To paraphrase Paula Wolfert "there is always an adventure of the new dish…". So glad i finally had a chance to make ashak – afghan dumplings stuffed with chinese chives and served with minted garlicky yogurt and caramelized lamb.
The recipe came from Afghan Food & Cookery book. And unlike so many recipes online that call for leeks and/or scallions filling this one uses chinese chives that are more interesting in flavor. And there is another difference – alliums are not parboiled or pre-coooked, thus preserving a fresh fragrant flavor and vibrant color. The chives are minced and then kneaded with some salt over the sieve to soften them. I used ready made wonton skins and boiled dumplings for 7mins.
Now couple of words on beet hummus – i bought some gold beets on a whim but didn’t want to make yet another yogurt based dish. Instead i tried a variation on Ana Sortun’s hummus (she offers recipes for parsnip and avocado, and mentions pumpkin and squash ones in her Spice book). I roasted beets and whizzed them with garlic, butter, tahini, olive oil, cumin and lemon juice for about 3mins until very silky – unbelievably good!
