Zohreh’s Ash Esfenaj – Persian Spinach Soup from Molly MacRae #Thanksgiving

Zohreh and her soup

Janice, my neighbor down the street, is full of good ideas. She had a brainstorm last year—rather than start a book club, we’d start a crafting group. We’d meet once a month, each month at a different member’s house, we’d bring along whatever crafty project we had going, and we’d have a pleasant afternoon together. It’s been wonderful. We started out with four and now there are six of us. We embroider, knit, mend, construct things out of paper, bind books, needle felt, draw, and more. We also drink tea and eat because we all like to bake (last month I made a Basque cheesecake).

Where is all of this going? In September, rather than work on crafts, Janice asked another friend of ours, Zohreh, if she would teach our group how to make ash esfenaj—Persian spinach soup. Zohreh graciously agreed. We descended on her house one Saturday afternoon and made her delicious soup. It’s the kind of recipe where the ingredients and amounts can vary depending on what’s in your kitchen and how many mouths are waiting. Fun fact: I first met Zohreh (Dr. Zohreh Sullivan) in 1976. She taught one of my favorite classes at the University of Illinois—Modern British Literature.

I'm thankful for good friends here at home, good friends online, and good food. May you all have what you need and a little bit more.

Zohreh’s Ash Esfenaj – Persian Spinach Soup

 

Molly, Janice, and Zohreh

Ingredients 

3 to 4 small red onions, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced (frozen is okay)

2+  tablespoons turmeric

2 to 3 pounds frozen spinach

2+ tablespoons dried dill

2+ tablespoons dried mint

8 to 10 cups chicken or vegetable broth

2 cups chana daal (yellow lentils), soaked, picked through, and boiled/simmered 15 minutes

2 cans red kidney beans

4 to 6 dried limes

1 to 2 tablespoons ground coriander  (preferably freshly ground)

lemon juice to taste

sea salt to taste

1 to 2 tablespoons rice flour or any flour

2 eggs 

 

Directions 

Cover the bottom of a large pot with olive oil. Sauté onions until soft. When soft add  garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. 

Add frozen spinach, dried limes, 2 to 3 tablespoons dried dill, 2 to 3 tablespoons dried mint, 2 teaspoons turmeric, 1 to 2 tablespoons dried coriander, ½ teaspoon black pepper, 1 to 2 teaspoons sea salt, 10 to 12 cups of stock (reserving  a few tbs of stock to mix with eggs if using eggs), and let come to a boil. 

The five round objects are the dried limes

When the soup has come to a boil add chana dal and kidney beans, simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. 

Janice

When the soup has simmered whisk in 1 to 2 tablespoons rice flour. Add salt and lemon juice to taste. If using eggs, beat them with the 1 to 2 tablespoons of reserved stock and add to the simmering pot. Discard the limes. They're edible but not tasty.

Enjoy!

Amanda

Lisa, Cammy, Trina, Amanda, Janice, and Zohreh

Look for Molly’s new series—the Haunted Shell Shop Mysteries—coming in July 2024!

Book 1: Come Shell or High Water

And in the meantime, you can enjoy her other books.

 

The Boston Globe says Molly MacRae writes “murder with a dose of drollery.” She’s the author of the award-winning, national bestselling Haunted Yarn Shop Mysteries and the Highland Bookshop Mysteries. As Margaret Welch, she writes books for Annie’s Fiction. Her short stories have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine and she’s a winner of the Sherwood Anderson Award for Short Fiction. Visit Molly on Facebook and Pinterest and connect with her on Twitter  or Instagram.