Kookoo Sabzi (Persian Green Herb Omelet)

Kookoo Sabzi

Ok, so this is not a freaky Halloween post. This is a really healthy Persian omelet that is packed with tons of good stuff, and also fun to say! Kookoo. Kookoo. Kookoo.

When in need of something healthy and substantial, this is a great dish that can be eaten throughout the week. It is good as lunch or dinner. Although not very Persian, you can also mix up the greens and use whatever is in the fridge. In the summer, go ahead and add the fresh mint leaves from your garden. If you're in a spinach mood, throw that in. Even if you have salad mix that is about to expire, feel free to throw that in too.

The original Persian style kookoo sabzi is definitely the tastiest. Fenugreek is listed as optional in this recipe because it is both an acquired taste and hard to find in some parts of the world. Some recipes also call for barberries or walnuts to add more taste and variety to this dish.

This recipe yields 8 servings.

Kookoo Sabzi
- 5 large eggs
- 2 cups of coriander, roughly chopped
- 2 cups of green onion, roughly chopped
- 1 cup of curly parsley, roughly chopped
- 1 cup of Italian parsley, roughly chopped
- 1 cup of dill, roughly chopped
- 1 Tbsp of dried Fenugreek (optional)
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp all purpose flour.
- extra virgin olive oil

Method
1. Pre-heat the oven to 350F/180C. In a food processor, combine the eggs and all of the herbs and pulse until all of the vegetables have been finely chopped (approximately 30 seconds to 1 minute). If you prefer the herbs to be chunkier, skip the food processor and leave the herbs roughly chopped and just mix the herbs with the eggs in a bowl with a fork.

2. Pour the egg mixture into a bowl. Add salt, pepper and flour and mix well. The flour will bind the omelet.

Kookoo Sabzi

3. Generously oil an 8"x8" baking dish and bake for 10 minutes. Take the dish out of the oven and pour the egg mixture into the baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes. Take it out and lightly brush the surface with olive oil. Bake for another 10 minutes.

4. Remove from the oven and allow the kookoo (omelet) to cool. Remove from the baking dish (simply flip it upside down) and cut into wedges. Serve cool or warm.

Kookoo is normally baked in a round dish or pan fried in a round pan and then cut into triangular slices like a pizza. However, if you want to make a kookoo sabzi sandwich, then rectangular wedges are much easier to work with in a sandwich.

If you don't feel like a sandwich, you can simply dip this in a yogurt sauce and have it with pita bread, rice, or eat it plain. There really are no rules. You can eat this however you want.

Kookoo Sabzi

Labneh or Laban (Lebanese Strained Yogurt)

Labneh

So I've been doing a little digging to see how you guys are finding my site and what pages are the most popular, and surprisingly enough, it is my Middle Eastern/Persian posts that are my top viewed pages.

Here are the most popular:

I keep telling myself I need to write more about the Persian and Middle Eastern foods I make at home because I never want to forget this stuff. And I know that if I don't write it down, I will forget! The foods I learn to make or the products I come across are really cool, and I think you will think the same too!

My latest discovery is Labneh or Laban, a thick strained yogurt spread that is common in the Middle East, in countries like Lebanon, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. It's consistency is right in the middle of yogurt and cheese and kind of resembles a thick cream cheese. It is sour like yogurt and is commonly used as a spread or dip. The fat content is about 10%, which is similar to a low fat cheese.

Although labneh is not Persian, Persians also eat it which is how I discovered it. CK's family uses it as a spread for their Kookoo (omelet) sandwiches, which I will explain more in a later post!

I bought my Labneh from Mid-East Food Centre. I like to buy the freshly made labneh from the cheese counter but they also sell pre-packaged labneh as well.

Check out this cool Majdouli Cheese that I also buy at Mid-East Food Centre.

Mid-East Food Centre
1010 Belfast Road
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Telephone: 613-244-2525

Slow Cooked Tarragon Carrots and Potatoes

Potatoes and Carrots

This is an awesome side dish recipe if you're looking for something hearty, comforting and healthy. I love the fresh tarragon in this dish, mainly because I don't get to use it very often. This recipe makes a good amount so this is a great dish for a dinner party.

This recipes yields 6-8 servings.

Slow Cooked Tarragon Carrots and Potatoes
- 2 lb carrots, peeled and cut into 2-3 inch sticks
- 15 little potatoes, quartered
- 2 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped
- 1 cup of vegetable broth
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 2 Tbsp fresh tarragon, finely chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 lemon, zest
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 1/2 tsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1 Tbsp grainy mustard
- salt
- olive oil

Method
1. In a large casserole pot, combine olive oil and 1/2 tsp salt and saute carrots for 10-15 minutes. They should be just cooked but not overly soft. Remove from pot. Set aside.

2. In the same casserole pot, combine some more olive oil and 1/2 tsp salt and saute garlic and potatoes for 5 minutes. Add broth and simmer for 20 minutes or until potatoes are cooked.

