![\"Pomegranate](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.amyglaze.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/DSC_0314.jpg\" "\\"Pomegranate")
<\/a><\/p>\nPomegranate Swordfish with Romanesco & Couscous<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
This dish is not a traditional Persian recipe, but the use of saffron, sumac, and pomegranate gives it Iranian flare. Sumac is a deep red berry from the Sumac bush, that is dried and ground up to use as a spice. It has a powerful lemony-sour flavor. Like saffron, a little goes a long way. \u00a0I add it to fish and chicken mostly, but sometimes I use it as a finishing seasoning for steak and lamb for extra acidity.<\/p>\n
Saffron, is derived from the stigma of the crocus flower and tastes like sweet hay with bitter earthy notes. The best way to get the most flavor out of saffron is to grind a big pinch up, dilute it with a little water, and\u00a0then<\/em>\u00a0add it to your dish. Adding the individual strands will not perfume the recipe evenly and it will be difficult to gage how much to use because the flavor gets stronger as it cooks. It’s easy to add too much and ruin a recipe with excess bitterness.<\/p>\n Pomegranate Grilled Swordish with Sumac & Saffron Marinade<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Labneh or Lebni is my new favorite ingredient. Although it’s considered a cheese in many middle eastern cuisines, It’s most similar to Greek yogurt with a rich creamy sour-sweet flavor. Some say it is simply strained Greek yogurt, but most of my Persian and Turkish family and friends say it’s not Greek Yogurt at all and uses a different culture (keffir?) to thicken the milk. I’d love some clarification on this if anybody knows because the Wikipedia description is not quite accurate (what a surprise!).<\/p>\n Regardless, I love it paired with fruits & honey for dessert (or even apple pie) or mixed with savory ingredients as in ‘Mast o Khiar’<\/em>, a Persian dip of cucumber & dry mint. \u00a0Sometimes in the restaurants, I grab a bowl of it for breakfast with some house-made sour cherry jam. For this recipe I’ve mixed the labneh with fresh dill and added a little salt \u2013 it’s a very tasty easy yogurt-like sauce.<\/p>\n Romanesco<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Romanesco is that crazy spiral green looking fractal flower\/vegetable that’s milder (and nuttier) than a cauliflower but in the same family along with broccoli, brussel sprouts, and cabbage. It can be sliced raw and added to salads or soups<\/a>, steamed, saut\u00e9ed or roasted. I steamed it here and lightly saut\u00e9ed it in order to keeps it’s bright green color.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n