Welcome to YellowTree’s Holiday Recipes for 2023! Here, you'll find a treasure trove of sweet and savoury recipes, each one a testament to the joy and creativity of our team's kitchen adventures.
Grab your apron, fire up the stove, and let's dive into a world of scrumptious delights!
Sweet Treats
Swedish Cardamom Cookies (Kardemummakakor)
Recipe from: Monica (Grant Associate)
Ingredients
200g (1 2/3 cups) all-purpose flour
100g (1/2 cup) granulated sugar
150g (2/3 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon ground cardamom (adjust to taste)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon milk
Pearl sugar for decoration (optional)
Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a bowl, sift together the flour, ground cardamom, and salt. Set aside.
In a separate large mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy using a hand mixer or a stand mixer.
Add the egg yolk and mix until well combined.
Gradually add the dry ingredients into the butter mixture, mixing until a dough forms. If the dough seems too dry, add the milk gradually until it comes together.
Roll the dough into a cylinder shape about 2 inches in diameter. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30-60 minutes until firm.
Once chilled, unwrap the dough and slice it into rounds, about 1/4 inch thick.
Place the cookie rounds on the prepared baking sheet, leaving a little space between each cookie.
If desired, lightly brush the cookies with a little milk and sprinkle pearl sugar on top for decoration.
Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until the edges of the cookies turn golden brown.
Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Ingredients
250g rice
450g of sugar
6 egg yolks
3 lemon peels
2 cinnamon sticks (I usually put more)
50g of butter
0.5L of water
1 cup of milk (I have also used various nut milks- a bit harder to use because of the lack of fat but still doable!)
1,700ml of milk
Salt (to taste)
Powdered cinnamon (to taste)
Method
In a saucepan bring rice and water to a boil. Season with salt. Cook until dry.
Add butter, lemon peel, cinnamon sticks, and milk (1,700ml). Stir together. Cook for 30 minutes stirring occasionally. After 30 minutes add the sugar.
Dissolve the egg yolks in a cup of milk. Once dissolved, add slowly to the rice mixture (stirring constantly). Make sure the rice mixture isn’t too hot or the eggs will cook (no one wants scrambled eggs in their rice pudding!). When it begins to bubble slightly, take it off the heat.
Refrigerate and sprinkle with powdered cinnamon.
Savoury Eats
Cinnamon Rice Pudding
Recipe from: Steven (Grant Associate)
Golden Lentil Shepherd’s Pie
Recipe from: Laura (Founder & CEO)
Ingredients
For lentil-sauce
3.5 tablespoons margarine/butter
2 large onions, chopped
4 carrots, diced
250g mushrooms, chopped
4 pieces celery, chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon dried thyme
500g dried black or green lentils
½ cup red wine (optional)
7 cups of veggie or beef stock (add an extra ½ cup if not using red wine)
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
For the topping
5 pounds potatoes, chopped (if you don’t want to peel, use white potatoes)
1/3 cup margarine/butter
½ cup milk or soy milk
½ cup cheddar, divided
Method
Preheat the oven to 375F. To make the sauce, heat the butter in a pan then gently fry the onions, carrots, celery and garlic for 15 minutes until soft and golden. Turn up the heat and add the mushrooms, then cook for 4-5 minutes more. Stir in the herbs, then add the lentils. Pour over the wine and stock – but don’t salt at this stage. Simmer for 40-50 minutes until the lentils are very soft. Now season to taste with salt and pepper, take off of the heat and stir in tomato paste.
While the lentils are cooking, boil potatoes until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, and mash well with butter/margarine and milk. Season with salt and pepper.
Divide the lentil mixture into 2-3 greased casserole dishes and then top with mashed potatoes, using a spatula to spread the topping evenly over the lentils. Scatter the cheddar cheese over the top.
Cook at 375F for 30 minutes or until top is golden and lentils are bubbling.
Casseroles can be covered and frozen to be baked at another time. Thaw before baking.
