Persian pashtidot for Nowruz

Originally a Zoroastrian festival, now ‘Norouz is celebrated by Iranians of all faiths,’ wrote chef and author Laura Bashar.

By FAYE LEVY, YAKIR LEVY
Kuku sabzi (photo credit: YAKIR LEVY)
Kuku sabzi
(photo credit: YAKIR LEVY)
When the Middle Eastern holiday of spring called Nowruz arrives, we feast on kukus, or Persian frittatas.
Nowruz (also spelled Norouz and other ways) is best known as the Persian New Year, but is also celebrated in the Caucasus, in much of Central Asia and in other countries with large Iranian communities such as the US and Canada.
In Azerbaijan, it is “by far the most anticipated holiday of the year,” wrote Feride Buyuran, author of Pomegranates and Saffron: A Culinary Journey to Azerbaijan. “Observed on the day of the spring equinox [March 20-21], this ancient holiday signifies the arrival of spring and the awakening of nature from a long winter sleep. The name is derived from the Persian word No-rooz, which means ‘new day.’”
A favorite dish for Nowruz is kuku sabzi, an egg dish flavored with plenty of fresh herbs. Laura Bashar, author of the ebook Norouz: The Traditions and Food of the Persian New Year, calls kuku a crustless quiche.
She says herb kuku “is filled with six different herbs and greens, representing the greenness of nature during spring”; the herbs and greens she uses are leeks, parsley, cilantro, dill, spinach and dried fenugreek.
Sabrina Ghayour, author of Persiana, describes kuku sabzi as a Persian herb frittata and makes hers with parsley, cilantro, dill, chives and green onions. Instead of simply mixing the herbs with the eggs, she first cooks them gently in olive oil with turmeric. She then adds the mixture to eggs mixed with Greek yogurt, seasoned with sea salt and pepper and enhanced with dried barberries (tart red berries) and walnuts. Some make kuku in a frying pan on top of the stove, but Ghayour prefers to bake hers. (See recipe.)
Gideon Kalimian devotes an entire chapter to kukus in his Hebrew cookbook, Hamitbah Haparsi (“The Persian Kitchen”), and describes them as pashtidot, although he says that they are somewhat different from “classic” pashtidot. We find that kukus have a texture between that of a frittata and a pashtida. They have a higher proportion of vegetables or herbs to eggs than a typical frittata and are lighter than a typical pashtida.
Kalimian makes potato kuku from mashed potatoes mixed with eggs and chopped onions, and seasoned with curry powder. His garlic kuku is made of green onions sautéed in olive oil with turmeric and a generous amount of garlic (½ kg., or over a pound for four eggs). He makes kukus of green peas and green fava beans, and flavors them with dill and with onions and garlic sautéed in olive oil. For his eggplant kuku, he mixes the eggs with mashed fried eggplants, sautéed onions and garlic, and flavors the mixture with saffron and lemon juice. (See recipe.) He makes a meat kuku with ground beef cooked with onions in olive oil then mixed with eggs, parsley, green onion, cinnamon and curry powder.
Usually kuku is served on its own, but Buyuran serves hers with yogurt or with yogurt-garlic sauce. At Sabzee, a popular Persian market in Los Angeles, kuku is baked as a thin layer, then topped with a mixture of labaneh, walnuts and barberries, and rolled up like a cake. Kuku can be served hot or cold, as a first course, a light main course or a party dish.
“The joyful preparations for the holiday [of Nowruz] begin weeks in advance,” wrote Buyuran. “Homes are meticulously cleaned, all carpets and rugs are washed, and new clothes for each family member are bought to wear on the day of the holiday.”
For Nowruz, much attention is given to preparing a ceremonial table display that has seven or more symbolic components. The main ones, wrote Bashar, are wheat sprouts growing in a dish, symbolizing renewal of nature; samanu, a sweet pudding made from germinated wheat, which stands for fertility; senjed, a dried fruit symbolizing love; garlic, symbolizing medicine; apple, symbolizing beauty and health; sumac, which stands for the color of sunrise; and vinegar, symbolizing age and patience. Often there is a goldfish swimming in a bowl.
