Several weeks ago, my friend Marie, who lives with her husband just outside of Charlotte, NC, called me to say that she had just had an interesting experience with her new neighbor and some grilled corn. At first, I was wondering why she was calling me with this news. It did not seem particularly interesting. However, she told me that her neighbor was roasting the corn over a strange-looking grill and then proceeded to dip the ears into salt water. Now I was intrigued. What was her neighbor thinking? Who had ever heard of such things. I mean, in the south, we smother our boiled corn with butter and sprinkle on the salt.
Then, she told me her neighbor and his family are Persian and emigrated from Iran. What a coincidence, as my boyfriend, Pedram, also grew up in Iran. I quickly told him that Marie's neighbor had been roasting corn over a charcoal grill and then dipped it into salt water. He replied, "Oh, she has a Persian neighbor?" Apparently this practice is common place amongst Persians.
Several days later, Marie and I were enjoying a glass of wine on her deck, when her neighbor came outside to enjoy a smoke. She introduced us, telling him that I was her friend who was dating a Persian man.
After exchanging the proper hellos, Jason, as he prefers to be called, and I began a particularly enthusiastic discussion of Persian foods. He named different dishes, a few of which I recognized, and described the ingredients of wonderful meals, the names of which I did not know. After a few more minutes of food talk, Jason asked in what city Pedram grew up and how long he had been living in the U.S. I asked him the same questions; we decided that when my boyfriend came to visit, we should have dinner.
Several weeks later, Pedram came to Charlotte on a Friday night. We talked with Jason and decided we would all have dinner on Saturday night. Pedram said he would make khoresht, a Persian stew.
After being away all day, we arrived back to Marie and Mike's around 7. We had just begun to cut eggplants when the doorbell rang. It was Jason. He said he had been marinating meat since the night before and that his wife had already begun cooking rice. This was going to be quite a spread.
Pedram finished the stew preparations and it was simmering, filling the house with aromas of saffron, bay leaves and tomato. We left the dish to finish cooking and went next door to Jason's. We had some wine while he was grilling the lamb and chicken kabob, then he brought out some tequila. I certainly was not expecting that! Had I not sworn off tequila shortly after finishing undergrad?
But hey, why not have just one? It isn't everyday that, two ladies from Alabama, living in North Carolina, get to drink with two Persian men, and an American husband who spent his early career living in Africa. Cheers to diversity.
Once the meat was done, we all headed to Marie and Mike's to have dinner. Jason's wife and daughter and our two dogs joined the four of us. The food was outstanding and the conversation was even better. Jason's daughter, Nirvana, who has only lived in the U.S. for 9 months, spoke perfect English with hardly an accent. We were all impressed with her language, intelligence and genuinely happy-go-lucky demeanor. Oh, and she loved the dogs which is always a sign of great character if you ask me.
Our night ended with Jason and his family leaving us with all the delicious leftovers. It's funny, I tell Pedram that Italians and Persians are similar. Both groups feel the need to overfeed anyone with whom they are sharing food. Isn't that what life is all about...Good food and great friends. And, it does not matter in what country you were born.
This is one of my favorite ways to have chicken. Pedram often makes this for me as I could eat it almost everyday and ask for it often. It is super easy to make, but should be marinated overnight for best results.
Ingredients:
Boneless, skinless, chicken thighs, fat trimmed, about 1-1.5 pounds
Large container of plain yogurt
1/2 medium onion
1-2 teaspoons of salt
a pinch of saffron
Place trimmed chicken in a bowl. Crush saffron using a mortar and pestle. Microwave a small juice glass of water and then add saffron to water. Place a lid or small plate on top of glass to let saffron steam. Leave for 5 minutes. In a separate bowl, add 1/2 container of yogurt. When saffron is finished steaming, add to yogurt. Mix well. Add grated onion and salt. Pour on top of chicken. If chicken isn't fully covered add in more yogurt and stir well. Refridgerate overnight. Either grill chicken or saute in a grill pan over medium heat until no longer pink in middle. Serve with saffron rice; cook rice per usual, just repeat process above with saffron and add to cooking water.
This dish would be great accompanied by a dry reisling or a light, burgundy-style pinot noir.