Aash Reshteh (Persian Greens, Bean and Noodle Soup) [read - AWSH]
Recipe from: Mahtab (Research Associate)
Ingredients
¼cup dried chickpeas
¼cup dried white beans, such as navy or cannellini
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds spinach
1 pound cilantro (about 3 large bunches)
1 pound Italian parsley (about 3 large bunches)
2 large bunches dill
1 large bunch chives
About 20 large fresh mint leaves
6 tablespoons plus ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 large yellow onions, 1 finely chopped and 1 thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup dried green or brown lentils
½teaspoon ground turmeric
2 quarts chicken or beef stock (preferably homemade), or water
1½cups liquid kashk (Persian sun-dried yogurt or whey), plus ½ cup, for serving
8 ounces reshteh (Persian soup noodles)
1 tablespoon dried mint
Method
The night before you plan to cook, place chickpeas and white beans in a medium bowl. Add a generous pinch of salt and 2 cups of water. Refrigerate overnight.
The night before or just before cooking, prepare the herbs and greens: Wash spinach, cilantro and parsley, then use a salad spinner to dry very well. Run a knife through the spinach to cut leaves into large pieces. Trim the woody ends from cilantro, parsley and dill so that only leaves and tender stems remain. Roughly chop cilantro, parsley, dill, chives and mint leaves into pieces no larger than a quarter. If preparing ahead of time, wrap chopped greens and herbs in plastic bags and refrigerate overnight.
To cook, set a large (at least 10-quart) Dutch oven or stockpot over medium heat and add 4 tablespoons oil. When the oil shimmers, add the chopped onion and a generous pinch of salt. Cook, stirring regularly, until the onion is tender and golden brown, 16 to 18 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
Drain the beans and add to onion along with the lentils, turmeric and 1 teaspoon pepper. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring to coat the beans with oil and spices. Add the chopped spinach and herbs, along with stock or water, and stir to combine. Partly cover the pot with a lid and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer the soup for 1 hour, stirring regularly to prevent the greens from sticking and burning. If the soup remains very thick even after the greens have wilted, add another 1 to 2 cups water, as needed to thin it.
Place 1½ cups kashk in a medium bowl. Add a ladle or two of hot soup and whisk to dissolve, then add the mixture to the pot. The kashk will change the color of the soup from bright to milky green. Increase the heat and bring the soup to a boil, then break the noodles in half and add to the pot. Stir gently to mix in the noodles and keep them from sticking together, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until noodles are soft and chewy and the beans are completely tender, about 30 minutes.
In the meantime, prepare the garnishes: Set a medium frying pan over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add 2 tablespoons oil. When the oil shimmers, add sliced onion and a generous pinch of salt. Cook, stirring regularly, until golden brown and caramelized, 16 to 18 minutes. Spread cooked onion onto a paper towel-lined plate to absorb excess oil; let cool. Wipe out pan and return to medium heat. Add remaining ⅓ cup oil and warm gently over low heat, then stir in dried mint and remove from heat. Set mint oil aside and allow to steep for at least 5 minutes.
Place remaining ½ cup kashk in a small bowl and thin out with a few tablespoons of water until it’s the texture of thin yogurt. Set aside.
The soup should be as thick as a hearty chili. If it’s any thicker, thin it with water, ½ cup at a time. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt as needed, accounting for the fact that both the noodles and the kashk are well salted.
To serve, ladle soup into individual bowls. Drizzle with reserved kashk and mint oil, then top with a sprinkling of golden onions.
Butter Paneer / Butter-Cottage Cheese
Recipe from: Manisha (Prospect Researcher)
Ingredients
For onion-tomato puree
1 tbsp butter
2 pods cardamom
1 inch cinnamon stick
1 pod black cardamom
3 cloves
1 onion, roughly chopped
3 clove garlic
1 inch ginger, chopped
2 tomato, roughly chopped
1 cup water
1 tsp salt
For curry:
1 tbsp butter
½ tsp jeera (cumin seeds)
1 bay leaf
¼ tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder (you can use ½ tsp to make it milder)
¼ cup cream (full cream)
15 cubes paneer / cottage cheese
few threads saffron / kesar (optional)
½ tsp kasuri methi, crushed (fenugreek leaves)
¼ tsp garam masala (available at Indian stores)
Method
Firstly, in a pan heat 1 tbsp butter and saute 2 pods cardamom, 1 inch cinnamon, 1 pod black cardamom and 3 cloves.
Now add 1 onion, 3 clove garlic and 1 inch ginger.
Saute slightly until onion softens.
Further, add 2 tomato and saute slightly.
Also, add 1 cup water and 1 tsp salt. Mix well.
Cover and boil for 20 minutes or until it softens completely.
Cool completely and transfer to a blender. Blend to smooth paste without adding any water.
