I talked the other day about how I always historically liked Thursdays, but for as long as I can remember, I’ve really hated Wednesdays. It started back in middle school when we had computer class on Wednesday. My teacher was a really mean lady, and those horrid classes sort of set the tone for Wednesdays to come forever and ever. At this point, it’s probably a self-fulfilling prophesy, if you believe in that sort of thing. The good thing about Wednesdays these days is that it’s usually a day when I come home and veg. Despite the fact that I sit at a desk all day, I have no guilt about coming home and couch planting for more hours than is acceptable. Because I meal prep on Sundays, dinner is cooked, and I take the opportunity to catch up on shows I may have missed. For example, today I’m watching last night’s Mindy Project and, given how things ended up, I’m having sympathy ice cream for my TV gal pal. Saffron Rose Pistachio (non-dairy) ice cream to be exact. But that is another story for another day. Today’s story is this Ghormeh Sabzi.
Today’s story highlights the aforementioned meal prep: Ghormeh Sabzi, or Persian Green Stew. When I plotted my culinary course into the Middle East, I emailed my pleasant Persian friend, S for suggestions. She came back with a ton, this being one of them. While S herself isn’t too fond of it, she commented that it was a favorite and often said to be the national dish of Iran.
I adapted this from a few recipes I found online. The main changes that I made were 1) I used chicken rather than lamb since I just made lamb last week; 2) I used garbanzo beans rather than kidney beans. I just really love garbanzos. Like, I could eat them raw out of the can. That’s love; 3) I used lemons rather than limes. Apparently there is a lime shortage in Mexico that is affecting the availability and price throughout the country. Lemons were cheaper and more readily available. Plus, I forgot to buy enough limes.
This was great, the perfect Hump Day dinner. It would also be delish sans chicken as a vegetarian dish. Just thinking out loud.
Ghormeh Sabzi
Ingredients
- 2 chicken thighs bone in, skin on
- 2 chicken legs bone in, skin on
- 2 chicken wings bone in, skin on
- 1 onion, large, finely chopped about 1 cup
- 3 TB olive oil
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 cup water
- 2 lemons, juiced approximately 1/4 cup
- ½ Yukon gold potato, large approximately 1 cup
- ½ cup green onions, chopped
- 2 cups spinach
- 1 cup parsley, fresh, chopped
- 1 cup cilantro, fresh, chopped
- 2 TB garlic
- 2 TB fenugreek seeds, ground
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- In a deep sauté pan, add 1 TB olive oil on high heat. Coat it well. Add the chicken, skin side down and sear, about 3 minutes on each side. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- To the pan, add the onion, garlic, turmeric, salt and pepper. Cook the onions until translucent. Add the chicken back to the pan, add the beans and water. Reduce heat, cover and let cook about 40 minutes until the chicken has cooked through.
- In the meantime, in another frying pan, add another 1 TB of oil. Add the potatoes and lightly fry until brown and crispy. Add to the chicken pot to finish cooking along with the chicken,
- Once the potatoes are in the chicken pot, in the potato pan, add the remaining oil, the herbs, spinach and fenugreek seeds. Sauté until all wilted down. Add to the chicken pot, along with the lemon juice and cook for another ten minutes. Serve with rice and/or naan.
