Blueberry and Cardamom Yogurt Cake

I'm turning into my mom!!!!

Wait, does this mean that one day <if> I have a daughter, she'll gasp and think the same thing too?!  Okay, I will quickly remind myself it's not a bad thing at all.  In fact, it's great, because my mom's cooking and her teaching are always an inspiration to me. 

Anyways, I'm turning into my mom because I'm adding all things "Persian" to any recipe I come across these days--especially desserts.

As noted in one of my previous blogs about strawberry cake, I noted how I practically despised anything that involved cardamom, rosewater, whatever "Persian" that my mom added to desserts when I was a kid.

Well I'm all grown up now. And here I am, adding those pesky ingredients to a recipe I recently came across in the June 2009 issue of Gourmet magazine. It's called Raspberry Buttermilk Cake. 

I took out the buttermilk, sub'ed Strauss Organic Yogurt and added 1/4 a teaspoon of ground cardamom. Oh and I used blueberries instead of raspberries. Raspberries freak me out sometimes...they're fuzzy and the little seeds get stuck in my teeth.

It's best to use Strauss Organic Yogurt for this recipe because that tangy taste that I love about that yogurt really comes out in this cake.  Also, when you add a couple of dashes of ground cardamom to this recipe, it really pairs well with a hot cup of Persian tea (Earl Grey or Darjeeling is just fine).

Recipe for (1) 9'' round cake (I made two in the photos):

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp cardamom

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 stick of unsalted butter, softened

2/3 cup plus 1 1/2 Tbsp. sugar, divided

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 large egg (preferably free-range)

1/2 cup of Strauss Organic Yogurt (or buttermilk)

1 cup fresh blueberries

Pre-heat oven to 400 with rack in the middle. Butter and flour a 9" round cake pan.

Whisk together first 5 ingredients and set aside.

Cream butter and 2/3 cup sugar with an electric mixer at medium-high until pale and fluffy, then beat in vanilla. Add egg and beat well.

At low speed, mix in flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with yogurt, beginning and ending with flour, and mixing until well combined.

Floured pan--I like to use cornmeal on the bottom of my pans.

Spoon batter into cake pan, smoothing top. Scatter the blueberries evenly on top and sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 tbsp. sugar. (remember this recipe is for one cake pan, I doubled it to fill 2 pans)

*my added "touch": lick the bowl and spatula while you're waiting for the cake to bake

Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes then turn out onto a rack and cool to warm 10-15 minutes more. Invert onto a plate.

This is the best afternoon dessert! Thanks to my old issue of Gourmet magazine and my mom's wisdom of adding and sub'ing random Persian ingredients!  

Southern Fried Chicken Marinated in Persian Spices

I have played around with this recipe on several occasions--especially when I'm feeling homesick.  I always miss my mom's delicious cooking.  She's never made us fried chicken, but  growing up in the South we would eat it on occasion.
When I think of fried chicken, it takes me back to the first few weeks of getting situated in Jonesboro, AR.  On the weekends my dad would drive us around and show us our new city (pop. 45k at the time) to call home.  We were surrounded by tall oak trees and miles of greenery.  Like a breath of fresh air from the dry, hot summer days of Tucson.  It was a new beginning to what we left behind.
To help us get situated, my parents would take us to different restaurants on the weekends.  Buffet restaurants were popular at the time and as a nine year old I loved them for the dessert section with hotel pans of peach cobbler, strawberry cobbler, cookies, and a self-serve yogurt machine.
The buffet had an array of fried foods as well: okra, catfish, frog legs, corn on the cob, collard greens--but the winner for me was always fried chicken.  These are some of the foods of the south. At the time I didn't think anything of it, but I was slowly learning the culture and traditions of the South by frequenting these restaurants.
Living in the South for 14 years I've learned that the techniques of Southern cooking are a little similar to the techniques of Persian cooking.  In the south, meat is marinated in buttermilk to tenderize, seal in juices and add flavor to it.  In Iran, meat is marinated in yogurt for the same purpose--although this technique is used for grilling rather than frying.  In the South, every household has their own spice mixture they call "secret" and in Persian households they have theirs "advieh" in which it too is a family secret.
This fried chicken recipe is my recipe.  It takes me back to living in Jonesboro--not always wanting to be there, but learning the importance of culture and acceptance of others through the foods people eat.  This is fried chicken, with my Persian "advieh" (spice mixture), that represents me.

