Koo Koo Sabzi Recipes

KOOKOO SABZI (FRESH HERB FRITTATA)

Steps:

• Soak barberries in water to cover for 10 minutes. Drain.
• Pulse Swiss chard, parsley, cilantro, and dill together in a food processor, working in batches, until finely chopped but not mushy. Place into a large bowl with barberries, walnuts, garlic, salt, fenugreek, tarragon, turmeric, cinnamon, saffron, rose petals, and black pepper. Stir to combine. Add 6 eggs and mix well to combine; the batter should have the consistency of thick yogurt or soft serve ice cream. If it doesn't, add more eggs, 1 at a time, and mix to combine.
• Heat 1/3 cup olive oil in a large (10- or 12-inch) nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Add batter and spread evenly. Cover with a lid and cook kookoo until oil starts to bubble along the sides, about 3 minutes. Cover and cook until it starts to set and the bottom is browned, 12 to 15 minutes.
• Cut the kookoo evenly into 4 large pieces and use a wide spatula to flip each piece over, 1 at a time. Drizzle 2 tablespoons oil in between the cuts, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, uncovered, until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Cut into desired pieces and serve warm or at room temperature.

KUKU SABZI (PERSIAN HERB FRITTATA)

Steps:

• Trim woody ends from cilantro, parsley and dill so that only leaves and tender stems remain. Wash herbs and romaine leaves, then use a salad spinner to dry very well. Set aside.
• Finely dice both the green and white parts of the leeks. Wash well and drain.
• Set a 10-inch cast-iron or nonstick pan over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add 3 tablespoons oil. When the oil shimmers, add leeks. Season with a generous pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent and softened but not browned, about 20 minutes, reducing the heat if necessary.
• In the meantime, very finely chop the cilantro, parsley, dill and romaine by hand - the smaller the pieces, the more deeply green your kuku will be. To chop such a large volume of herbs, take a large handful or two at a time and roll into a tight ball. Run a large, sharp knife through the ball to initially chop the herbs roughly, then continue to rock the knife back and forth through the pile of herbs until very finely chopped. Repeat with remaining herbs until finished. Combine the chopped herbs and romaine with the dried fenugreek and dried dill in a very large bowl.
• When leeks are cooked, add herb mixture and another generous pinch of salt to the pan and cook, stirring often, until it dries out and the color changes to a very dark green, about 5 minutes. Transfer the mixture back into the very large bowl; spread it out, then allow it to cool to room temperature.
• When the herb mixture has cooled, add barberries, turmeric, baking powder, 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Taste the mixture: It should be a little on the salty side. If it's not, add a little more salt. One at a time, add eggs to the herb mixture, stirring well after each addition. Use as few eggs as needed to barely bind the mixture; this will ensure a brilliant-green kuku. The mixture should be the consistency of a loose porridge.
• Wipe out the pan and melt the butter over medium-high heat. When the butter melts, add remaining 1/4 cup oil. Add a tiny spoonful of the kuku mixture to the pan. When it sizzles, add the rest of the mixture and use a rubber spatula to spread it out evenly. The oil should bubble up the sides of the kuku. Run the spatula around the edge and jiggle the pan from time to time to check that the mixture isn't sticking. Cook, rotating pan a quarter turn every 3 to 4 minutes, until the kuku is set, the bottom is a very dark brown, and the edges are golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Don't be afraid of getting your crust really dark - it will appear almost burned, but it will taste heavenly sweet.
• Use a rubber spatula to ensure that the kuku is not stuck to the pan, then carefully tip as much of the oil as possible into a medium bowl and set aside. Cover the pan with a large, flat platter or pizza pan and flip the kuku onto it and set aside. Return the oil to the pan and carefully slide the flipped kuku back into the pan to cook the second side. Cook over medium-high until the second side is dark brown and the kuku is cooked through, about 5 more minutes.
• While the kuku finishes cooking, wipe off the platter and line with a double layer of paper towels. Flip the finished kuku onto the prepared platter and use another paper towel to dab excess oil from the surface. To serve, flip once more onto a serving platter and peel away paper towels.
• Serve warm, cold or at room temperature, with your choice of radishes, pickles, feta, warmed flatbread and mast-o khiar.

KOOKOO SABZI

Steps:

• Soak the currants in cold water for 15 minutes before cooking.
• Drain before adding them in.
• In a bowl add the eggs, 1/2 of the cooking oil and all other ingredients, with the exception of fresh and dried vegetables.
• Beat it with a fork until the ingredients have been mixed well.
• Add the vegetables, and stir the mixture until the vegetables have blended in (do not beat it any longer due to the delicate nature of fresh vegetables).
• Put the oven setting to bake at 250 degrees (F).
• Pour the remainder of the cooking oil in an oven safe dish.
• Pour the vegetable mixture in the dish.
• Bake at this setting for about 40-45 minutes.
• You may cover the dish with aluminum foil at the beginning to prevent over-drying of the top crust.
• Remove the foil half way during the baking process.
• Cut in square pieces before serving.

KOO KOO SABZI

Steps:

• Cook spinach and drain well.
• In a large bowl, combine spinach, cilantro, parsley, dill, and onion.
• In a small bowl, crack three eggs and whisk with a fork. Pour eggs into large bowls with herbs. Mix to combine.
• You do not want an eggy consistency. The egg is used to combine the herbs together. The herbs should look very glossy from the egg, not swimming in it! From here gauge if you need to crack another egg and add it to your mix.
• Season with salt, pepper, and turmeric,.
• Fold in cranberries and walnuts.
• Heat a large pan over medium-heat and spray with cooking spray.
• Pour egg mixture into pan and let cook on one side, about three minutes.
• As the bottom is cooking, use your spatula to divide "omelet" into six or eight "pie slices".
• Flip each slice so the other side cooks, another three minutes.
• Lower heat to medium as needed so it doesn't burn.

KOOKOO SABZI (PERSIAN HERB QUICHE)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350ºF and adjust rack to upper-middle position. In a small bowl combine: 4 strands of saffron , crushed 1 TBS hot water In a large bowl stir together: 1 small leek , rinsed & chopped 1 cup chopped parsley, American , packed (approx. 1 bunch) 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, fresh , packed 1/4 cup chopped dill, fresh , packed 1/2 cup chopped spinach, fresh , packed 2 tsp fenugreek, dried 1/4 cup walnuts , chopped 2 TBS barberries , * 1 TBS all-purpose flour 1/2 tsp baking soda 2 TBS vegetable oil 1 tsp salt 1/4 tsp black pepper, ground In a separate bowl, whisk together with the saffron mix: 8 eggs, large Mix in eggs with the vegetable mix. Spray 9-inch ceramic pie dish with cooking spray. Pour egg mixture into prepared pie dish. Bake for 40 minutes, until a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean. Let it cool for 15 minutes prior to serving. Or cool completely and serve at room temperature.

KOOKOO SABZI (SPINACH AND GREEN HERB PIE)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Combine first five ingredients in mixing bowl. Add oil and 1/2 cup matzoh meal. Stir in three eggs. Mix well with wooden spoon. Consistency should be fairly thick but slightly runny; mixture should drop in mass from tablespoon and just a little liquid should be visible. Add additional egg and/or matzoh meal, if needed, to attain that texture.
• Spread thin film of oil over bottom and sides of baking dish that measures about 8 by 11 by 1 1/2 inches. Turn in egg mixture and smooth top with back of spoon.
• Bake in preheated oven for 25 to 35 minutes, or until pie is completely set and slightly shrunken away from sides of dish.
• Serve hot or cold.