How good is it? Well, remember that episode of Seinfield – the one with the Soup Nazi? Of course you do. Remember the curmudgeon Chef who yelled at his clientele and if he didn’t like the looks of you or if you didn’t follow instructions you were sent away after waiting hours in line, without soup? Well, that character was based on a very real Chef in Manhattan who happens to be Persian. And guess what folks, urban legend has it that Ash Reshteh is the soup that put him ((Chef Ali Yeganeh) on the map and the soup that his customers felt was worth the wait and the abuse!

Chef Yeganeh might have popularized Persian Noodle Soup in Manhattan but he didn’t create the recipe. This soup has history and its roots can be traced back to 500AD. Ash Reshteh is associated with Spring and Nowruz (Persian New Years) and specifically Charshanbe Suri, also known as the Festival of Fire, where this soup is made to share with family and friends. The ‘reshteh’ or noodles, symbolize good fortune and luck. The bright green herbs braised in this soup symbolize Spring! You do not have to wait until the Spring Equinox to enjoy this soup though, it can and should be eaten often.

So, why is this soup so good one might ask? For me, it’s about the layering of flavors – the rich caramelized onions with turmeric, the braised bright green herbs, the combination of hearty lentils and beans, the tantric toppings of kashk (fermented whey) and turmeric fried onions with cool dried mint oil. Persian food often uses braised herbs in quantity (think ghormeh sabzi) and most dishes have a wonderful sour flavor profile. If kashk is not available, you can substitute yogurt – but don’t leave this sour element out because there is a holy trifecta going on here between soup base, kashk, and cool mint fried turmeric onions.

I have my own little story about Ash Reshteh. When I was Exec. Chef for Faz and his six Persian inspired Mediterranean restaurants we had a restaurant in Pleasanton with many traditional Persian dishes on the menu. The business clientele was not Iranian for the most part but, they really loved all the khoreshts (stews), the braised meats and of course, the foot long kabobs. I asked the Chef de Cuisine at this location to add Ash Reshteh to the menu because soup & salad was a popular request. He reluctantly agreed because all the choppy-chop that goes into this soup is time consuming. It’s an easy soup, don’t get me wrong, but the ingredient list is long. Guess what, it sold out within the first half hour. Ash Reshteh was permanently added to the menu after that and it sold out every single day. True story!

So don’t take it from me, don’t take it from Chef Ali and all of Manhattan, don’t take it from 3000 years of Persian tradition – try it for yourself and then tell me: IS THIS THE BEST SOUP ON EARTH OR WHAT!?!?!

Cooking Notes: I use a canned bean combo in this recipe and I don’t use dry beans in order to save time, to preserve flavor overall, and also because my family is stomach sensitive! I do use dry lentils. I like kashk, but I often sub yogurt if I don’t have time to hit up the Middle Eastern Market. If you can’t find ‘reshteh’ noodles, which are long flat wheat noodles, you can sub linguine. In these pictures I am using real reshteh, I find that they do hold up a little better than linguine but taste wise they are similar. Lastly, I use a few tablespoons of dry fenugreek in place of fresh, because I can never find fresh – don’t add too much or your soup will have a slightly bitter taste, but don’t leave it out either.

The post Persian Noodle Soup (Ash Reshteh) first appeared on Amy Glaze's Pommes d'Amour.

This chowder is loaded with clams, fresh and canned, along with the usual suspects: potato, fennel, shallot, leek and pancetta. Topped with chopped tarragon, fried dill and freshly cracked black pepper, this classic is simply delicious.

I made this chowder one Christmas with my Step Dad Joe when I was a tweenager. It became a family tradition that continues on to this day and I’ve even used it at two restaurants. You can leave the fresh clams out if desired and only use canned or only use fresh clams (see my old recipe below) If you do want to give it a go with these sustainable bivalves, there are many neat varieties in all different shapes and sizes and they are all fun to experiment with!

Quahog varieties are the norm for chowder. From smallest to largest: countneck, littleneck, topneck, cherrystone, and chowder size. Chowder clams are very big at about 3-inches, and they can be on the tough side, so they are usually chopped. Here on the West coast we mostly get manila clams which work perfectly. See what your fish monger has in store!

It’s easy to make this chowder seasonal, just add fresh corn in the Summer and potatoes in the Fall and Winter – or both! Late season corn here in California is intensely sweet and yummy in this soup. The base is clam stock, which is light (and not fishy) with a big splash of cream. There is a little white wine too, to balance it all out.

For comparison, check out my old version of this soup that I created for Citizen Cake! It’s similar but I used fresh clams only with large wedges of fennel: http://www.amyglaze.com/citizen-cake-clam-chowder/.

Hope this chowder makes you happy as a clam!

The post Amy’s Clam Chowder first appeared on Amy Glaze's Pommes d'Amour.