Gastronomie

Raisin Scones

This recipe comes from David and Susan's cookbook as little kids. It's simple and delicious and quick. Also, it should be noted that this isn't what American's call a scone; it's very much a British one, flaky and crumbly and a savoury dough, not dissimilar to an American southern biscuit.

•  8oz all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2.5 heaping tsp baking powder
• 1.75 tbsp sugar
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup raisins (or other dried fruit -- prunes, dates, sweetened cranberries, etc)
• 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp milk

1. Preheat oven to 450F
2. Sift together dry ingredients
3. Rub in the butter with fingers 
4. Mix in the raisins and stir to incorporate
5. Mix in the milk with a fork until the dough holds together
6. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead gently, then flatten  to about 1/2" thick
7. Cut the dough into 8 triangles (or circles!) and arrange them on a lightly floured cookie sheet, being sure the allow plenty of space between each scone
8. Cook for 10-12 minutes (watch closely starting at the 10 minute mark so they don't burn or brown too much)
9. Shovel a hot, buttered scone into your face, trying not to burn your tongue

 

Kuku Sabzi for Nowruz, the old school way.

It's coming up on Nowruz again, and a friend asked me about this kuku sabzi recipe in the NYT.

Holy cow, that's one fiddly recipe. I love Najmieh Batmanglij, but I've said before that some of her recipes are just too heavily spiced for me, and this is one of them. As far as I'm concerned, the whole point of kuku sabzi is to revel in the freshness and flavors of spring; adding so much advieh (that particular combination of spices) just muddies the brightness of the herbs. A big nope for me. 

Here's my own kuku sabzi. It's simple and vibrant. It can be eaten hot or cold, wrapped in lavash bread with some feta cheese or on its own. Oh, and there are a lot of recipes out there for baked kuku, and you could absolutely bake this one. But for me, the little burnt and crisped bits you get from frying are worth the extra calories. After all, this is otherwise an incredibly healthy dish.   

• 1 c chopped parsley
• 1 c chopped cilantro
• 1 c chopped dill
• 1 c chopped garlic chives, scallions or leeks (use all parts, including green tops)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (leave out if you can find garlic chives)
• ½ tsp turmeric
• 5 tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp baking powder 
• ¼ c chopped walnuts
• ¼ c dried barberries (or unsweetened dried cranberries or gooseberries, chopped)
• 4-5 eggs
• 4 tbsp neutral cooking oil (I use grapeseed, but canola or avocado also works. Olive oil is too strong)

1. After chopping all the herbs, spread them out on a towel to dry a bit (assuming you washed them before chopping). Once they’re not “soggy”, combine in a bowl with the garlic and spices.
2. Add enough eggs to bind the herbs together, but not so much that you can see egg “floating.” Beat in the baking soda, if using
3. Stir in the walnuts and the barberries, and give the whole mess a nice whisk with a fork.
4. Heat 3 tbsp oil in a cast iron or non-stick pan, then pour in your egg mixture. Set the burner to medium and cook, covered, for 15 minutes.
5. Flip the kuku onto a plate (the egg should be set on top), add the remaining oil to the pan, then slide the kuku back in to cook the other side for 5 minutes, uncovered. If this seems daunting, just cut the kuku into wedges and flip each wedge individually