Ghormeh sabzi is an Iranian vegetable and herb stew cooked with dried limes. It’s a popular dish in Iran and there are many, many variations. It traditionally includes lamb or beef and dried legumes but I chose to cook a vegetarian version from Yotam Ottolenghi’s cookbook PLENTY MORE. Vegetables never tasted so good!
Preheat your oven to 180ºC (350ºF). In a large casserole, over medium heat, melt 50g (1¾ oz) of clarified butter and sauté 1 finely diced large onion with ½ a teaspoon of ground turmeric and 1½ teaspoons of ground cumin for around 10 minutes. Add 30g (1 oz) of tomato paste and continue to cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Take 20g (⅔ oz) of fresh coriander (cilantro), 10g (⅓ oz) of fresh tarragon and 10g (⅓ oz) of fresh dill and tie them together in a bunch. Add them to the pot with 900g (2 lbs) of potatoes, a similar amount of butternut squash, 3 Iranian dried limes (pierced a few times with a sharp knife), 1 whole green chilli (slit down one side), 1½ teaspoons of salt and 900ml (2 pints) of water. Bring to a boil, turn down the heat and simmer gently until the potatoes are semi-cooked, approximately 15 minutes. Stir in 5 quartered tomatoes, 150g (5 oz) of spinach leaves and 15g (½ oz) of dried barberries. Barberries are a small sour berry – if you can’t find any try substituting chopped dried sour cherries. Pour everything into a large roasting tray, crushing the limes a little to release some of their juices, and bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until the sauce has thickened a little and the vegetables are soft. Serve with rice and a dollop of plain Greek yoghurt.
michelle picker cooks 