Sara

Tuesday evening was such a treat! Good friend and magnificent painter, Ada Koch, arranged for a group of women to experience a wonderful Iranian/Persian dinner prepared by a young woman who has become a friend of Ada's. Her name is Sara, she is absolutely beautiful and her food was rich with flavor.

We arrived at Ada's on a glorious evening and she had the tables set up on her patio in her very French-feeling  backyard. We all met in the kitchen where we were introduced to Sara.

 Sara began our meal by preparing our appetizer, a Persian spinach and yogurt dip called Borani, explaining as she went along, including where to buy some of the Iranian ingredients.

Borani

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon butter or olive oil

1 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

1 1/2 cups thick plain yogurt

tiny pinch of saffron dissolved in 1 teaspoon hot water

salt and pepper

Over medium high heat saute garlic in butter until golden, do not burn. Add spinach and mix well to combine. Remove from heat and cool completely. Add the yogurt and check for salt and pepper, blending well. Refrigerate for several hours, then drizzle with the saffron/water mixture before serving with pita or crackers.

The menu for our dinner included the entree, Khoresht E Gheimeh Bademjan, an eggplant and lamb dish that was devoured with great gusto!



Kathleen, Ada, Sara and another Sara!



I have to admit, the after dinner activity was definitely a blast. Sara taught us how to dance! She provided the music and I'm pretty sure it filled Ada's neighborhood!



Pam chose Guinness as her partner!



It was so much fun and gave us the opportunity to try a cuisine that was unfamiliar to us. Ada invited us last month to experience a dinner prepared by a friend from India! Learning the herbs and spices of foreign cuisines is such fun!

We have a tendency to stick to what we know; we lose some of our desire for adventure. Food is a great way to introduce some of that adventure back into our lives. Hopefully you have an Ada to help you....if not, plan a dinner for your group of friends!  Pick a country/cuisine, choose one that you have never eaten before....be daring! That removes from your list of possibilities: Mexican, Italian, French, etc.  Study, practice, choose appropriate music, then thrill your friends! 

My group has another dinner in the works. This time it will be Colombian!