Fresh Herbs in the Persian Kitchen with Mab & The League of Kitchens
Six Dutchess in the Kitchen | Beginner Level
Photos by Brakethrough Media
Our July class is all about fresh herbs, ever-present in the summer garden, from mint, to thyme and rosemary, basil, tarragon, oregano, marjoram, lemon balm, and so much more!
When we think of cooking with fresh seasonal herbs, nobody does it better than Persians. In fact, the age-old love affair between Persians and their herbs is legendary! In the Persian kitchen, fresh herbs are not just the supporting actors, they are the stars. What other cuisine offers an entire salad platter made of fresh herbs?! Or fills a frittata with so many herbs that it's solid green and one of the most delicious things you've ever tasted?! Mab will share a whole new way to think about herbs and to utilize them in your kitchen.
Here's our menu for the afternoon:
Sabzi Khordan (Fresh Herb Salad)
A platter of fresh herbs, scallions, radishes, whole walnuts, and feta topped with olive oil and dried mint.
Kuku Sabzi (Herbed Persian Frittata)
A beautiful and complex frittata featuring lots of fresh herbs, spinach, leeks, and scallions that are mixed with egg, walnuts, and barberries then baked until bright green and fluffy yet firm.
Mast O Khiar (Yogurt with Cucumber, Mint and Rose Petals)
Goat’s milk yogurt combined with diced cucumbers and dried mint, topped with crushed rose petals and nuts.
This class will be limited to 15 registrants, first-come, first-served.
INGREDIENTS
To source some of the traditional Persian ingredients, like barberries and dried rose petals, we will provide links to specialty shops from which you can order, should you not have local sources for purchase.
PREPARATION
This is a live, interactive cooking class, hosted by Six Dutchess Farm on Zoom, and taught by Mab from the League of Kitchens. Recipes, a full ingredient list, and a Zoom link will be provided one week prior to class. Though you are not required to cook along, it does make the experience more immersive and it provides you with a real Sunday treat.
CANCELLATIONs
Please note, no refunds are given should you decide to cancel your registration, but we do provide class credit up to ten days prior to the class (for use in 2021). After this time, if you are unable to attend, we encourage you to gift your class to a friend or loved one, who can share the recipes and experience with you, and maybe even cook the meal for you, too!
About the Instructor | Mab Abbas
Meet Mab, a women’s rights activist, documentary filmmaker, and educator.
Mahboubeh (Mab) was born and raised in Khorramshahr, a city with a large Arab population in southern Iran. However, her parents have roots in the Azeri region of northern Iran, and Mab grew up learning the unique and delicious cuisine from that region.
She learned about ingredients from her dad, who owned a restaurant, grocery store, and tea importing company. He taught her how to pick the best quality ingredients for every recipe. While her father taught her what to cook with, it was her mother that taught her how to cook. Mab’s mother, who was often homesick for the northern region where she grew up, taught her how to cook the food “low and slow” to bring out the incredible flavors and smells of the food that would transport them back to the Azeri region from which the recipes came.
As a young woman in the late 1970s, Mab became involved in the Iranian Revolution, but later, when she became a vocal advocate for women’s rights in Iran, she was persecuted by the Islamic Republic. After being imprisoned three times during the 2000s for organizing peaceful protests, she fled Iran and moved to New York City. Before joining the League of Kitchens, Mab managed the nonprofit organization Zanan TV, and she continues to work as an educator in schools around New York City. Mab is a women’s rights activist, documentary filmmaker, and educator who believes food provides a special opportunity for connection and empowerment. She has been featured in New York Magazine (Grubstreet).