On Sat, 12 Feb 2005 15:37:48 +0000 (UTC), TammyM >
wrote:
>Kate Connally > wrote:
>: I would like some information about Persian
>: sour cherry preserves. I have a recipe that
>: calls for them (Sour Cherry Rice) and I'm having
>: a hard time finding them.
>
><snip>
>
>I ran a quick Google and Amazon has (Greek) sour cherry
>preserves that are very inexpensive. No lime/lemon
>in them though. You've piqued my interest -- would
>you be willing to post that recipe? I suspect I might
>have luck finding the preserves when I make my next
>trek to the foodie wonderland that is Berkeley.
>
>TammyM
>Sacramento, CA
This was posted by another person some time ago...
From the Los Angeles Times Magazine Style/Entertaining section 10-22-
2000
TENDER IS THE RICE:
With Sour Cherries and a Little Cussing, the Humble Grain Becomes an
Adventure in Eating
by Martin Booe
WHEN I WAS KID, I'D GET DOWN ON MY KNEES
at least once a week and beg my mother to make rice for dinner. This
wasn't because I loved rice all that much, but because I hated Mom's
mashed potatoes. I still do. I've never figured out how an otherwise
good cook could so thoroughly ruin something so simple, but they were
slimy and gray and I missed many an episode of "Batman" for my refusal
to eat them. (In my family, you didn't leave the dinner table until
you
cleaned your plate, no matter how long it took.)
So I begged for rice, especially since part of my mother's devious
plot
to force me to eat her mashed potatoes was to serve them on "Batman"
night. Traditionally prepared American rice may have been mushy and
flavorless, but it was relatively inoffensive.
Chinese food aside, it never occurred to me that rice could be much of
anything besides a benign repository for gravy until a number of years
back, when I became friends with the Partovi sisters, Elli and Zoreh,
who are Iranian. Their cooking has made me a partisan of Persian
cuisine, which bestows upon rice the status of a minor deity. It's
also
a symbol of hospitality. Before this, I never knew rice could be
fluffy
and tender, yet with the texture of the grain still intact. I just
assumed they knew about some secret variety I'd never heard of (turns
out it's basmati). So I started spying on them while they cooked it.
Persian rice, or "polo" as it's known in Farsi, is first soaked for
two
hours, then boiled for several minutes, drained and steamed for 30 to
40 minutes. There are endless variations: sweet-and-sour rice, rice
with dill and fava beans, sweet rice, rice with fresh herbs, rice with
beef. Saffron is usually lurking somewhere in the background. Each
contains a treasure trove of goodies that make it an adventure in
texture and flavor.
I told Elli I had read somewhere that reflected in most Persian
cuisine
is the Parthian belief in the struggle between light and darkness. She
started laughing and employed an unequivocal barnyard epithet. My own
experience is that it reflects the eternal battle between the Partovi
sisters. For sisters, they are actually very good friends, and when
they collaborate on a meal, there's always a good deal of cussing in
Farsi, which by my estimation is a pretty evolved language for
cussing.
Elli's specialty is sour cherry rice, otherwise known as Polo Albalo.
A
traditional Iranian festival dish, it's concocted mostly of basmati
rice, sour cherries and saffron with chopped chicken mixed in, but
Elli
prefers to serve the rice and chicken separately. At the bottom of the
pot lies tadiq, the crunchy layer of rice and pita bread browned in
butter. This is always the object of stiff competition as everyone
tries to get more than their share without seeming greedy.
Elli, I'm afraid, has become a victim of her own prowess in the
kitchen. Whenever there's a birthday or cause for celebration among
our
group of friends, somebody is bound to whine for sour cherry rice.
It's
a lot of work, but Elli likes to see people enjoying good food. And if
you don't eat at least enough for three people, she won't let you
watch
"Batman."
Sour Cherry Rice:
Serves 6
3 cups basmati rice
4 tablespoons salt
Large yellow onion, finely chopped
1/2 pound butter (2 sticks)
3/4 teaspoon saffron, crushed finely into powder with pestle
3 cups sour cherry (Morello) preserves
Slice of pita bread
Fill large pot with water. Add 2 tablespoons salt. Soak rice for two
hours. Drain. In large nonstick pot, add 9 cups water, 2 tablespoons
salt and pre-soaked rice. Bring to boil. Stir gently occasionally to
prevent rice from sticking. Cook until al dente. Drain. Rinse with
cold
water, then shake colander to remove excess water. Set aside.
In skillet, fry onion in 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter until
golden.
Lower flame. Add saffron to onions. Add sour cherries. Simmer for 15
minutes, being careful not to burn.
Cover bottom of nonstick pot with olive oil. Separate one piece of
pita
bread and place it on the bottom of pot. Spoon thick layer of rice
over
pita bread; spoon layer of sour cherry preserves over rice, then
alternate layers, forming a mound. Poke holes in rice mixture with
handle of spatula to allow steam to rise. Mix until rice takes on
color
of preserves.
Melt remaining 11/2 sticks of butter (6 ounces). Pour evenly over
rice.
If juice from cherries gathers around edges of pot, skim off excess so
tadiq at bottom won't be mushy. Cover with clean towel. Then put lid
on.
Place pot on medium heat. When you hear sizzling at the bottom (after
about 5 minutes), then bring down heat to low. Cook covered for 45
minutes to an hour.
(MY note: there is a concept of duality in Persian cooking though I
believe it is Zoroastrian in origin, not Parthian. More recipies:
http://www.iranian.com or
http://persia.org)
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