Genevieve Ko is the former cooking editor for the Los Angeles Times. She is a cookbook author and has been a food writer, editor and recipe developer for national food media outlets. Ko graduated from Yale after a childhood in Monterey Park.
Here are eight delicious dishes to cook for Nowruz, the Iranian new year.
Rice with herbs, pan-fried white fish and smoked white fish (sabzi polow ba mahi)
Time 2 hours
Yields Serves 6 to 8
Rice with toasted noodles (reshteh polow) served with lamb
Time 4 hours 30 minutes
Yields Serves 6 to 8
Fresh herb kuku (kuku-ye-sabzi)
Time 1 hour
Yields Serves 6 to 8
These three recipes, from chef Tony Esnault and his mother Shamsi Katebi, form one impressive meal. They’re each great on their own too.
Kuku Sabzi (Persian Greens Frittata)
Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Yields Serves 6 to 10
Kismet's kuku
Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Yields Serves 12 to 16
Deconstructed kuku sabzi
Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Yields Serves 2 to 4
Three more versions of kuku-ye-sabzi reveal the versatility of this combination of greens and eggs.
Persian-style herb and cheese platter
Time 30 minutes
Yields Serves 6 to 8
Tartines a la perse (Persian toasts)
Time 30 minutes
Yields Makes 4 large tartines, 4 to 8 servings
A plate of cheese and herbs is essential to any Persian meal. Here are two different ways to present it.