Ashe Reshte

Total Time: 2 hrs 20 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 2 hrs

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 3 cups finely sliced onions
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 cup chickpeas, soaked overnight and drained
• 1/4 cup red kidney beans, soaked overnight and drained
• 1/4 cup navy beans, soaked overnight and drained
• 2/3 cup lentils
• 1 cup beef bouillon
• 2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
• 1/2 cup scallion, chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh dill weed, chopped
• 1/2 lb beef, cut in 1/2-inch cubes
• 1/2 cup onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced (or to taste)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons yellow split peas
• 8 ounces persian noodles (reshte) or 8 ounces flat egg noodles
• 1 tablespoon flour or 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon saffron
• 1 teaspoon tomato paste
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 1 tablespoon crushed fresh mint or 1 teaspoon crushed dried mint

Recipe

• 1 in a dutch oven, saute' onions in 3 tbs oil until golden; stir in turmeric through pepper. place drained chickpeas, kidney and navy beans in the pot with the onions and add 2 1/2 qts water. bring to a boil, cover, turn heat to low and let simmer 40 minutes.
• 2 add lentils and bouillon, cover again and let simmer 40 more minutes.
• 3 add spinach through dillweed and cook 20 minutes more, stirring occasionally.
• 4 as soon as spinach and herbs are added to the soup, begin the meat garnish: in a medium saucepan, saute beef through garlic in 1 tbs oil until beef is browned and onion is soft. add 1/2 cup water and the split peas, cover and cook 20 minutes over low heat.
• 5 taste the soup (not the meat garnish), adjust the seasonings and add more water if too thick. add noodles. stir a bit of the soup liquid into the flour or cornstarch to dissolve, then stir solution back into the soup. cook 10-12 minutes until noodles are done.
• 6 dissolve the saffron in 1 tbs hot water and combine with tomato paste and 1/4 tsp salt; stir into the meat garnish (not the soup). cover and simmer 10 minutes more.
• 7 stir some of the soup (not the meat garnish) into the 1/2 cup sour cream, then stir this mixture back into the soup (not the garnish). stir in vinegar and cook a minute to heat through.
• 8 pour soup into 4 large soup bowls. add a quarter of the meat garnish to each bowl but do not stir in; on top of each, float a 1/2-tbsp dollop of sour cream; sprinkle with mint and serve.