Wonderful mezze: Yogurt with Beets from The New Persian Kitchen

T

traca

Well-known member
My cooking group covered The New Persian Kitchen and this was one of my favorite dishes. Serve with a flat bread -- pita, etc.

Yogurt with Beets

From The New Persian Kitchen

Serves 6

This luminous fuchsia yogurt is traditionally made with cooked beets but we'll save a step: the raw beets called for here soften and mellow in the acid of the yogurt, especially if allowed to marinate for an hour before serving. A grater attachment on your food processor will make this recipe even easier, and will save your hands from staining. The natural oils in your skin will awaken the flavor of the dried mint, so rub it between your palms as you add it to the yogurt.

1/2 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon dried mint

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 small red beet, peeled and grated (about 1 cup)

Sea salt

2 cups thick Greek-style yogurt

Freshly ground black pepper

In a bowl, combine the garlic, 1 tablespoon of the mint, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, the beets, and 1 teaspoon salt. Set aside to marinate for 5 minutes.

Fold in the yogurt and season with salt and pepper. Cover and let rest for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours, in the refrigerator. Transfer to a serving bowl. Spoon the remaining 1 tablespoon oil over the yogurt and scatter the remaining 1 teaspoon mint over the top, and serve.

 
Love her book!

She is a wonderful person too, as far as interactions by email goes, I had to contact her to ask permission to review her book and publish a recipe on the blog. She was absolutely delightful to interact with.

I made Fesanjan, a pomegranate chicken dish, festive, delicious

so many great dishes in her book, one of the best I bought last year. Please keep sharing your experiences

 
Agreed. Louisa is fantastic! She just got back from Iran and I'm hoping to hear more about it. Will

share if I hear back. For now, here's the menu we ended up with and my notes to her on the various dishes.

Fresh Herb Platter
The woman who made the fresh herb platter went all out, providing a ton of different herbs, radishes, etc. I loved the cheese and being able to try it with the various herbs was a revelation!

Fig Mustard w/ Persian Flatbread
I served this with goat cheese. It was good. Makes a TON. If I make it again, I'll divide the recipe in half.

Garlicky Eggplant & Tomato Spread
The eggplant and tomato spread was a lovely surprise. I'm not sure I would have made that dish on my own, but now I will, for sure.

Yogurt with Beets
We covered Ottolenghi's "Jerusalem" a couple months ago and I made the beet dish from that. It went over well but for me, it was missing something. When my friend Adam chose your dish, I thought it would be similar to Ottolenghi's. WOW! Your version was so electric and full of flavor. Easily my favorite dish. (Thank you!)

Vinegar Carrots with Toasted Sesame Seeds
You did the carrot salad at the demo here in Seattle and I wanted to make that for the group. A big hit.

Grilled Shrimp with Lime Powder and Parsley ­Olive Oil Sauce
Okay, it's a toss up between the shrimp or the beet dish on which was my favorite. Both I know I'll make again and again. I've tried something similar (Rick Bayless) but this dish was so bright with flavors! Hauntingly delicious.

Jasmine Rice (for the shrimp dish)

Jeweled Brown Basmati Rice with Quinoa
Okay, not my favorite version of this dish.

Lamb Meatballs with Mint and Garlic
I don't remember these.

Barley Stew with Lamb and Rhubarb
The barley stew, for us, was the only miss. Another woman has been cooking out of the book the entire month and she made it too, with the same results.

Chicken Pomegranate and Walnut Stew
The guy who made the pomegranate chicken and walnut stew made it with a homemade stock and the bird had been smoked. It was incredibly delicious and I went back for seconds!

Amaranth Rice Pudding With Rose Water
I liked the rice pudding but for me, it had too much rosewater. It was overwhelming. I could imagine it being quite lovely with less, and made a note in my book about that. Does rosewater vary by brand?

Date Shake
I really enjoyed the date shake. There's a definite "tang" in the background from the yogurt. Like buttermilk pancakes. Sometimes I like the tang, sometimes no. In this case, it was refreshing--especially in the heat of the day. The toppings make it utterly alluring.

I read some reviews before our dinner and I'm definitely looking forward to trying the beet burgers too.

 
Follow up from Louisa on "What else should I try from your book?" and notes from her Iran trip.

"I would recommend trying the chicken with peaches, and the goat cheese cheesecake - you can make it with peaches instead of persimmons. Oh yeah, and try the artichokes!

The trip was part about self discovery, and part food research. It was my very first trip to Iran, so I really was meeting a lot of family for the first time, and learning where my dad came from. It was also about exploring the regional cooking of Iran. I got some recommendations of people to hang out with, and some things weirdly came together, like my tour guide in the North whose mom was an amazing cook, and offered to have me come hang out with her in the kitchen one night. People are VERY generous and hospitable in Iran, and they don't have the same boundaries that people do here. I got a lot of invitations, and saw the inside of more homes than I would have imagined. I also think people were happy to show off their cooking skills to a wide eyed stranger, because their families probably take them for granted smileys/smile.gif"

 
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