Sieve the puree, making sure the puree is smooth and silky. Keep aside.
In a large pan/ wok, heat 1 tbsp butter and saute ½ tsp jeera (cumin seeds) and 1 bay leaf.
Keeping the flame on low add ¼ tsp turmeric and 1 tsp chilli powder.
Saute slightly until the spices turn aromatic.
Add in the prepared tomato-onion puree and mix well.
Further, add ¼ cup cream and mix until everything is well combined.
Add in 15 cubes paneer, few threads of saffron (optional) and mix well.
Cover and simmer for 5 minutes or until flavours are absorbed well.
Now add ½ tsp kasuri methi and ¼ tsp garam masala. mix well.
Garnish it with coriander leaves and serve with flatbread or garlic naan or rice.
Barberry Rice with Saffron Chicken (Zereshk Polo)
Recipe from: Afsoon (Admin.)
Ingredients
3 cups basmati rice
7 tablespoons kosher salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon saffron, ground with a mortar and pestle or in an electric spice grinder
3 tablespoons Greek yogurt
8 tablespoons melted unsalted butter, divided, plus more as needed
1 cup dried barberries*
2 teaspoons sugar
1 Batch Saffron Chicken
Method
Put rice in a large bowl of cold water. Swish with your hands to release starch, then drain. Repeat until water runs clear. In a medium bowl, dissolve 3 tbsp. kosher salt in 2 cups cold water. Add rice and soak at least 1 hour and up to 8 hours.
While rice soaks, microwave 2 tbsp. water until hot (not boiling). Add ground saffron; set aside to steep.
Fill a pot with 3 qts. water and 1/4 cup salt and bring to a boil, covered. Drain rice and add to the pot. Stir once gently. Bring back to a gentle (not rolling) boil, uncovered, and cook rice, skimming off any foam, until softened but still with a bite to it, 4 to 6 minutes. Drain rice in a colander and rinse quickly under lukewarm water. Let sit in a colander to drain fully.
Put yogurt in a medium bowl, add 1/4 tsp. saffron water, and stir to mix. Stir in 3 cups of drained rice and set aside. Heat another 2 tbsp. water until hot (not boiling). Add 2 tbsp. melted butter; set aside.
Set a 10- to 11-in.-wide dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid over medium heat. Add 3 tbsp. melted butter, swirling it around to cover the bottom of the pot and up sides by 1 in. With the back of a large spoon, spread the rice-yogurt mixture evenly across the bottom of the pot. This will be the tahdig (crispy rice) layer. Spoon in remaining rice to form a cone, with rice at sides of pot only 1/2 in. deep over tahdig layer. Using the handle of a wooden spoon, poke several holes in the rice cone (without disturbing the tahdig layer) so steam can escape. Drizzle butter-hot water mixture over rice.
Set the pot lid on a large clean kitchen towel, fold edges of towel up over lid, and cover pot with lid. Cook over medium heat (to set the tahdig) until steam starts to escape from beneath the lid, 10 to 12 minutes.
Turn heat as low as possible and cook rice, rotating pot a few times for even cooking, until rice is tender and tahdig is golden and crisp (check by lifting with a rubber spatula), 50 to 60 minutes.
Meanwhile, soak barberries: Sort through berries, picking out any stems and small stones. Put in a small bowl, add 2 cups cold water, and soak for 15 minutes to rehydrate. Drain.
Heat 1 tbsp. melted butter in a small pan over medium-low heat. Add barberries and 1 tsp. reserved saffron water. Cook, stirring, 2 minutes to just warm through. Stir in sugar; remove from heat.
Microwave 1 more tbsp. water until hot but not boiling. Pour into a medium bowl. Add remaining 2 tbsp. melted butter and remaining 1 tbsp. or so saffron water. When rice is ready, add 1 cup rice and 1/3 cup barberries, toss, and set aside.
Gently spoon about 1 cup cooked rice from the pot (without disturbing tahdig) and arrange on a platter. Scatter 2 tbsp. berries and a quarter of Saffron Chicken (including onions) on top. Repeat with the same amounts of rice, berries, and chicken to form three more layers. Top with saffron rice and barberries. Using a rubber spatula, gently lift out tahdig, break into pieces, and place around edges of rice.
*You can find dried barberries (zereshk) at Middle Eastern stores and online. They should be bright red; darker ones are usually old.
