The weather remained sunny and unseasonably warm for our fall get-together, but this was also perfect fare for autumn's blustery days. The colours, scents and flavours sang at the fall table.
I viewed a few You Tube videos from Nomadic Village, a nostalgic view of Persian cookery over open fires, with roosters crowing in the background and fresh herbs cut from nearby gardens. Aside from some plastic containers the scenes could have been from centuries past. Fresh ingredients, clay pots, slow cooking.
How can you not love the ingredients of a Persian meal? Pomegranates remain one of my favourite fruits. Break it open and a hundred red jewels appear. Walnuts and pistachios, banged or crunched to open their shells. Rose petals! Fresh herbs! Such aromas and colours and tastes.
Rob and I were to contribute pickles, snacks, cocktails, and dessert. Laura took on the Fesenjoon, Barberry Bread and Tahdig, while Kaarina prepared the Spinach and Cilantro Soup, Beet Yoghurt with Herbs, and Sherazi Salad.
I've not prepared many Epi desserts but the Persian Love Cake looked spectacular. Shopping for our ingredients in Toronto took Rob and me to Yorkdon Mews, a new corner in Toronto we hadn't yet explored. We enjoyed fantastic kababs at Taftan Traditional Persian Cuisine and then went shopping at Alborz Supermarket, where we picked up rose petals, rose water, Ajil (Persian mix of seeds and nuts), Liteh, Tokmeh (pistachio), and Barberry Lavashak.
Here's the menu and links to recipes for our Persian feast:
Lunch
Liteh (pickles)
Barberry Lavashak (fruit leather)
wine pairing: Gérard Bertrand Côte des Roses Rosé
Cocktails & Snacks
Ajil (Persian mix of seeds and nuts)
Tokmeh (pistachio)
Pistachio
wine pairings: Erath Oregon Pinot Noir OR Beaujoulais Villages OR Willm Gewurztraminer Reserve
(the Alsace Gewurtz was the majority favourite; Beaujoulais nice and fruity; Pinot Noir a great sipper)
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