This Persian-Inspired Passover Will Amaze You
by Cindi Sutter, Founder & Editor of The Spirited Table® Louisa Shafia is the author of The New Persian Kitchen.
Sweet-sour pomegranate. Fresh green herbs. Warm golden spices. What could be bad?
If you're looking for new ideas for your Passover seder, here's one: Go old-fashioned. Like really, really old-fashioned. Like Israel, Iran's Jewish population is one of the oldest in the world, reaching back to the 6th century BCE, and many of the ingredients they used in antiquity are still found in today’s Persian kitchen. With the sweet and tart addition of fruit juice and zest, fresh herbs, nuts, and spices, you’ll find yourself with a Passover menu that brings an aromatic whiff of the Silk Road to a traditional Seder meal.
Even better, these flavors marry perfectly with the Passover classics you're already familiar with, like matzo ball soup, brisket, and coconut cookies. And though the flavors of Persian-Jewish cooking may sound exotic, they can easily be recreated with a trip to the supermarket. Bringing these ancient flavors to your modern Passover table just might inspire a whole new tradition.
Matzo balls can be pretty as a picture.
PHOTO BY CHELSEA KYLE, PROP STYLING BY ALEX BRANNIAN, FOOD STYLING BY ANNA HAMPTON
Matzo balls can be pretty as a picture.
THE MATZO BALLS ARE TANGIER
Persian Jews have their own delicious version of matzo balls: Dumplings made from ground chicken and chickpea flour, seasoned with cardamom and turmeric. You can get all the flavor of Persian matzo balls by adding the same spices to a traditional matzo ball recipe. Finished with fresh lime juice and cilantro leaves, the soup has a bright tartness that perfectly complements the rich, salty chicken broth.
A brisket that's a cut above.
PHOTO BY CHELSEA KYLE, PROP STYLING BY ALEX BRANNIAN, FOOD STYLING BY ANNA HAMPTON
The combination of pomegranates and walnuts is one of the most beloved in Persian cuisine, and it’s most often used in slow cooked meat and poultry dishes, like this rich, slow-simmered brisket. The long, low cooking mellows and deepens its flavor, while the pomegranate-spiked sauce adds amazing sweet-and-sour flavor. An Iranian-inspired garnish of pistachios and mint gives a subtle crunch and the scent of a Persian garden.
THE STARCH IS FLUFFIER
Because most grains are off-limits for Passover, the default side dish tends to be something heavier, like potato kugel. But quinoa is an exception to the no-grain rule since it's technically a seed. And if you combine the quinoa with dried cherries and toasted almonds, you get a lovely Persian-style tartness and crunch, too.
THE VEGETABLES ARE CRUNCHIER
Embrace spring with a gloriously colorful salad that highlights green herbs, a key element of Persian cooking. The combination of tarragon, mint, and dill adds an especially exotic flavor, but you can use whatever herbs you find that look freshest. Sweet, crunchy carrots, shaved into ribbons with a peeler, add another fresh note, especially when topped off with plenty of salty, cumin-spiced pumpkin seeds.
Bake these Passover-friendly cookies, and you're golden.
PHOTO BY CHELSEA KYLE, PROP STYLING BY ALEX BRANNIAN, FOOD STYLING BY ANNA HAMPTON
THE DESSERT IS JUST PLAIN BETTER
There’s no need for heavy matzo meal when you can use sweet, nutty almond flour. Cardamom, orange zest, and pistachios give these easy slice-and-bake cookies layers of Persian flavor. The cookies can be sliced thicker for a chewy, macaroon-like texture, or pressed thin for a crisp texture that’s more like a butter cookie.
GET THIS MENUTHIS PERSIAN-INSPIRED MENU WILL UPGRADE YOUR PASSOVER
Louisa Shafia is the author of The New Persian Kitchen.