Free The New Persian Kitchen by Louisa Shafia

drained
    Pinch of saffron, ground and steeped in 1 tablespoon hot water
    Grated zest of 1 lemon
    1 egg, whisked
    Freshly ground black pepper
    Preheat the oven to 450°F.
    Fill a medium bowl three-quarters full with cold water. Cut the lemon in half, squeeze the juice into the water, and throw in the rind.
    Slice off the top third of 1 artichoke with a serrated knife, and cut off the stem to make a flat base. Pull off the small leaves around the bottom, and snip the tips of the remaining leaves with scissors. Stretch open the center of the artichoke with your thumbs, and pluck out the inner yellow leaves. Pull out the purple choke, and scrape out the fibrous hairs with a melon baller, a grapefruit spoon, or a paring knife. Place it in the lemon water to prevent browning, and repeat with the remaining artichoke.
    In a medium bowl, whisk the lemon juice with the mint, oil, and garlic. Add a pinch of salt, and set aside for a few minutes to allow the mint to soften.
    Whisk together the ricotta, saffron, and lemon zest in a small bowl, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix in the egg. Spoon the ricotta into the center of the artichokes.
    Place the artichokes in a rimmed baking dish. Pour the mint oil over the artichokes, drizzling it on the outer leaves as well as the filling. Add a splash of water to the baking dish, and cover tightly. Roast the artichokes for 1½ hours, until the flesh is very tender and the ricotta is firm and doubled in size.
    Serve warm, topped with the pan juice. To eat an artichoke, pull off the leaves and dip the fleshy part in the pan juice. When you reach the center, cut into the ricotta and the artichoke heart with a fork.
     
    Islam at the Dinner Table
    While Iran has been a Muslim country for more than a thousand years, it was only in the sixteenth century that Iran’s ruling Safavid Dynasty officially declared its allegiance to the Shia sect of Islam. Until that time, Iran had been principally Sunni, like most of its Arab neighbors and like the majority of Muslims throughout the world.
    So what sets Shia Muslims apart from Sunnis? The break between the two sects came some fourteen hundred years ago, when the Prophet Mohammed died. One group of the prophet’s followers believed that leadership of the community should pass to Ali, the prophet’s cousin and son-in-law, and these people became the Shiites. A larger group, who would become the Sunnis, wanted the prophet’s friend Abu Bakr to lead. The Sunnis succeeded in electing Abu Bakr to the role of caliph , or supreme ruler of the Islamic empire, and although Ali eventually became the fourth elected caliph, he was assassinated, and the Sunnis won out once again. When Ali’s son Hussein—the prophet’s grandson—came of age, he tried to take back the caliphate, but he was killed in battle in Karbala, Iraq, by the Sunnis. Hussein became a martyr, and his death is commemorated yearly in Iran on the day of Ashura , when passion plays reenact the details of his demise, and men whip themselves in street processions in a ritual show of grief.
    Still, like all Iranian holidays, Ashura is observed with celebratory eating. On the street, food is freely distributed in what resembles a giant outdoor festival stretching across neighborhoods, with candles lighting the way to huge vats of delicious Persian stew, which is spooned into hundreds of bowls for strangers and friends alike. The traditional foods served include gheimeh stew of lamb and split peas, rice or adas polo (rice with lentils), chicken, sholeh zard rice pudding , and tea. Known collectively as nazri , these foods take on a special significance on Ashura, and are thought to bring blessings and fulfill wishes for those who prepare and eat them.
    Along with their Sunni neighbors, Shiites celebrate the holy month ofRamadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. At Ramadan, Muslims fast throughout the daylight hours, in observance of the holy days when the words of the Koran were