Season 4, Spring 2008

This "opulent" appetizer combines some of our favorite ingredients from Iran. Mung beans, walnuts, and dried fruits simmmered in wine are ground together and seasoned to create a unique dish that celebrates the coming of Spring. Inside each ball is an egg yolk, the symbol on the Haft Seen table for fertility. Enjoy these with seasoned yogurt and freshly chopped herbs.

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This is one of our favorite dishes for Spring. Brown rice and lentils are cooked together, along with softened dried apricots, cherries, and pistachios. This dish is quite comforting, and is great to make if you feel you need some balancing. The lentils and rice make a complete protein together, which makes this a good vegetarian dish for the whole family.

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The Haft Seen is the traditional table with offerings for No Ruz. Throughout the 12 days celebrating the New Year, people maintain the table with seven items that represent the coming of Spring. There are sprouted grains for rebirth, wheat pudding for affluence, dried fruit for love, garlic for medicine, apples for beauty, and sumac for sunrise. And last but not least, there is garlic, which symbolizes age and patience. People sometimes add other elements to the table, but these are the most important.

Last March we met up with the Silk Road Dance Company at the Philadelphia Museum of Art for a special performance in celebration of No Ruz. The SRDC specializes in traditional dances from cultures along the Silk Road. Its artistic director, Laurel Victoria Gray, creates spectacular performances that show off the beauty, tradition, and history of the region.