Slow-Cooker Ghormeh Sabzi
In my house, I do a lot of the cooking, but not all of it. And my husband is about to get some well-deserved credit for his creations like this Iranian stew. This man relies almost exclusively on the slow cooker, and he makes some really good food in spite of me constantly hovering, trying to add salt and gently warning him that what he's trying is unlikely to work (because, science and common sense).
So, now he's sort of getting his own series within Worthy Pause, yet-to-be-named, but showcasing his prowess when it comes to easy, unscientific, hands-off dinners.
I am totally accepting suggestions on series names, by the way (Crockpot Corner? Food Blogger Spousal Support Series?)
My father-in-law is from Iran and this recipe is based on the ghormeh sabzi my husband grew up eating and I've grown to love. Ghormeh sabzi is stew of meat, greens and kidney beans that is brightly seasoned with dried Persian limes and turmeric. I realize "bright" is a strange adjective to use when describing a stew, but you'll see—it really is bright from the citrus.
It is the easiest thing in the world when you do it in the slow-cooker, as long as you take a trip to the Middle Eastern grocery store (or go online) to pick up a couple of key ingredients: the dried Persian limes and the dried sabzi mix.
The dried sabzi mix is usually made up of parsley, leeks and fenugreek, so of course you could substitute the fresh equivalent if you wanted. However, I've unfortunately never seen fresh fenugreek leaves in the stores near me, and that's one of the crucial ingredient.
Also, you can do this more traditionally with cubed beef or lamb, but we just happened to try it with a beef roast recently and it was great so that's how we wrote this recipe. Feel free to substitute stew meat if you prefer though!
Slow-Cooker Ghormeh Sabzi
gluten-free | serves 5+
Ingredients
2.5 lb beef roast (or cubed beef or lamb)
1 T turmeric
salt and black pepper
3 small onions, minced
8 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 stick of butter
5-6 whole dried Persian limes
4 oz dried herbs (2 cans of the Sadaf Ghormeh Sabzi*)
1 can kidney beans
2-3 cups of water
Instructions
Rub the roast with turmeric, salt and black pepper and put into the crockpot.
Add the onions, garlic, butter and dried limes to the crockpot and cook on low for 9 hours.
About 30 minutes before you're going to eat, shred the beef (if it’s a roast) and add the herbs, beans and about 2-3 cups of water to the slow cooker. Keep on low until the herbs are hydrated and heated through. You can leave the crockpot on warm longer if needed.
Serve with rice or cauliflower rice. Or tahdig.
Tips
Check your local Middle Eastern or Iranian market (or online) for the dried Persian limes and the dried sabzi mix.
P.S. If you like Persian food, you should try this Tah Chin with Ground Lamb next. It's got horrible photos from the very early days of Worthy Pause, but it's so tasty.
