Taste of Persia – a cook’s travel adventures through Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran and Kurdistan by Naomi Duguid, Artisan, 2016
As you probably know Persian food is one of my favourite cuisines. I know quite a bit about the food of Iran, a little about Georgia and absolutely nothing about Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Kurdistan. I learned that this book was the original source for a favourite summer fish dish I had discovered in the New York Times cooking app, and I had to have it. While I have got it down a few times, it has mostly languished on the shelf for seven years. I have another book of Iranian cooking, Greg Malouf’s Saraban and a book of Georgian cooking, The Georgian Feast, gifted by a Georgian friend, and I tend to turn to them when I am looking for a Persian meal.
I decided to spend a couple of weeks with this book to discover dishes I hadn’t come across before. I started with soup. I found a version of Armenian yoghurt soup called jajuk on p93. I don’t think this is in any way traditional, but it was simple and delicious. For four, cook a couple of peeled starchy potatoes with a couple of cups of diced pumpkin. I put the cooked vegetable through a potato ricer. The recipe suggested using a food processor, but I was worried about the potatoes becoming gluey. The ricer worked a treat, and I had a beautiful smooth puree to which I added salt, chilli powder, ½ a cup of mixed herbs and a cup of Greek yoghurt. The recipe suggested serving it with khachapuri, a delicious Georgian cheese bread which I was taught to make by a Georgian friend. On this occasion I just made toast.
I’d quite like to make all the soups in the book as they sound delicious. I had some lamb meatballs in the freezer, left over from another meal so I made ash e anar on p 107. Ash is a slow cooked Persian soup and plays a lead role in a Persian diet. It’s eaten all day from breakfast to dinner. This split pea soup seasoned with pomegranate molasses might be one of my favourites. I used green split peas because the recipe didn’t specify and the soup in the accompanying photo looked green, then I read that yellow was more traditional. I used arborio rice.
I made tahchin with chicken p 222. This is a baked rice dish made with chicken or lamb. This was nice but quite a lot of work so I might not make it again, and there are versions of both dishes in Saraban if I need it. This is one of those marinade overnight recipes which often catch me out but, on this occasion, I was prepared.
I have made khoresht e gheimeh p 181 before from the recipe in Saraban and it is a favourite because it uses dried limes. It is traditionally served with fried potatoes, which I have not done before. Traditionally this khoresht is made with yellow split peas and the potatoes are match sticked. The recipe in Taste of Persia uses black eyed beans, which I was going to try but I couldn’t find them anywhere. The Persia recipe also cubes the potatoes but I liked the look of the matchsticks, so I reverted to the Malouf recipe. Always a good one and the fried potatoes were such a great addition that I will do them again. I served it with the basic Persian rice and a tomato salad and herb plate.
I tried a Georgian bean dish, lobio w pomegranate and onion, p88. I struggle with the Georgian dishes because I cannot source several of the spices in the Georgian spice blend, in particular dried marigold petals and dried summer savoury. I can substitute but then I fear it is something else altogether. I used my khoresht spice blend and I had a very nice borlotti bean stew with pomegranate molasses, but not, I fear, very Georgian. The book suggested serving it with polenta and slices of Georgian suluguni cheese which of course I could not source, so I used mozzarella. It was a bit odd.
I tried an Armenian hajarov pilav p231 which is a cross between a mushroom pilaf and a risotto, using farro instead of rice. The book refers to farro as emmer wheat berries which confused me at first. It’s straightforward to make. Sauté chopped onion in butter, add sliced mushrooms and thyme, cooking until the mushrooms have started to soften. Add a cup of farro and 2 ½ cups stock and cook until the farro is tender. It will be soupy like a thick risotto and very flavourful. I drizzled with mint oil and served with yoghurt.
My favourite recipe in the book is the aforementioned Baku fish kebabs, p156, from Azerbaijan, I recommend this to all fish lovers. I don’t do kebabs and I just use whatever firm white fish I can get. This dish is just so beautiful on the plate and delightfully light and fresh in a hot day. In fact, just thinking about it, I am hatching a plan to make it – if we ever get a warm day this spring.
My conclusion is that for Persian dishes I will stick with Saraban and the Georgian Feast and this Baku fish. I absolutely recommend Taste of Persia, not least because it links the recipes with the customs and cultures of the region, and I will be passing it to someone who will enjoy reading it and exploring the recipes.
