When I unpacked my CSA box on Saturday, I immediately thought of Ash Reshteh, a Persian soup of greens, herbs, pulses and thick noodles, topped with fried onions and an Iranian dairy product called Kashk (rather like a fermented Greek Yogurt), and drizzled with mint oil. My neighbor in Beverly Hills made it for me the Spring that we lived there, and it was delicious but -- with its three kinds of pulse and noodles -- it was a little too heavy for what I was craving, namely greens.
I highly recommend my version for the period at the end of winter when you are craving anything green and think you are going to scream if you look at another root vegetable. My addition of dried lime and preserved lemon paste is far from authentic to any Ash Reshteh recipe that I looked up online, but the flavors are related to the region and I did pull a piece of dried lime out of my neighbor's soup so I gave myself a pass and used them to great effect.
Since I made bread today and had several slices despite the fact that I am not supposed to, this healthy soup made me feel more virtuous than I should have while having dinner.
This makes eight generous servings of soup.
2 cups dried pinto beans or chickpeas
2 bunches of spinach
1 bunch Italian parsley
1 bunch mint
1bunch dill
1 bunch coriander
1 large white onion, peeled and diced
1/2 red onion, peeled and sliced into thin half moons
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped finely
1/2 cup bulgur wheat or 1 cup Poha (flattened rice)
1 Tbsp preserved lemon paste or 1/2 preserved lemon
1 dried lime
1 Tbsp turmeric
3 Tbsps (1+1+1) olive oil
1/2 cup Feta cheese
1/2 cup plain full-fat Greek yogurt
Juice from one lemon
1 tsp nipitella or 2 tsps dried mint
Salt to taste
Put the dried pinto beans or chickpeas in a bowl. Cover with boiling water, add a generous pinch of salt, stir to combine, and set aside. You can do this the morning of the night you plan on making this soup while you make your coffee and just leave the beans until you need them.
While the beans are softening, prep the rest of the soup ingredients:
Wash all the greens very well (especially the spinach and parsley which get very gritty). Remove all stems. Chop everything very finely and set aside in a large bowl. You will feel as though this takes forever but it is well worth it for the end result.
Put the bulgur wheat in a separate bowl with a half teaspoon of salt and cover with cold water. Stir to combine and set aside. If using Poha, you will add that closer to the end of the recipe.
Whisk the Feta and yogurt together in a small bowl to make as smooth a paste as possible. Set aside until needed. It will thicken slightly as it sits.
Heat one tablespoon of the oil in a large soup pot. As soon as it starts to shimmer, add the chopped white onion, the garlic, the turmeric and the rinsed dried lime. Sprinkle in some salt and lower heat to medium. Stir until the onions have started to soften and the garlic smells delicious.
Drain the beans and add to the pan. Stir to combine and add five cups of water. Cover the pot, leaving a small opening for steam to escape, and let cook for 30 minutes, stirring at the 15 minute mark and pricking the softened dried lime all over with a fork at that point.
After 30 minutes, remove the cover and add the greens, one large handful at a time, stirring each handful into the liquid and letting it wilt slightly before adding the next. When all the greens have been added, stir in the preserved lemon paste. Cover, lower the heat and cook for an additional five minutes.
Add the Poha, if using, stir to combine and let cook for five additional minutes. If using bulgur wheat, drain it now and add it to the pan. If the soup is very thick and most of the liquid has been absorbed by this point, add up to an additional cup of water. Check the seasoning and add more salt if needed. Stir in the lemon juice. Keep in mind that you want a very thick stew-like soup. A dinner soup.
While the Poha (or bulgur wheat) is softening/cooking, prepare your garnishes.
Heat one tablespoon of the oil in a frying pan. As soon as the oil shimmers, add the red onion half moons and a pinch of salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the onion crescents are softened and the edges are beginning to caramelize. This will only take a couple of minutes. Scrape the onion into a small dish.
Place the pan back on the stove and add the remaining tablespoon of oil. As soon as it shimmers, add the nipitella or dried mint and stir. The oil will foam up practically immediately. Turn off the heat as soon as it does and set the pan aside.
Ladle some soup into your soup bowls. Top each with some of the fried red onion, a generous dollop of the Feta-yogurt dip and a drizzle of the mint oil. Stir to melt the Feta-yogurt paste into the soup before eating.
Looks amazing !!!!!