Sunset

On the last few episodes of Shahs of Sunset, the gang heads out to Turkey, where they have been invited by Asa, the Persian Pop Priestess as she adorably calls herself, on a family reunion, which she has planned for her mother who also lives in the US. Her extended family lives in Iran, and travels to Turkey to spend time in a deluxe condo that the show has rented out for them to have family time in. It's quite an interesting couple of episodes, and what I found particularly touching was the degree to which Asa, MJ and GiGi find peace and beauty in front of the Blue Mosque. Wow, I mean wow. These are totally secular, with the exception of Asa who is spiritual, American Iranians who find very little meaning in the word Islam, let alone the identity, yet they can not help but surrender to the beauty of the Blue Mosque and the sound of the call to prayer, reaching within them for supplication from their wordly persons. Asa sits proud and beautiful on the benches provided, and MJ and GiGi sit like two lost children being called home by a knowing and loving father. And while these girls have done nothing to sit shamefacedly before a seat of the almighty, there is still a lesson to be learned. That not only must we take time to smell the roses in this sweet life we are bestowed as human beings, but that we must also take pause, and appreciate the wild rose for its beauty, be grateful for its place in this magnificent world we are so lucky to be such a regal part of.
I have heard the Azon called out in the Middle East, and I, as a Jew, am truly moved by its soulful call, reminding me to take time, and pray. It is beautiful, and while I would rather sit in front of the Kotel, and feel the warm yet austere holiness that is Jewish prayer, togetherness, and appreciation for history, there is something we lack in supplication that the Azon attests to, something I am missing , which I wish we had too. It reminds me of Yom Kippur in my synagogue many years ago, watching a member of my community get down on the floor and pray like a yogi doing child's pose. I was so moved, I will never forget it. That is the same feeling I am talking about in the muezzin's call, but it is only on Yom Kippur, the day of atonement, that we have such sentiment ebbing and flowing in our hearts as we seek to be forgiven for our sins. And MJ and GiGi, on some semi-conscious level, sat themselves down, and took in a heavy dose of it as they cried for Allah's love. There was, of course, a feeling of connectedness to their Western Asian identity that had also moved them, which is definitely more selfish in nature, and something they sorely lack living in the US, but that only buttresses my argument into a new dimension of connectedness to the contextual self, the rose that lives inside of you, and allowing it to blossom in the most intricate of ways toward the design of its existence, with a pure heart, and eager mind, willing to be loved and taught, and yes, accepted. I am not a practicing Jew, but yet, I revel in the cultural springs of my heritage whenever I can/want to, be it through artful creation, philosophical contemplation, or in the simplest quotidian foods, stories and songs that make my life sweeter. That is the sweetest part of religion; the lifestyle that has been built around its beliefs, and the traditions that keep them in place, and when these girls sat down, they got a whip-plash reminder of what they are missing in LA, and it was a beautiful thing to observe.

Breakfast, again!

So, here is my same breakfast as yesterday, but with Kabocha squash (cooked in garlic powder, fresh black pepper, and salt), and Tindora (Indian cucumber) instead of tomatillo. Very easy to prepare, and very nutritious and delicious.

Breakfast!

I have been inspired to post one of my breakfasts with vegetables, just to demonstrate how easy it is to chop up some vegetables, and eat it with whatever starch you have lying around (tomorrow I will be doing this very same thing with kabocha squash instead of rice). What I have here is two radishes, two tomatillos, two poached eggs, and a classical Persian pilaf with carrots, but with lentils and pistachios instead of the red kidney beans that carrot pilaf (polloweh haveej) usually gets (and usually there is more carrot).

Of course, no meal is complete without the remote. I did not eat it, however.



And of course, there are scallions. I do love my scallions.

And here is my precious watercress, not a very verdant batch, but you can still see what this charming little leaf looks like.

Dinner!

For all the hungry, come and feast your eyes on this culinary spectacle. What started as a simple coconut curry for my fish turned into mad woman's delight. I added tons of fennel seeds, cinnamon, carrots, more ginger to play with the carrots, a blue potato, and a bunch of radish greens to a very simple base of coconut cream, turmeric, ginger, pepper, coriander, cumin, chiles (Dean and Deluca's Curry blend), and one medium diced onion. It was good, albeit a tad too earthy with the addition of the cinnamon and those starchy veggies. I was contemplating adding dried, lemongrass powder, but opted for some red chili paste, to play it safe. Without further ado, here she is:

With string beans and chopped scallions, definitely my garnish of choice. I toss them on everything, always chopped like this.


The full spread, parsley and a sliced mango accompanying my salmon curry over rice and beans. They more than compensate for the earthy warmth of the dish with their acid and alkalinity, although, to be fair, I miss my watercress. Its zingy astringency would have been most welcome with this meal. Cilantro might have been nice too, but not astringent like I crave with a meal like this.



Did I say mango for dinner? Yes, mango for dinner. Amazing!



A close up of the earthen goodness.



Adorably, some heart shaped scallions peeked up at me while I was eating. I couldn't help but capture them with my phone while I was eating. I placed this asymmetrical one on top of the fish, to the right of a fennel seed. See it there?



This one is smothered in sauce at the end of my meal. Of course I drank up all that excellent coconut goodness. Sooooo good.