Originally a Zoroastrian festival, now “Norouz is celebrated by Iranians of all faiths,” wrote Bashar. “This is not a Muslim, Jewish, Baha’i or Christian holiday. It is a secular holiday that unites everyone.” 
Faye Levy is the author of Feast from the Mideast.
Persian herb frittata – Kuku sabzi
This recipe is from Persiana. Ghayour says that she prefers to bake it because it is easier, less messy and less greasy than frying. She likes to cut the frittata in small cubes for serving at cocktail parties.
“You can omit the walnuts and barberries,” wrote Ghayour, “but I love them both, not only for texture but also for a burst of berry sharpness in every mouthful.”
If you can’t find barberries, Bashar suggests substituting dried cranberries.
Makes 8 servings as part of a mezze
❖ 200 gr. (7 oz.) parsley
❖ 200 gr. (7 oz.) cilantro (fresh coriander)
❖ 40 gr. (1.5 oz.) dill
❖ 60 gr. (2 oz.) chives
❖ 2 to 3 Tbsp. olive oil
❖ 2 bunches green onions, thinly sliced
❖ 2 tsp. turmeric
❖ 8 medium eggs
❖ 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
❖ 2 Tbsp. Greek yogurt
❖ 3 tsp. baking powder
❖ 2 Tbsp. crushed sea salt flakes (use less if using table salt)
❖ Fresh ground black pepper to taste
❖ 3 to 4 Tbsp. heaped dried barberries
❖ 100 gr. (3½ oz.) walnut pieces, chopped
Preheat oven to 180ºC (350ºF). Place a large pot to warm over medium heat.
Finely chop all the herbs. (If you are using a food processor, you might need to do this in two batches.) Pour the olive oil into the warm pan and fry the herbs and scallions for a few minutes, then add the turmeric. Cook for five minutes, then place the herbs on a flat plate and let cool.
Meanwhile, mix the eggs, flour, yogurt, baking powder, sea salt and black pepper until well combined and smooth. Once the herb mixture has cooled enough that it is no longer piping hot, slowly add a couple of spoonfuls at a time to the egg mixture and stir well until well combined. Add the barberries and walnuts and mix well.
Line a large ovenproof or Pyrex dish with parchment paper. (This will enable you to remove the finished dish with greater ease.) Pour in the egg-herb mixture, then bake for 35 to 40 minutes. To check if the frittata is cooked, insert a knife into the center. If it comes out clear of raw egg, the dish is done. If not, return it to the oven for a few minutes. Once cooked, allow to cool, then cut into squares to serve.
Persian Eggplant Pashtida
We translated this recipe from Hamitbah Haparsi (“The Persian Kitchen”). Kalimian soaks the eggplant slices in salted water before frying them to remove any bitterness. He says that kukus keep well in the refrigerator for three or four days.
Makes 4 servings
❖ 2 large eggplants
❖ ¾ cup olive oil
❖ 2 large onions, chopped fine
❖ 4 garlic cloves, crushed
❖ 4 eggs
❖ 4 Tbsp. chopped parsley
❖ ¼ tsp. saffron threads, soaked in 1 Tbsp. boiling water
❖ Juice of 1 lemon
❖ 1 tsp. baking powder
❖ 1 tsp. flour
❖ 1 tsp. salt
❖ ¼ tsp. pepper
Fill a large bowl with water and add 3 Tbsp. salt. Peel the eggplants and slice them lengthwise in slices that are 2 cm. (¾ inch) thick. Put them in the water and let stand 30 minutes. Remove the eggplant slices, rinse them well and dry them thoroughly.
Heat ¼ cup oil in a nonstick skillet and fry the eggplant slices in batches until golden. Crush them with a fork.
In the same skillet fry the onions and garlic until golden. Add to the eggplant. Let cool.
Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350ºF). Grease a glass baking dish of about 25 cm. (10 inch) diameter, using ¼ cup oil.
Beat the eggs in a bowl. Add the parsley, saffron water, lemon juice, baking powder, flour, salt and pepper. Add the cooled mixture of eggplant and onion and mix well. Transfer the mixture to the baking pan and bake uncovered for 30 minutes.
Remove the pashtida from the oven and ladle the remaining oil over the top. Bake for 30 more minutes or until golden. Remove from the oven and run a sharp knife around the edg-es of the pashtida. Serve hot.