Episode 62: Persian Christmas Menu Traditions

Looking to start some fun new winter holiday traditions? The Beats share several Persian inspired cross-cultural menu ideas to bring Persian flavors to your table this Christmas.

Breakfast/brunch

• Jeweled Cinnamon Rolls – using a dried fruit and nut spread along with Persian spices, this is a unique delicious twist to easy cinnamon rolls.  Use Ajeel, a Persian trail mix that can also be used for Yalda.
• French toast casserole versions – try with challah bread, Persian barbari bread, vanilla, cardamom, persimmon or quince, top with whipped cream and/or powdered sugar and fresh fruit, pomegranate arils or berries

Appetizer and snack ideas

• Baked brie bites
  • Use puff pastry or crescent rolls, brie, jam (a peppered jam is great here!), nuts (pecans or walnuts, and fresh herbs (rosemary looks festive) – serve warm
• Cheese board or platter

Main meal/dinner

• Standing prime rib roast served with a pomegranate horseradish sauce
• Roast beef with mixed roast vegetables
• Roast lamb with garlic cloves and dijon mustard
• Sumac roasted vegetables
• Christmas enchiladas – green salsa or enchilada sauce and red salsa or enchilada sauce
• Seafood – saffron roast shrimp or salmon
• Jeweled Rice, Shirin polo – Persian fruit and nut layered rice or Tahchin

Dessert

• Cookies!  The annual cookie exchange…mix cookie platter with Persian cookies
• Jeweled Cinnamon rolls

Yalda Winter Flavors episode reference

All Modern Persian Food episodes can be found at: Episodes

Co-host Beata Nazem Kelley blog: BeatsEats – Persian Girl Desperately Addicted to Food!

Co-host Bita Arabian blog: Oven Hug – Healthy Persian Recipes | Modern Persian Recipes

Bita’s recipe for Persian Jeweled Rice | Shirin Polo

Bita’s recipe for Easy Marinated Salmon

Bita’s index of Cookie Recipes

Beata’s recipe for Jeweled Cinnamon Rolls

Beata’s recipe for Persian Jeweled Tahchin

Beata’s recipe for Persian Tea Cookies with Aunt Pari Joon

Podcast production by Alvarez Audio