This curry is versatile, I might have some tomorrow morning as a soup with water added, more seasoning as needed, and some soba noodles (rice noodles would be better but I dont have any). Another thing that is great about stews like this one, is that when you make a big pot for yourself, you can always add fresh vegetables every time you serve it. Tomorrow, I will have it as a soup with some broccoli, and who knows what else! The sky is the limit!

1/22/2014

What a delicious day! I made a simply delicious breakfast, and composed an even more delicious dessert. Please join me on a grand tour of my culinary delights, which are good for you!

Eggs, cooked in coconut oil, 2 kinds of hummus, parsley and a little ketchup for my pan fried eggs, because I am such a spoiled American devil, and finally, a wonderful rice pilaf, with radishes, scallions, and an ounce or so of lime juice to really make the pilaf sing (and give me some much needed acid).



The hummus. I usually eat the hummus with my rice. I load the fork with a little hummus, and a bunch of rice, and the two go so well together. One is spinach and artichoke, the other is simply hummus with extra tehina. Guess which one is which!



Because of my last minute addition of the lime to my rice, I found the hummus to be a tad superfluous, so I dipped my parsley in it also, twirled its leaves in really, for fun and variety. I often dip my parsley in juices, and it is always good. Here she is, my little treat, that I bite right off the stem. Just call me Mr. Ed.



And yes, eat the stems, good fiber, plenty of precious chlorophyll, and its accompanying sweetness from a good chew.




And then we had dessert! By we, of course, I mean only me. I fashioned quite the panoply of decadence for me this morning. I deserved it. Persian tea with rose petals and a plate of sweets to make my day.



Two kinds of high quality chocolate (70% cacao or more is my definition of high quality).



Dried mango in chili powder (paprika and cayenne, from Trader Joe's) High in sugar, so I only had one piece.



Turron Tostada (except I cut off the burnt toastedness). It is Spanish almond fudge, a daughter of French frangiapane, with a Spanish twist, but still baring the signature flavor of the French process. Beyond yummy.



So, the desert was not really healthy, except for the tea and chocolate (my usual post breakfast "dessert") but it was good for my soul, and what I needed. Sometimes, you need to feed your soul. So I did.

Falafel Veggie Burger

Left with some chickpea mash with falafel seasoning that my mom made, I decided to make veggie burgers! To about 10 ounces I added one carrot, grated with a microplane, 2 scallions chopped, 2 tablespoons of flax seeds, freshly ground, 1/4 cup of green peas, and an egg. I formed my little patties, and sizzled them up. Considering the dense nature of the patty, I added a little water to the pan in the last few minutes of cooking the patties, knowing the water would dissolve, in fact, counting on that steam to thoroughly cook my patties. Also, be sure to add plenty of oil, because the chickpea burns easily if you don't.

Here they are!


The full spread, truly Middle Eastern style, but with the multitude of America's palatial abundance. Usually, I have my parsley in a bowl, but when it reaches the end of the bag I just eat it out of it until it is all gone. Such a good girl, always eats her lovely herbs!


My home-made kimchi! So delish! Chili paste, chopped garlic, and plenty of Redmond salt.


Ketchup with chili paste, cayenne hot sauce, and black pepper. Soooo good, definitely my ketchup of choice.


One burger with the works. I dont really eat too much dairy, but I couldnt resist. And I must admit, sometimes a cheeseburger, especially one made with high quality cheddar, is amazing.


Sooooo good, I have one burger left in my fridge, dear reader, if you are hungry. Such a fabulous meal, I am happy to share with you :)

On Syria

As far as I understand, there is a little something called the Arab Spring that is happening right now. It is a noble movement, sparked by the educated and revolutionary spirit of the Iranian people; a populace that has always been very leery about imperial power both within and most importantly, from outside their country. The protest of 2009, following the re-election of President Ahmadinejad, saw tremendous bloodshed, a great flexing of military might that sought to protect what it claimed to be a fair election. I am afraid that the military response that Iran's Revolutionary Guard took to its protesters is itself a great irony of the Arab Spring. The cruelty that the Revolutionary Guard engaged in was not unusual, but it was excessive, and perhaps there is a lesson to be learned in this sad fact, and the reason why so many American soldiers are coming back with Post Traumatic Stress disorder from the Middle East; these thugs don't give a fuck. They have the eye of the sniper, and the bite of the tiger, and are not afraid to kill whoever may have the tenacity/audacity to stand up to them. Syria has adopted this strategy on their dissidents in the very same manner as the Revolutionary Guard, and as a result we have what Wikipedia is now referring to as the Syrian Civil War; a 2 year skirmish in which the military has slaughtered several thousand people, half of whom are said to be civilians, and 6 million people have been displaced (2 mil out of the country), for a multitude of reasons I do not dare to imagine.
On Syria.
On Syria.
This is Syria right now. Over one hundred thousand dead, and all the world's eyes turned to see what will come of this great Arabian nation. I for one would like to see Assad deposed for War Crimes the way Hussein should have been. That is the future I want to see RIGHT NOW for this exploited, war torn, yet absolutely beautiful and still very "Fertile" part of the misbegotten "Crescent".
Amen.