Nowruz: A spring festival frittata from Iran

Nowruz, the Iranian (or Persian) New Year, means "new day" in Farsi. Known as humankind’s most ancient celebration, Nowruz has been celebrated for approximately 4000 years. Food plays an important role in this holiday because of the fresh, green ingredients that begin to peek out of the ground, signaling winter’s end.

In addition to kookoo sabzi - the herbed omelet described here, other popular recipes shared with TABLE readers by Chef Palak Patel include; ghormeh sabzi - a lamb and kidney bean stew; ash-e-reshteh, Persian New Year's soup with beans, noodles, and herbs; and whole-roasted whitefish with a tangy tamarind sauce served on a bed of green lentils. 

         Ingredients

         5 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

         2 large shallots, finely chopped

         1 garlic clove, minced 

         1 medium leek, white and pale-green parts only, finely chopped

         8 large eggs

         1½ teaspoons kosher salt

         1 teaspoon baking powder

         1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

         ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper 

         ½ teaspoon ground turmeric

         ¼ cup tarragon leaves 

         1 cups finely chopped cilantro

         1 cups finely chopped dill

         1 cups finely chopped parsley

         Instructions 

1. Heat 2 tablespoon oil in a 10" skillet over medium. Cook shallot, garlic, and leek, stirring occasionally, until very soft but not brown, 10–12 minutes. Transfer to a plate and let cool. Wipeout skillet; set aside.

2. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, kosher salt, baking powder, black pepper, turmeric, and crushed red pepper. Gently fold in cooled shallot mixture, add herbs: cilantro, dill, tarragon, and parsley. 

3. Turn broiler on to high and adjust the rack to top.  

4. In a large skillet, heat the remaining oil over medium. Carefully pour in egg mixture; spread evenly across the pan with a spatula. Using a lid to cover and cook the frittata until it is set on the sides and the bottom, approximately, 8–10 minutes. Remove the lid and place under broil, until the top is set, setting oven timer to 1 minute. 

5. Once it’s cooled slightly and easy to handle, use a large and invert onto a large serving plate.

Serves 4

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