The Persian New Year is coming up this weekend at the spring equinox, and we’re celebrating with a Norooz dinner at Porsena on Monday March 16. Over the last few days we’ve been making handmade noodles, tamarind sauce, beet yogurt with mint, and a delicious tangy curd flavored with limoo omani, dried Omani limes, for dessert. It’s going to be delicious. Come join us! We’re at Porsena Extra Bar, 21 E. 7th Street in Manhattan, between 2nd and 3rd. We serve from 5:30-10:30 pm, reservations are recommended. Questions? Call Porsena at 212 228 4923.

Norooz Dinner Menu for Monday March 16

Sabzi Khordan, herb and cheese plate with barbari bread. Traditionally eaten by tucking herbs, feta, radishes, and walnuts into the bread and folding it into a sandwich.

Borani chogondar, yogurt with beets and mint. A condiment eaten with rice, stew, kebab, and other foods.

Ash-e reshteh, bean, herb, and noodle soup

Balyg kyukyusu, Azerbaijani style smoked fish and herb omelet

Mahi, fish with tamarind and barberries

Sabzi polo, herb rice

Mini tartlets filled with limoo omani curd

Cocktail: rhubarb sharbat with Prosecco

If you want to learn more about Norooz, I’m also teaching a Norooz cooking class at the wonderful Bowery Whole Foods Culinary Center on Wednesday March 18. Come by and learn how to make kuku sabzi, ash-e reshteh, and other traditional herb-filled dishes for the holiday. On Tuesday night, I’ll be stopping by this Chaharshanbeh Soori – Festival of Fire celebration in the LES. This is the “eve of Red Wednesday,” the last Wednesday of the Persian year, when according to ancient tradition you jump over a fire and symbolically leave all the bad crap from the previous year behind. Who doesn’t want an excuse to do that?