I’m always super excited to share the wonderful flavors of Persian cuisine and my personal memories with you all. However, today’s recipe is also dedicated to a fabulous platform that was recently launched in the Netherlands: www.kliekipedia.nl. In a nutshell: this website is dedicated to reducing food waste. How? Through sharing tips and recipes for using left-overs. Does that work? Well, there’s a bunch of info and stats on their website, so to our Dutch speaking audience I definitely suggest visiting the website. As for my international foodies, there’s a great website where you can find thousands of recipe just by typing in your 3 leftover food items. Scroll all the way down for more info! Not let’s get back to the real stuff: Baghali Ghatogh, a vegetarian dish from the Caspian provinces in Northern Iran. Who would’ve thought that lima beans, eggs, dill & garlic could turn into this spectacular “Khoresh” (Persian stew).
I discovered this dish only a few years ago when I visited a Persian lady who was raised in Northern Iran. As we were on a busy work schedule she offered to cook an easy dish for dinner. As an avid foodie I was (of course) totally distracted by the incredible smell coming from the kitchen. Although the strong fragrances of turmeric and Persian saffron are instantly familiar in practically every Iranian household I was totally sold by this stew. A few weeks ago, on a typical Dutch ‘Fall weather in early Spring’ day I dove into my kitchen cabinets to do some leftover cooking. When I was asked to share my ‘kliekjes recept’ (leftover recipe) for the kliekipedia website I instantly knew that this recipe would be it. The simplicity of putting together some basic (even canned!) ingredients and presenting a colorful, ancient Persian dish…priceless!
BUY:
- Serving 2/3 portions
- 350 gr (drained) lima beans (I used canned. If you use fresh lima beans simply soak them overnight, drain the beans and simmer in boiling water for about 1 hour!)
- 30 gr fresh dill
- 3 eggs
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp ground (Persian) saffron
- a pinch of cinnamon
- salt & pepper
DO:
- Prepare by draining the lima beans, finely chop the garlic cloves and dill
- Sauté the beans, garlic and dill over medium heat with some olive oil (or any other vegetable oil you prefer) for 5 minutes
- Add all spices and keep stirring for about a minute
- Add 2 cups of water (just enough to cover all ingredients - don't forget that it's a stew, not a soup!), put the lid on and let it simmer over low-medium heat for about 20 minutes
- Uncover your pot, give the stew a stir (that sort of rhymes!), and break the eggs into the pot. Cover the pot and continue simmering over low-medium heat for about 5-10 minutes (depending on how well done you'd like the eggs to be you may reduce/increase cooking time)
- Best served with rice * and fresh salad. "NOOSHE JAN"!
Oh and FYI:
* A blog post will soon be dedicated to Persian rice, the cooking method and that golden, crunchy layer of rice that magically forms on the bottom of the pan. Stay tuned!
For more info, tips & recipes on reducing food waste with leftover cooking visit Kliekipedia (Dutch language)
For recipes with leftovers visit this LINK to the fabulous app website of Big Oven (English Language)
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