Persian New Year

Traditional Rice Dish

Pouria and Amir invited all of us to a celebration of the Persian New Year.

We waited until Friday when they were available to cook.

The smells of the garlic being stirred into the four eggplants that had been roasted on the BBQ began to fill the house.

Pomegranate Sauce

Persian cuisine is not fully represented in the restaurants in Calgary.

The men who were cooking assured us that we would not find food in those establishments that would match what was before us.

To the left of  the pomegranate sauce, you can see the patties made from beef, potatoes and onions over which the sauce will be drizzled.
It is true that the dishes went from one end of the table to the other.

Persian Salad a variation on the famous Greek Salad
... diced cucumbers, tomatoes and red onions ...

All of us began to ask questions about the dishes we were about to eat.

The fresh Atlantic salmon that was grilled on the BBQ and then brushed with butter infused saffron was a sight -- stacked high before us, and Amir going to get the saffron his mother had sent.

I should have taken a picture of that -- carefully treasured in a beautifully decorated box, a clear lid on the top so that we could see through to the spice that was enclosed there.

BBQ Salmon brushed with butter and saffron

Everyone knew they were feasting.

Mak had been in the kitchen, helping with the testing as the food was being prepared.

Having had a small bit of everything that was to come, he was already partly full.

The rest of us had been depending on the smells coming from the kitchen to awaken our appetites.

I do not know what else to say except that I wish you could have been here.

And even coming the next day to our house would have been fine, for all of our fridges were filled with the most delightful left-overs.

Happy Persian New Year.

Arta