Persian Herb Omelette Kuku Recipes

KUKU SABZI: BAKED PERSIAN HERB OMELET

Steps:

• Position an oven rack in the upper-middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Trace the bottom of an 8-inch square pan or 9-inch round cake pan on kitchen parchment, then cut inside the lines to create a piece to fit in the bottom of the pan.
• Coat the bottom and sides of the pan with 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, turning the parchment to coat on both sides (the oil should pool at the bottom and generously coat the sides).
• In a food processor, combine the parsley, cilantro, dill, scallions and the remaining 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil. Process until finely ground (now, I like my herbs less fine, so I stopped the processor at my desired texture). Set aside for now.
• In a large bowl, whisk the baking powder, salt, cardamom, cinnamon, cumin and pepper. Add 2 eggs and whisk until blended, then add the remaining eggs and whisk until just combined. Fold in the herb-scallion mixture and the walnuts and cranberries, if using. Pour into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
• Bake in 375 degrees F heated-oven until the center of the egg is firm, about 20 to 25 minutes. (The egg mixture will rise, but will go down once you set it aside to cool.)
• Let the kuku cool in the pan undisturbed for 10 minutes. When ready, run a thin knife around the edges to loosen the kuku. Invert onto a plate and remove the parchment from bottom, then re-invert on another serving plate or a cutting board so the top of the kuku is facing you. Slice into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature.
• Serve with a dollop of yogurt. See more suggestions in the post under "what to serve with kuku sabzi."

PERSIAN BAKED OMELET WITH FRESH HERBS

Steps:

• In a large nonstick sauté pan, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat until the oil begins to shimmer. Add the red onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and caramelized, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9-inch ovenproof nonstick pan with nonstick spray.
• Add the green onions and garlic to the caramelized onion and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the spinach and cook until the leaves begin to wilt, 2 minutes. Add the cilantro, parsley, chives, dill and pine nuts, season with salt and pepper and remove from the heat. Transfer to the prepared pan and put in the oven for 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a blender, blend the eggs and milk on low for about 30 seconds. Pour the eggs over the veggie mixture in the pan, return to the oven and bake until puffed, just set and lightly golden brown on top, about 20 minutes.
• Remove the omelet and let cool for 5 minutes on a baking rack. Transfer to a platter, slice into wedges and top with the yogurt.

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.

HERB OMELET PITA SANDWICH

Steps:

• Make the chopped salad: Combine tomato, cucumber, onion and chickpeas in a bowl. Season with salt, pepper and a pinch of red-pepper flakes. Toss well and set aside.
• Make the yogurt sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together tahini, garlic and lemon juice. Whisk in yogurt and a good pinch of salt. Set aside.
• Make the herb pancake: Put scallions, dill, parsley and cilantro in a mixing bowl. Add beaten eggs and stir well to make a thick green mixture. Whisk in baking powder, if using, and season well with salt and pepper.
• Warm olive oil in a 9- or 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add egg-herb mixture and spread across pan in an even layer, as if making an omelet or frittata. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes until bottom is set, then put on a lid and continue cooking until top is set, about 2 minutes or so. (Alternatively, finish cooking the top under broiler.) The herb pancake may be served warm or at room temperature.
• To serve, cut pita breads in half to make pockets. Place a slice of herb omelet in each pocket, and add a large spoonful of chopped salad. Top each pocket with about 2 tablespoons yogurt sauce.

PERSIAN HERB OMELETTE KUKU

Steps:

• Clean and dry all the fresh herbs well.
• Chop up all the herbs (this recipe makes enough to freeze a lot of the herbs in a large tupperware for future use.
• In a medium size mixing bowl combine herbs - fill bowl almost halfway.
• Add a few shakes of each spice (be careful not to overdo the cumin. I go heavy on the coriander (both forms- ground and seeds).
• Gently mix in 2 eggs with the herbs.
• Add olive oil to the bottom of a large teflon frying pan (I also add some more spices to the oil).
• Put mixture of herbs and eggs (it looks very green and not very eggy at all) into the pan and flatten to an omelette shape. I like to make it very thin so it cooks very well throughout.
• Cook until brown and flip - I usually slide it onto a plate and then add a little more oil to the pan and flip the omelette from the plate to the pan to finish browning the other side.
• When browned slide Kuku onto a plate add some salt if preferred and serve with pita bread. Good with plain yogurt too. Healthy and delish! Enjoy! My friends love when I make this for them.

KUKU SABZI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 ̊ F. Crack the eggs into a blender and give them a quick pulse just to whisk them. Add the herbs, scallions, turmeric, sumac, 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper and the yogurt. Pulse to chop the herbs, then blend on high speed until smooth.
• Heat the olive oil in a large ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium heat. Pour in the egg mixture, breaking up any clumps of herbs. Sprinkle with the walnuts and currants and cook until the eggs start to set around the edges, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer the skillet to the oven and cook until the center is set but still slightly jiggly, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit 5 minutes. Meanwhile, warm the pita in the oven.
• Slice the kuku sabzi and the pita into wedges and divide among plates. Serve with lemon wedges, pickles, olives, pickled peppers and/or marinated artichokes. Add a dollop of yogurt to each plate; drizzle the yogurt with olive oil and sprinkle with sumac.