01:43:00.000-05:00

Tameshk In Kitchen is the cooking version of Tameshk, my other blog. Tameshk means raspberry in my native language, Farsi or Persian. I consider myself a fruit lover and usually I never dislike anything that can be picked from a tree or any plant for that matter. But it is Tameshk that I adore among all other fruits.

Tameshk In Kitchen is a cooking blog for beginners, college students or people who have never cooked until their late twenties, people like myself who have been fed before by their educated parents but they want to or have to start feeding themselves. Tameshk In Kitchen is for people who, like myself four years ago, couldn’t even bring water to boil and it is for people, more like the current version of myself, who can bring water to boil but still don’t know many things about food preparation.

In a regular day I spend about 2 hours in our small kitchen, doing things that are not even related to that area of the house; that makes at least 730 hours of my life every year. So I figured I should do something with it; the result is Tameshk In Kitchen.

It is my experiences with food and my appetite, mostly in my small kitchen, that will find their way here in this blog. It includes experiences of eating, drinking, cooking, baking and a lot more. Tameshk In Kitchen is flavored with Persian spices, although it is not a Persian Cooking blog.

Tameshk In Kitchen won’t be functional for you if you are a parent of any sort, since then you already know more than what is offered here; however Tameshk In Kitchen will love to have you as an observer and a Kitchen Consulter. If you are a Cook - professional or amateur- Tameshk In Kitchen is good to laugh at, but at the same time Tameshk will be happy to have your comments, thoughts and if you don’t mind your magical tricks.

There will be four posts every month in four categories: Recipes, Tips, Tricks and Food Shopping. Also I reserve the right to change these categories anytime I feel they get boring.