I'm In Love

Things have been getting all Persian up in this joint, I've just haven't had a chance to sit down and write about it. Let me dive right in...

A friend who was in town, and her mom, came for dinner on Friday. Matt grilled burgers and asparagus, and I made two dishes from The New Persian Kitchen.

Helper monkey.

First was New Potatoes with Dill and Lemon. This was an easy preparation of potatoes, lots of lemon juice, zest, a ton of dill, garlic, and some turmeric. That list of ingredients doesn't sound like it should be addictive, but it was. I'm going to make this all the time. Flat-out lemony, garlicky deliciousness.

Conclusion: Loved it.

I also made Cucumber and Watermelon Salad. Watermelon isn't in season yet, so I was aware going in that this might be a flavorless mistake, but the promise of summer was too tempting, so I went for it anyway. It wasn't the best melon ever, but it turned out not to be that bad. This salad is really simple--diced melon and cucumber, salt, scallion, and vinegar. That whole tail end of things (salt, vinegar, scallion) also made me  nervous, because I have never ever ever put those flavors on watermelon before. I think it's good to cook recipes that aren't a sure hit. Sometimes they fail miserably, but sometimes, like this time, they are a revelation. As far as I was concerned, the cucumber was extraneous. It just got in the way of the watermelon, whose flavor was amplified and supported by those three other simple ingredients. Scallions. Vinegar. Salt. On watermelon. Who knew?

Conclusion: Loved it.

Last night, I made Oat and Mushroom Soup. Again, a risky choice. Especially because Matt does not always like mushrooms. The ingredient list was so bizarre. Oats, mushrooms, carrot, turmeric, tomato paste--okay. Not that weird, apart from the oats. Then we add milk and a lot of lime juice. I couldn't imagine what this would turn out like, so I obviously HAD to make it.

As I was cooking it, I kept thinking that this was a good Depression meal. Not the mood, but the economic condition. Does anyone else mentally lock away recipes that are cheap to make in the event of widespread economic collapse? No? Just me? Never mind. Seriously, though. You pulse the oatmeal in a food processor, and then toast it in the oven before letting it cook in the soup. It thickens up the broth and turns this into a pretty satisfying meal, despite the absence of meat. I cut the mushroom up small, on Matt's behalf, and much to his surprise, he loved this soup. We all did. Even Batman. He said it tasted like pasta sauce, but I suspect that's just because of the tomato paste, and because I added pasta to the kids' bowls. Both kids wolfed it. Total success.

And as for the milk and lime juice? The milk made it a little richer, and the lime juice added a hit of acid, without making it taste limey. 

Conclusion: Loved it so, so much.