3. Add the carrots, frozen peas, spinach and zest until spinach has wilted. Approximately 2-3 minutes.

4. In a bowl mix lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, dijon mustard and grainy mustard. Pour it into the vegetables and mix well. Serve hot.

Union Local 613, Ottawa

Union Local 613, Ottawa

CK and I finally got to try the much talked about Union Local 613. The atmosphere and crowd has a hipster vibe to it, and the food is a Canadian take on Southern food. I knew it was going to be an interesting meal because both CK and one of our guests are both from the South - CK from Memphis and our friend, AT, from Texas - and I knew there was a very good chance both of them would be comparing the food at Union 613 to what they can get back home. I told them to eat with an open mind and left it at that.

Another one of our guests, S, had been here a few times already so he specifically requested a booth for us because he mentioned that most of the seating was communal, with slightly uncomfortable stools. S said he was sliding out of his seat the entire night.

Right after we put in our orders, a bowl of boiled salted peanuts came out. The peanuts are salted overnight and boiled for 2-3 hours before serving. I was really curious on how they were going to taste but it kinda just tastes like what it is - boiled salted peanuts! They were good but hard to open because the shells were so soft.

Boiled Salted Peanuts
Boiled Salted Peanuts

CK ordered a house made cream soda and AT ordered a house made cola. What I like about their house made drinks is that they aren't too sweet.

Cream Soda
House Made Cream Soda
 
To start, we ordered a plate of deviled bekings’ eggs. These eggs were delicious! Creamy center with bacon, herbs and spices. Definitely a must order for egg lovers.

Deviled Bekings' Eggs

I ordered a salad of fried green tomatoes with boston bibb, pimento cheese, pickled onion, bacon and a black pepper ranch sauce. The pimento cheese added a nice touch. AT commented that the tomatoes should be sliced instead of being cut into wedges. What a Southern snob! :)

Fried Green Tomatoes
Fried Green Tomatoes

My meal was the 2pc buttermilk fried yardbird with hot sauce on the side. This dish also comes in 4 or 8 pcs. I love Southern fried chicken and this was a clean upscale version of it. The chicken was seasoned really nicely, very moist, and wasn't greasy at all.

Buttermilk Fried Yard Bird
Buttermilk Fried Yardbird
 
CK and our friend S both had the blackened louisianna catfish with smoked pepper puree, celery cress and pickled limes. They also ordered a side of cornbread with bourbon brown butter. All sides have to be ordered separately with the meals. The catfish was cooked very nicely, but I found the cornbread way too salty for me. S says its salty everytime he orders it.

Blackened Louisiana Catfish
Blackened Louisiana Catfish and Corn Bread with Bourbon Brown Butter

AT ordered the Alberta brisket meatloaf with red eye gravy, onion rings and rye toast. Her side was lucy luke's purple spuds with kale and bacon. I really enjoyed the kale side dish. The bacon added a really nice smoky flavor.

Alberta Brisket Meatloaf
Alberta Brisket Meatloaf with Purple Spuds, Kale & Bacon

Was the food comparable to what you would get in the South? Not really. It was missing a tad of the 'comfort' part. Part of that is simply more grease and more slow cooking.

Was the food good? Yes, definitely. But it's more like Canadian food with Southern influences.

Union Local 613
315 Somerstreet West
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Telephone: 613-231-1010

Union Local 613 on Urbanspoon

Petit Bill's Bistro, Ottawa

Petit Bill's Bistro, Ottawa

My friend J and I met up at Petit Bill's Bistro and enjoyed a lobster lunch together. Petit Bill's has been on my list for a long time and I finally got to try it.

Petit Bill's is French food, the Newfie way. Throw away the pretentiousness, add a whole lot of casual, serve fries with gravy and dressing and voila, you've got Petit Bill's Bistro.

In Ottawa, they are well known for their lobster poutine, so I couldn't come here without trying it. It was a large bowl of shoe string fries, covered with lobster chunks and a rich shelffish butter & mascarpone cheese sauce. I find the cheese sauce overpowers everything, causing the lobster taste to be lost because of it. I'm glad I tried it but I much prefer a regular poutine over this. In a regular poutine, you've got 2 very distinct tastes (cheese and gravy) complementing one another, whereas in the lobster poutine, everything just blends together with no distinct tastes.

Lobster Poutine
Lobster Poutine

J is a huge lobster fan so she ordered the lobster roll, a housemade creamy lobster salad served with lettuce and tomato on a croissant. On the side were cole slaw and frites. For an extra $4, you can substitute the regular fries for Newfie fries, which is regular fries served with homemade dressing and gravy. J opted out of that. The lobster roll was creamy and fresh.

Lobster Roll
Lobster Roll

And Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!!

Petit Bill's Bistro
1293 Wellington Street W.
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Telephone: 613-729-2500

Petit Bill's Bistro on Urbanspoon