Best Persian Style Baked Herb Omelet Recipes

PERSIAN BAKED OMELETTE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Heat the oil and butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat until shimmering. Add the red onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and starting to brown, about 15 minutes. Add the green onions and garlic and cook for 2 minutes longer. Stir in the spinach; cook until the leaves begin to wilt. Add the chives, cilantro, parsley and dill, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Take the skillet from the heat and stir in the pine nuts.
• Beat the eggs, milk and some pepper in a blender on low speed for about 30 seconds. Pour the eggs over the veggie mixture. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until the omelette is just set and lightly golden brown on top, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool on a baking rack for 5 minutes, then place a large platter over the top of the skillet and flip the omelette onto the platter, bottom-side up. Slice into wedges and top with a dollop of yogurt if desired.

KUKU SABZI: BAKED PERSIAN HERB OMELET

Steps:

• Position an oven rack in the upper-middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Trace the bottom of an 8-inch square pan or 9-inch round cake pan on kitchen parchment, then cut inside the lines to create a piece to fit in the bottom of the pan.
• Coat the bottom and sides of the pan with 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, turning the parchment to coat on both sides (the oil should pool at the bottom and generously coat the sides).
• In a food processor, combine the parsley, cilantro, dill, scallions and the remaining 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil. Process until finely ground (now, I like my herbs less fine, so I stopped the processor at my desired texture). Set aside for now.
• In a large bowl, whisk the baking powder, salt, cardamom, cinnamon, cumin and pepper. Add 2 eggs and whisk until blended, then add the remaining eggs and whisk until just combined. Fold in the herb-scallion mixture and the walnuts and cranberries, if using. Pour into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
• Bake in 375 degrees F heated-oven until the center of the egg is firm, about 20 to 25 minutes. (The egg mixture will rise, but will go down once you set it aside to cool.)
• Let the kuku cool in the pan undisturbed for 10 minutes. When ready, run a thin knife around the edges to loosen the kuku. Invert onto a plate and remove the parchment from bottom, then re-invert on another serving plate or a cutting board so the top of the kuku is facing you. Slice into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature.
• Serve with a dollop of yogurt. See more suggestions in the post under "what to serve with kuku sabzi."

PERSIAN BAKED OMELET WITH FRESH HERBS

Steps:

• In a large nonstick sauté pan, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat until the oil begins to shimmer. Add the red onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and caramelized, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9-inch ovenproof nonstick pan with nonstick spray.
• Add the green onions and garlic to the caramelized onion and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the spinach and cook until the leaves begin to wilt, 2 minutes. Add the cilantro, parsley, chives, dill and pine nuts, season with salt and pepper and remove from the heat. Transfer to the prepared pan and put in the oven for 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a blender, blend the eggs and milk on low for about 30 seconds. Pour the eggs over the veggie mixture in the pan, return to the oven and bake until puffed, just set and lightly golden brown on top, about 20 minutes.
• Remove the omelet and let cool for 5 minutes on a baking rack. Transfer to a platter, slice into wedges and top with the yogurt.

PERSIAN OMELET

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large, shallow pan that can be used under the broiler.
• Add the leeks and fry them gently for about 5 minutes, until they are just beginning to soften.
• If using fresh spinach, add it to the pan containing the leeks and cook for 2 to 3 minutes over medium heat, until spinach has just wilted.
• Beat the eggs with a whisk, in a large bowl.
• Add the leek and spinach mixture (or the leeks with the thawed frozen spinach), then stir in the scallions, with all the herbs and nuts.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Pour the mixture into the pan and cover with a lid or foil.
• Cook over very gently heat for 25 minutes, or until set.
• Remove the lid and brown the top under a hot broiler.
• Serve cut into 8 wedges with a green salad, or serve cut into small bite sized pieces as an appetizer.
• Can be served hot or cold.

