Koreshte Qeymeh

It's time to travel back to Iran. This time to make one of my favorite stews Koreshte Qeymeh. "Koresh(t)" is the Persian name for stews. They usually include herbs, meats, beans, grains, and sometimes dried fruit. This koresht has beef, yellow split peas, and my personal favorite home made french fries! As a kid you would imagine that I was not a big fan of vegetables or herbs, but this koresht has french fries! How it could it be wrong, when it feels so right!? Serve this along side with the recipe for Chelow and you'll have an authentic, fun, Persian dish.

Oh, and don't worry about not being able to pronounce Koresht Qeymeh, the Q makes one of those Q/G noises that come from the back of your throat. Fun to say, but difficult to master.



Koreshte Qeymeh
Adapted from "New Food of Life" by Najmieh Batmanglij
6 Servings
Prep and Cook Time: 2 hours, 15 min.

Ingredients
1 onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1 pound stew meat (lamb and beef are preferred), cut into 1/2 inch pieces
4 tbsp oil
2 whole dried Persian limes. Can be found in a Persian or International market. You can omit but it's best to
      include at least one
1 tsp  salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp advieh (optional, mix of ground rose petals, cinnamon, cardamom, black pepper, nutmeg, cumin, and
       coriander seeds
1 large tomato, peeled and chopped
1 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp saffron dissolved in 2 tbsp hot water
1 pound or 2 large potatoes, peeled and cut into sticks
1 cup oil for deep frying
1/3 cup yellow split peas
1 1/2 cups water

Directions
1. In a non-stick Dutch oven, brown the onions and meat in 2 tbsps oil.

2. Add dried Persian limes, if desired, salt, pepper, and turmeric. Saute for 2 minutes longer.

3. Pour in 1 1/2 cups water and bring to boil. Cover and Simmer over low heat for 55 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Add the advieh, fresh tomato, tomato paste, and saffron water. Cover and cook for 45 minutes.

5. During this time fry the potato sticks in the 1 cup of oil. Drain on a paper towel and set aside.

6. Cook yellow split peas in 2 1/2 cups of water and 1/4 tsp of salt for 30 minutes. Drain and add to the Dutch oven.

7. Check to see if meat and peas are tender. Taste the stew and add seasoning as desired.

8. Serve the koresht on the side of  or on top of the Chelow and arrange the french fries on top. Nush-e Jan!

Irish Beef Stew

Sometimes you just crave something hearty, warm, and simple. I originally looked up recipes for a beef stew, but I came across a couple Irish beef stews so I thought I’d go for it. Well, it turns out that I made the right choice because Irish Beef Stew has one of the best ingredients ever: beer. Guinness, to be exact. The recipe calls for a only 1 cup of Guinness, but I went for it and used a whole bottle. If you don’t like the hops flavor, then use only 1 cup or less.

I made this stew in a slow cooker, but when browsing I definitely came across some that you can make on the stove top. But my advice, if you don’t have a slow cooker, do yourself a favor and buy one. They are only $15-$30 for a decent one, or better yet find one at a second hand store. The recipe below is adapted from this recipe at SimplyRecipes so that you can use a slow cooker.

Fun Facts: Irish beef stews were traditionally peasant style dishes made with the most readily available ingredients, which were usually lamb/mutton, onions, potatoes, and some greens. This dish traveled to America when Irish people began immigrating to the U.S., and evolved according to different regions. They 

made the right decision with adding Guinness.

Irish Beef Stew

Servings: 5-6

Prep & Cook Time: 30 minutes prep, 8-10 hours on low, or 4-5 hours on high

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil

1 1/4 pounds well-marbled beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch pieces

6 large garlic cloves, minced

6 cups beef stock or beef broth

1 bottle of Guinness beer (or 1 cup if you prefer less)

1 cup of fine red wine

1 small can tomato paste

1 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp fresh thyme (or 1 tbsp dried)

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 bay leaves

3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 7 cups)

1 large onion, chopped

1 regular bag of baby carrots (or 2 cups chopped carrots)

Salt and Pepper

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in heavy large pan over medium-high heat. Lightly salt and flour the beef pieces. Add the beef (do not crowd the pan, or the meat will steam and not brown) and cook until nicely browned on all sides, but not all the way through. Add to crock pot.

2. Sauté the garlic in the pan for 1 minute. Add Guinness, red wine, tomato paste, sugar, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves, and some of the stock. Stir to combine. Bring mixture to boil.

3. Add the potatoes, onion, and carrots to the crock pot. Then pour in the stock mixture and add the remaining stock.

4. Set the slow cooker to low for 8-10 hours, or 4-5 hours on high. Season with salt and pepper.

Sopa De Fideo (Con Pollo)

My friend makes the most amazing and simple noodle soup. The fact that I initially tried the soup when she made it for her 3 year old daughter is a compliment to how this simple recipe can satisfy anyone’s taste buds. Though my initial attempt of this recipe a few months ago failed miserably (I blame it on being sick at the time!), I was able to dust myself off and try again. This time, it was delicious. I did a little bit of research and found out that what I had been calling Mexican noodle soup, is actually known as “Sopa De Fideo”. Sopa De Fideo, which translates to noodle soup, is an essential recipe of Mexican cooking, right up there with rice! While I have already mastered Persian style rice, I’m sure I’ll be playing with the Sopa De Fideos recipe to make it my own. Like you would with tomato soup, add a garnish when you serve the soup, such as sour cream (or the drained yogurt!), salsa, cheese, jalapenos, or as I did, green onions and cilantro.

Sopa De Fideo Con Pollo - Chicken noodle soup

Servings: 5-6

Prep & Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

2 tomatoes

1 small onion

1 package of Fideo (you can find these tiny noodles in the Hispanic aisle of the supermarket) or vermicelli noodles broken into 1 inch pieces

3 tbsp vegetable oil

2 chicken breasts or 3 chicken thighs

2 cartons chicken or vegetable stock

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

1- If you are adding chicken to the soup, then in a medium pot boil the chicken in 3 cups of the chicken stock. Flip halfway through cooking.

2- In a medium skillet, saute noodles in the vegetable oil on medium-low heat until lightly brown. Set aside.

3- In a food processor or blender, puree the tomatoes and onion. Add salt and pepper to taste.

4- In a large pot add the tomato/onion puree, noodles, and the rest of the chicken stock. Bring to boil.

5-Reduce to medium heat, and cook with the lid on until the noodles are cooked through. If you are adding chicken, do so at the end and cook for 1 minute longer.

6- Remove from heat. Serve with your favorite garnish.