I’m excited that this past week I got to write about tahini for the Wall Street Journal. This is one of my favorite ingredients. Check out the story, it includes recipes from Yotam Ottolenghi, Alex Stupak of Empellón Taqueria, and Maura Kilpatrick of Oleana and Sofra in Boston. The photo above is of Yotam Ottolenghi’s Oven Roasted Seabass with Green Tahini and Pomegranate.
This week at the pop-up we’re serving a couple of dishes from Azerbaijan. One is fish kebab, or shashlik as they call it there, marinated in pomegranate molasses and sour cream. We served this a few weeks ago and it was a hit. I love how it perfectly brings together Persian and Russian flavors, which you might not think would work well together, but they do.
The other dish is balyg kyukyusu, smoked fish and herb omelet, from this wonderful new cookbook, The Azerbaijani Kitchen. I want to make everything in here. This dish is a version of kuku, the classic Persian baked egg dish that can be filled with anything from herbs to eggplant to pumpkin. This interesting twist with smoked fish is delicious, and we’re using smoked trout from Max Creek Hatchery at the Union Square greenmarket.
As usual, we’re at Porsena Extra Bar, 21 E. 7th Street in Manhattan, between 2nd and 3rd. We serve from 5:30-10 pm, no reservations. Any questions about seating, call Porsena at 212 228 4923.
Lakh Lakh Menu for Monday October 20
Sabzi Khordan, herb and cheese plate with lavash bread. Traditionally eaten by tucking herbs, feta, radishes, and walnuts into the lavash and folding it into a rustic sandwich.
Mast-o Musir, yogurt with shallots. A condiment meant to be eaten along with rice, stew, kebab, and other foods.
Sambuseh, crispy phyllo triangles stuffed with cauliflower and walnuts, with nigella seeds and spicy relish
Baal-e morgh, chicken wings with dried lime and sumac
Balyg Kyukyusu, Azerbaijani smoked fish and herb omelet
Khoresh-e Karafs, lamb and celery stew with parsley and mint
Zereshk Polo, rice with barberries and crisp onions
Shashlik, Azerbaijani style fish kebabs with sour cream, scallions, pomegranate seeds
Bastani, saffron ice cream with crushed pistachios
Damnoush, cinnamon and ginger tea
Cocktail: Sekanjabin, tart mint syrup, Prosecco
Photo credit: Armando Rafael for the Wall Street Journal
Look fantastic, Louisa! What do you think of that cookbook? I was perusing it at a bookstore recently and it looked lovely.
I really like it! I’ve tried a couple of recipes so far and they’ve been great. Such an interesting and subtle contrast with Persian food.
I dunno about this dish but it looks so delicious. 🙂
This looks great.