Ghormeh Sadzi

As I alluded to in an earlier post, the best thing about Orange County food (for me, so far) is the availability and pervasiveness of Persian cuisine. This is something I didn't experience much of in NorCal, and is one of the few points of foodie interest down here.

I am very fortunate to have a Persian neighbor who is an amazing cook. He makes some of the best rice I have ever had, and is always willing to share what he is up to with me. I now understand why I should want particular types of kebab skewers, what spices go well with lamb, how to serve lavash for a snack, and many other good ideas.

So I was very pleased to enter his apartment to see this site the other day:
He was prepping to make some sadzi, which includes vast quantities of herbs, black-eyed peas, spinach, and onions. It also includes these, which I had never seen before.

He explained these soften up in the stew and impart a citrus-y flavor. They are served with the stew. While you don't eat them, you do break them open over the rice. I was lucky enough to have some of this the next day:

As promised, the dried lemons gave everything a pleasantly lemon-y flavor. Yum!