KUKU SABZI (PERSIAN HERB FRITTATA)

Steps:

• Trim woody ends from cilantro, parsley and dill so that only leaves and tender stems remain. Wash herbs and romaine leaves, then use a salad spinner to dry very well. Set aside.
• Finely dice both the green and white parts of the leeks. Wash well and drain.
• Set a 10-inch cast-iron or nonstick pan over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add 3 tablespoons oil. When the oil shimmers, add leeks. Season with a generous pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent and softened but not browned, about 20 minutes, reducing the heat if necessary.
• In the meantime, very finely chop the cilantro, parsley, dill and romaine by hand - the smaller the pieces, the more deeply green your kuku will be. To chop such a large volume of herbs, take a large handful or two at a time and roll into a tight ball. Run a large, sharp knife through the ball to initially chop the herbs roughly, then continue to rock the knife back and forth through the pile of herbs until very finely chopped. Repeat with remaining herbs until finished. Combine the chopped herbs and romaine with the dried fenugreek and dried dill in a very large bowl.
• When leeks are cooked, add herb mixture and another generous pinch of salt to the pan and cook, stirring often, until it dries out and the color changes to a very dark green, about 5 minutes. Transfer the mixture back into the very large bowl; spread it out, then allow it to cool to room temperature.
• When the herb mixture has cooled, add barberries, turmeric, baking powder, 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Taste the mixture: It should be a little on the salty side. If it's not, add a little more salt. One at a time, add eggs to the herb mixture, stirring well after each addition. Use as few eggs as needed to barely bind the mixture; this will ensure a brilliant-green kuku. The mixture should be the consistency of a loose porridge.
• Wipe out the pan and melt the butter over medium-high heat. When the butter melts, add remaining 1/4 cup oil. Add a tiny spoonful of the kuku mixture to the pan. When it sizzles, add the rest of the mixture and use a rubber spatula to spread it out evenly. The oil should bubble up the sides of the kuku. Run the spatula around the edge and jiggle the pan from time to time to check that the mixture isn't sticking. Cook, rotating pan a quarter turn every 3 to 4 minutes, until the kuku is set, the bottom is a very dark brown, and the edges are golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Don't be afraid of getting your crust really dark - it will appear almost burned, but it will taste heavenly sweet.
• Use a rubber spatula to ensure that the kuku is not stuck to the pan, then carefully tip as much of the oil as possible into a medium bowl and set aside. Cover the pan with a large, flat platter or pizza pan and flip the kuku onto it and set aside. Return the oil to the pan and carefully slide the flipped kuku back into the pan to cook the second side. Cook over medium-high until the second side is dark brown and the kuku is cooked through, about 5 more minutes.
• While the kuku finishes cooking, wipe off the platter and line with a double layer of paper towels. Flip the finished kuku onto the prepared platter and use another paper towel to dab excess oil from the surface. To serve, flip once more onto a serving platter and peel away paper towels.
• Serve warm, cold or at room temperature, with your choice of radishes, pickles, feta, warmed flatbread and mast-o khiar.

FRESH HERBS OMELET

Steps:

• Break 2 eggs into a bowl and beat with a fork or a whisk until frothy. Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste (about 1/8 teaspoon salt), and 2 teaspoons milk. Whisk half the herbs into the eggs and mix well.
• Heat an 8-inch nonstick omelet pan over medium-high heat. Add 2 teaspoons of the olive oil. When the oil feels hot when you hold your hand above it, pour in the eggs, scraping every last bit into the pan. Swirl the pan to distribute the eggs evenly over the surface. Shake the pan gently, tilting it slightly with one hand while lifting up the edges of the omelet with the spatula in your other hand, to let the eggs run underneath during the first few minutes of cooking. As soon as the eggs are set on the bottom, jerk the pan quickly away from you then back towards you so that the omelet folds over on itself. Tilt the pan and roll out onto a plate. Repeat with the remaining eggs and herbs, and serve.