The recipe as follows:

Spice blend clockwise: 1/2 tsp. granulated garlic powder, 1/8 tsp. cayenne, 1/2 powder cumin, 1/2 tsp. angelica powder, 1 tsp. turmeric, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2 tsp. paprika, kosher salt to taste.

Rub all over chicken (I used 6 pieces of legs and thighs each-bone in). Add fresh cracked pepper and marinate in equal parts buttermilk and yogurt.

Chill overnight or at least 3 hours.

Dredge in flour mix with cornmeal (3:1 ratio) with a few shakes of cajun seasoning.  Dust off extra and pan fry in canola oil until golden on both sides but not cooked through.

Bake off in the oven at 350 until cooked and juices run clear.  Baking it cuts out the time it is frying in the oil.  The crust is still crispy, and the chicken is juicy.

As we say in the South, "Y'all come back for more"

and in Iran

"Nousheh Jan"

I will never forget my Persian heritage, Southern upbringings, and living in the Southwest through the foods I eat and create.

Hope this inspires you to cherish where you come from and appreciate where you are today.

Minted Meatballs with a Spicy Cucumber Yogurt Sauce

Mmmm, meatballs.  I love them.  I think every country/region has it's own variation.
In fact, if I was to host an international food festival I would have all the participants only make meatballs.  Meatballs representing their country's herbs, spices, and meat (or lack of).
You can really learn a lot from someone by tasting their meatball.  Oh yeah, I have to keep this PG ;) hehe

So the meatballs I made today would definitely represent the spices and herbs my mom would use in all of her recipes.  We eat yogurt with everything, and it's only natural for me to use yogurt as the dipping sauce for these meatballs.


For the meatballs:
1 pound of organic ground beef (85/15 or leaner)
1/2 an onion, grated
1 egg
1 Tbsp fresh, minced parsley
1 Tbsp dried mint
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
S/P to taste

Mix all of the ingredients together and form into meatballs by rolling the meat in your hand.
-oh boy, it's hard to describe making meatballs without making you blush-
After you've formed your meatballs and placed them on a tray, refrigerate for about half an hour.

I yielded about 30 meatballs for a pound of beef, but you can get up to 60 or 70 if you make them smaller.

While your meat is chillin...
Make the yogurt sauce:

About 2 cups of yogurt
1/2 English cucumber, diced small
1/4 onion, diced small
2 tbsp. dried mint
1 tbsp. dried dill
couple pinches of cayenne for heat
couple drops of extra virgin olive oil
squeeze of a lime
salt to taste

Mix it all together and refrigerate until ready to use.

To cook off the meatballs, heat a non-stick skillet with just a teaspoon of oil (literally, b/c you don't need all the oil as the meat has it's own fat it releases during the cooking process).  

Once the skillet is hot enough place as much of the meatballs you can in the pan without over crowding. You may have to cook off in batches.  Give all sides a good sear and cook until done.

Place it on a plate and serve with the yogurt sauce.  

Enjoy it in a wrap with mixed greens, on a bed of basmati rice, or simply on its own.

Meatballs are a great way to kick off the summer with healthy eating.  Their healthy if you cook them without frying.  Using yogurt as a dipping sauce instead of ranch or sour cream really cuts out the extra calories.  And, visually you feel like you're eating more when in fact 3-5 meatballs (as pictured) is less meat than a hamburger. Just think, most of us can eat an 8 oz burger in one sitting...that's a lot of meat.