Zeytoon Parvardeh

The olives are dressed with pomegranate molasses and ground walnuts and served cold.

Vegan.

Ingredients

• 400 g green olives, stoned
• 120 g walnuts, finely ground
• 5 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 20 g mint, finely chopped
• 20 g parsley, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon ground blue eryngo, if you have it

Method

1. THE OLIVES ARE DRESSED WITH POMEGRANATE MOLASSES AND GROUND WALNUTS AND SERVED COLD. Its article gives the combination in one line -- olives, pomegranate molasses, walnuts, garlic, mint, blue eryngo and parsley -- and the two that do the work are the molasses and the walnuts. The walnuts have to be ground fine, almost to a paste, because that is what turns the molasses from a thin syrup into a dressing thick enough to coat an olive and stay on it. Chopped walnuts and a drizzle of molasses gives you olives sitting in a puddle.
2. IT IS NOT COOKED AT ALL. Everything is mixed raw and cold. There is no pan in this recipe.
3. THE OLIVES ARE RINSED AND DRAINED THOROUGHLY FIRST. Brine-cured green olives carry a lot of salt, and the dressing has none added. Rinsed, stoned and dried on a cloth, or the dressing will not cling.
4. THE WALNUTS ARE GROUND FINE, NOT CHOPPED. Pounded or processed until they are oily and clumping. This is the one technique the dish has.
5. IT IS LEFT TO SIT FOR AT LEAST A DAY. Mixed, covered and refrigerated twenty-four to forty-eight hours before it is served. The olives have to take up the dressing; eaten straight away the two are still separate things in the bowl.
6. BLUE ERYNGO IS NAMED AND IS NOT SOLD HERE. Its article lists it among the ingredients. It is a thistle-like herb and no substitute is offered on this page, because none is given. Made without it the dish is still the dish; it is simply missing one of the seven things.
7. THE MOLASSES SHOULD BE SOUR, NOT SWEET. Pomegranate molasses varies a great deal. Taste it: if it is more sweet than sharp, a squeeze of lime brings it back.
8. IT IS SERVED COLD AS A CONDIMENT BESIDE THE MAIN DISH. Its article says exactly that, and places it in Gilan. It is sold ready-made in Iran as well as being made at home.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under Iran · All recipes