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Robin

@parchmentknees.bsky.social

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Robin

@parchmentknees.bsky.social

My friends made a pandemic cook book and this was my contribution - “telephone” ash reshteh.

TELEPHONE ASH RESHTEH
From Robin, adapted slightly from Heidi Swanson at 101cookbooks.com, who got her recipe from Greg and Lucy Malouf's Saraban: A Chef's Journey Through Persia. None of us are Persian, so this is a bit of whisper-down-the-lane (telephone), where the end result is far from traditional. Ash Reshteh is served in the celebrations leading up to Nowruz, and if you want a more classic version, Samin Nosrat has one for the NY Times (though, of course, the comments there suggest that most families have their own traditional approaches). During the pandemic, my ideal meals were pantry meals that didn't require me to make a special trip to the store-given the number of ingredients required, this soup is not quite that, but I find it deeply comforting, and it's variable enough that as long as you stick with the basics-a lot of herbs, acid, noodles, beans-you'll probably get something delicious in the end. It has a lively flavor and many textures that make it a nice change from most of the soups and stews I spend my winter eating. It also freezes very well!

INGREDIENTS
Yield: ~4 servings, but I don't know how much you eat
Time: 15 minutes prep, 20-30+ cook. 35 min - 1hr+ total
•Olive oil (2 tbsp, and then tbsp)
•2 onions (each thinly sliced, and then divided)
•1 moderately spicy pepper, finely chopped (red chili, serrano, or jalapeno in a pinch)
•1/2 tsp ground turmeric
•1 tsp ground cumin
•1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
•8&1//2 cups / 2 liters good-tasting stock/broth - if you're cooking your beans from dry, use the bean broth as a base
•100g / 3.5 oz yellow split peas or brown lentils
•1&1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (if you're using canned, this is 1 can, and you should rinse before using. If you're starting with dry, you need about 1/2 cup dry)
•2 cups / 350g cooked beans - cranberry beans preferred, but you could use white or pinto beans without a problem (I always cook these from scratch, starting with about 2/3 cup dry, but you could get away with using canned, and just use 1 can's worth)
•fine grain sea salt
•3&1/2 oz / 100g spinach leaves, finely shredded (frozen works fine)
Heaping 1/4 cup finely shredded cilantro leaves (about 3/4 of a bunch)
•1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
• juice of one lime
•120 g egg noodles - thin are more traditional, but I use whatever I can get my hands on
How to cook the noodles depends on whether you're going to eat your soup all at once, or have leftovers/freeze some. If I'm feeding just myself, I cook the noodles separately, and store them separately, so that I can mix them into the soup as I eat each portion and they retain some bite. (You also don't want to freeze the noodles with the soup.) On the other hand, if you're eating most of the soup at once, you can cook the noodles directly in the soup broth (this also adds starch to thicken the soup. which is more traditional). Instructions for both below.
•1 tablespoon butter, for making topping
•Yogurt, sour cream, or creme fraiche for topping
•Handful of toasted chopped nuts (walnuts, sunflower seeds, almonds, etc) for topping

INSTRUCTIONS
If you're cooking the chickpeas and cranberry beans from dry, follow your preferred bean cooking method, but throw some aromatics in the pot(s) so you can use your bean broth as the base for your soup. I usually use a parmesan rind, carrot, celery, bay leaf, and some leek or scallion tops from my freezer - and then bump up finished the bean broth with a little vegetable bouillon in the end to get something that tastes delicious.
Heat the 2 tbsp of the olive oil in a large, thick bottomed soup pot over medium heat. Add one sliced onion and the chile and cook until they soften, a few minutes. Add the spices and cook for another thirty seconds, just long enough for them to toast a bit.
Stir in the stock. Bring to a boil and add the split peas to the pot. Cook until they are just tender, about 25-40 minutes, depending on your legume.
In the meantime, you can prepare the toppings. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large frying pan over medium heat along with a couple big pinches of salt. Cook the second sliced onion, stirring occasionally, until golden, crispy and little caramelized, about 15 minutes. Set aside. Wipe out your pan and toast the nuts if you need to.
If you're cooking your noodles separately, bring a pot of water to boil. Salt generously once boiling.
Once the split peas are tender stir in cooked chickpeas and cranberry beans.
Add the noodles - to the soup pot or to your pot of boiling water. As the noodles are cooking, add the spinach, cilantro, and dill to the soup pot. Season with salt to taste.
Once your noodles are done cooking (aim for just past al dente), remove the soup from heat. If you cooked the noodles separately, drain them and add a generous handful to each soup bowl.
Add a big squeeze of lime to the pot or serve wedges along with each bowl of soup. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking.
Serve each bowl topped with a big spoonful of caramelized onions, some yogurt/creme fraiche/sour cream, and a sprinkling of nuts.

December 16, 2025 at 1:55 AM

Reposted by Robin

Negin Owliaei

@neginowl.bsky.social

“I urge you not to let chains silence you, nor borders restrain you. Be bridges toward the liberation of the land and its people, until the sun of dignity and freedom rises over our stolen homeland.”

May we never forget Anas Al-Sharif’s last words.

August 10, 2025 at 11:45 PM

Reposted by Robin

jamelle

@jamellebouie.net

it is, effectively, a view that nothing should be done to solve any problem if there might be a trade-off somewhere for someone who you could code as “marginalized.” it is just anti-government conservatism with a different aesthetic!

January 7, 2025 at 2:54 PM