A Persian Mehmooni

Roshan G. Quarterman would say that she comes by her love of entertaining naturally. “It’s part of our [Persian] culture. Basically, it’s just that we love our friends, and we don’t like to be alone,” she says, laughing. “We always like to have people around us. It’s how I grew up and how I like to live my life.”

A professional photographer and partner in Quarterman Photography, which she manages alongside her husband, Dale, Quarterman remembers going to her grandmother’s house in Tehran, Iran, every weekend while growing up. “The whole family would be there … all my aunts and uncles, and cousins. We would have been about 20, 25 people. Plus, there were friends.

“And every weekend my grandmother would cook. I loved the delicious food! And as we would leave grandma’s house, we would get leftovers. We would go there with our Tupperware, so we could, and always would, take some home. If there’s extra food you’d like to take home, you’re more than welcome to … that’s also part of our culture,” she explains.

“Persian gatherings always revolve around food, and poetry and dancing, telling jokes — everything together. We eat and celebrate life,” Quarterman says. The Persian people have been known for the excellence of their hospitality since ancient times. In fact, guest culture is so intertwined in the Iranian lifestyle that children play games pretending to be the guest.

Quarterman immigrated to Virginia in the early 1980s, following the Iranian Revolution, and she studied English as a second language at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, acclimating to American culture with the help of a kind local family, the Seamans. She moved to Richmond to study photography at Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of the Arts, where she met Dale.

“I don’t like to eat alone. I always like to have people around,” Quarterman says, laughing. “I love it. When Dale and I got married, and I started entertaining, he loved it! He’s never complained that we have too many parties. Even when we had kids, entertainment did not stop. When they were very young, every weekend our sons, Naveed [now 27] and Omeed [now 24], would ask, ‘Who’s coming over?’ ” 

It’s true, Quarterman admits, and she doesn’t limit entertaining to the weekends. On any given day, she invites a guest or two (and sometimes 20) for dinner.

On a recent Wednesday evening, the Quartermans welcomed 22 friends — artists and associates from their VCU days — to their Old Church (Hanover County) home for a traditional Persian meal, just like her grandmother would have made. To feed the large group, Quarterman’s very good friend Ezie Junkala — whose family immigrated from Iran when she was in high school — served as sous chef for the party.

Persian food is not hot and spicy. It’s a balance of tastes and flavors, textures and temperatures. Pistachio, barberry, pomegranate, eggplant, rose water, seasonal fresh herbs and basmati rice are all important ingredients. “There is always basmati rice,” Quarterman says, “and everything always has saffron in it.

“Basmati rice is at the heart of every Persian meal, and every Persian cook’s worth is judged by their tahdig, their crispy rice crust,” she explains. “It’s not sticky like Chinese rice. It’s fluffy and fragrant — it’s infused with saffron — and cooked with a crispy layer of golden rice at the bottom of the pot. There’s a definite art to making Persian rice. I can’t tell you how many times my mom showed me how to make it.”

No Persian meal is complete without sabzi khordan, a platter of fresh parsley, basil, cilantro, dill, radishes, scallions and more. You’ll find one on every Iranian table. “We eat herbs just like a side dish with every meal,” Quarterman says. “And when served with cucumbers, tomatoes, fresh sweet or hot peppers, and even seasonal fruits and nuts such as almonds and walnuts, sabzi khordan also makes a refreshing summer appetizer.”

Menu

Aperitif

Saffron Prosecco

Appetizer

Nan-o Panir-o Sabzi Khordan An appetizer of Persian herbs (cilantro, mint, basil, dill, tarragon), radishes, spring onion, vegetables, naan, soaked almonds and walnuts, and sheep feta and goat cheese

Kashk-o Bademjan Eggplant and kashk spread

Hummus Roshan’s recipe 

Entree

Zereshk Polo ba Morgh Persian barberry rice with chicken 

Khoresh Bademjan Persian eggplant stew with lamb

Khoresh-e Ghormeh Sabzi Persian herb, bean and lamb stew

Lubia Polo Persian green-bean rice with ground turkey

Adas Polo Persian rice with lentils

Mast-o Khiar Persian cucumber yogurt dip

Salad Shirazi Persian cucumber tomato salad

Basmati Rice

Dessert

Chai Tea on a samovar

Persian Saffron Pistachio Ice Cream from Amoo’s Restaurant in McLean

Watermelon and Cantaloupe 

Sohan-e Qom Persian saffron pistachio brittle

Zoolbia and Bamieh Persian doughnuts with saffron and rose water

Rose Petal Lokum with Almonds Turkish delight candy

Shirini Konjedi Persian sesame brittle

Recipes

Saffron Simple Syrup

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 cup water

1/2 teaspoon saffron threads

Honey to taste

Combine all ingredients except honey in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Continue boiling, whisking constantly, until the sugar has dissolved, about five minutes. 

Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. (The longer it sits, the more intense flavor you get.) Add honey to taste while the liquid is still warm but not hot. 

Cover and store refrigerated for up to one month. Use it with prosecco or in cocktails.

Mast-o Khiar (Persian Cucumber Yogurt Dip)

4 Persian cucumbers, peeled and grated 

3 cups plain whole-milk yogurt 

1/2 cup chopped spring onions

1/4 cup chopped celery 

2 tablespoons chopped fresh or dried dill weed

1 tablespoon dried mint 

1 clove of garlic, crushed

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

Garnish

1/2 teaspoon dried mint

2 tablespoons dried rose petals 

In a serving bowl, combine cucumbers, yogurt, spring onions, celery, dill weed, mint, crushed garlic and chopped walnuts (optional), and mix it all together. Season with salt and pepper.

Garnish with dried mint and dried rose petals and serve as a side dish or as an appetizer with pita crackers. 

Zereshk Polo ba Morgh (Persian Barberry Rice With Chicken)

For this dish you have three parts to prepare: rice, chicken and zereshk.

Rice 

3 cups basmati rice

2 flat tablespoons sea salt

1/4 cup vegetable oil 

3 tablespoons saffron water (grind a pinch of saffron threads and a pinch of sugar into a fine powder, then steep in 3 tablespoons of cold water for at least 15 minutes)

2 medium-size gold potatoes in 1/4-inch slices

In a large bowl with lukewarm water, rinse the rice 3 to 4 times until the water is clear, then drain. In a 5-quart nonstick pot, add 9 cups of water and the salt, and bring the water to a boil over a high heat. Next, add the rice to the boiling water and stir it a couple times with a wooden spoon. After 8-10 minutes, check a few grains — if the rice is halfway cooked or al dente, it’s ready to be drained. Drain rice in a large colander and rinse with cold water to prevent further cooking (the rice should be fluffy and separated).

To make the golden potato crust (tahdig), add 1/4 cup vegetable oil and 1/4 cup water to a nonstick pot and cover the bottom of the pot with your potato slices. Next, add the rice over the potatoes gently, then add 3 tablespoons saffron water on top of the rice. Cook over medium heat for 50 minutes on a gas burner (on an electric burner, use low heat for 70 minutes).

Chicken 

2 pounds chicken breast, chopped 

2 medium onions, chopped 

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon turmeric 

2 tablespoons lemon juice 

2 tablespoons saffron

Combine the ingredients in a 4-quart pot and cook over medium heat for 30 minutes until done.

Zereshk (Barberries)

1 cup of dried barberries (you can purchase them on Amazon) 

2 tablespoons oil 

3 tablespoons butter 

4 tablespoons saffron 

4 teaspoons sugar

Wash and dry the barberries, then mix and stir all the ingredients over medium heat, until the butter melts.

Assembly: Dish up the rice in a nice serving tray. Use a wooden flat spoon to remove potato tahdig and arrange it around your rice. Add cooked chicken and garnish with zereshk on top of the rice.

Khoresh Bademjan (Eggplant Stew)

3 tablespoons canola oil

2 large onions, chopped

1 1/2 pounds stew meat cut into cubes (lamb, beef or chicken)

1 teaspoon sea salt 

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

7 fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped

1 cup ghureh (unripe, sour grapes that can usually be found at Middle Eastern grocery stores in the spring; can be cleaned and frozen for later use)

2 tablespoons lemon juice 

10 purple Japanese eggplants  

Peel the eggplants, cut them in half lengthwise (each piece should be about 4 to 5 inches long), then lightly salt and let them sit for three hours in a colander. Next, dry and fry them lightly till golden — it requires a lot of oil; you can also grill or broil them.

Once that’s done, add oil to a Dutch oven and saute the onions; then add the meat, browning it with salt, turmeric, black pepper and one cup of warm water. Cook for 30 minutes on medium heat, then add tomatoes and cook for 10 more minutes; transfer the stew to an oven-safe casserole dish. Add the eggplants, ghureh and lemon juice on top of the stew; cover with aluminum foil and seal tightly. Bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve with plain basmati rice.