Persian Fingerling Potato Quiche with Chives (kookoo sibzamini)

The Persian kuku is similar to a quiche, but is a little more dense. This recipe for Persian Fingerling Potato Quiche with Chives (Kookoo Sibzamini) is a twist of the traditional Persian version and uses sliced potatoes instead of mashed.

I do not pride myself of being a connoisseur of Persian foods. My mother cooked the stews we loved when we were growing up, but we didn’t branch out and try the other wonderful Persian dishes.

Typically, we’d try new things when we went to visit my mom’s side of the family in California or when my grandparents would visit us from Iran. Just like many other families, food and cooking is central in our lives.

My grandmother (pictured below) was an amazing cook. When I think of her, I remember her in the kitchen cooking and the smells emanating from her kitchen and down the hall outside as we approached her apartment.

My Aunt Louise is also an exceptional cook. She wrote up (in farsi) a collection of her recipes for her kids. My mother translated these recipes years ago into English for the younger generation (like me) to enjoy. I still use my Aunt’s cookbook as a reference to traditional Persian cooking.

My Uncle Parviz is also an amazing cook. He doesn’t believe in cookbooks. He’ll follow a recipe loosely if it’s new to him, but he immediately makes it his own. When I attended the college, I lived in the same town as my uncle and I frequently went to his house for weekend getaways and good food.

This is how I spent my free-time my freshman year!

My aunt was sweet and said, “Laura, we love having you here, but you can’t spend every weekend here!”

How could I turn down this good food?

Now that I have my own family to cook for, and a non-traditional Persian for a husband, I find myself going back to my mom, aunt and uncle to learn to cook some of our family’s favorite meals. I also have added my mother-in-law to my consulting group, although her family is from a different part of Iran.

But, I still tend to cook like my Uncle Parviz. I look at a recipe and make it my own.

This is what I did with this Kookoo. Persian Kookoo (or kuku) is similar to a quiche, but more dense and not as eggy. You can also make this dish with mashed potatoes, recipe here. Pictured below is Kookoo Sabzi (Persian Herb Quiche). It is made with six different herbs and is extremely aromatic and delicious.

With traditional potato kookoo, you boil the potatoes first, peel them and then mash them. I have that traditional mashed potato kookoo recipe here. Then you mix it with egg and bake it. I didn’t want the extra step of boiling the potatoes, and since I still had fingerling potatoes left over from the Idaho Potato Commission, so I came up with this version.

I cut the fingerlings into thin slices and mixed it with eggs, chives, milk and saffron. Then I baked it until it browned. The result was a fabulous. I shared this for lunch with my friend on a pool play date and paired it with a green salad.

Want to learn more about Norouz and the Persian New Year? I have put together an ebook that has all the history, traditions and recipes of Norouz, in a beautifully photographed ebook. And it’s only $1.99! Learn more here!

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Yield: serves 8

Persian Fingerling Potato Quiche with Chives (Kookoo Sibzamini)

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The Persian kuku is similar to a quiche, but is a little more dense. This recipe for Persian Fingerling Potato Quiche with Chives (Kookoo Sibzamini) is a twist of the traditional Persian version and uses sliced potatoes instead of mashed.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Additional Time 15 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

• ⅛ tsp crushed saffron
• 1 ½ tsp hot water
• 6 large eggs
• ¼ cup diced chives
• ¼ cup milk
• 1 tsp salt
• ⅛ cup ground black pepper
• 1 lb fingerling potatoes

Instructions

1. In a small bowl combine crushed saffron and hot water. Let it steep for 10 minutes before using.
2. Preheat oven to 375ºF.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, chives, milk salt and pepper.
4. Scrub fingerling potatoes clean and cut in thin slices.
5. Stir in saffron liquid into the egg mixture.
6. Mix in potato slices.
7. Spray 9-inch ceramic pie dish with cooking spray and pour in the egg-potato mixture.
8. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until top is lightly browned.
9. Let it cool for 15 minutes prior to serving. Or, cool completely and serve at room temperature.

Notes

Serve as a side dish, for breakfast or with a salad for lunch.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1 wedge
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 111Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 140mgSodium: 351mgCarbohydrates: 13gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 6g