Positive Persian Cuisine

Feeling at a loss on how to endure current world events, I’ve decided to do some cooking as a form of protest. I found this cookbook, Sirocco, at the Museum of Food and Drink (MOFAD) in New York City. The author, Sabrina Ghayour, is an award-winning British-Iranian chef. She specializes in Persian and Middle Eastern cuisine.

I made three recipes - to a varying degree of success. However, all three dishes have tremendous flavor.

My first foray was the Date and Orange Cinnamon Scones. I had to use some buckwheat flour, and I substituted buttermilk for milk. They turned out great, not too sweet. And unlike most scone recipes, this one calls for about half the butter.

The second was Warm Salad of Spiced Kale, Bulgur Wheat & Puy Lentils. The spiced kale turned out well, but the bulgur wasn’t as fluffy as I’d like. I will try again and adjust accordingly.

The final recipe was Lamb, Apricot & fennel Seed Lollipops - essentially meatballs. I used organic apricots, which were “wetter” than expected. I had to add some breadcrumbs to get the mix to hold togehter. There were delicious, but again I will adjust the next time to make them sturdier.

Cooking may not change the world but it can help us understand people, culture and our shared humanity.

The recipes above are all in Sirocco. Here is a link to Sabrina’s recipe page for some other inspiration.