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beef-patties-with-pomegranate-sauce-and-carrot-rice

What is comfort food? It’s an emotional experience, not so much what we’re eating, but how it makes us feel. Nostalgic, content, peaceful. A reminder of our homes growing up. My good friend, Sivan, invited me into her beautiful home to show her my version of comfort food, but she challenged me to show her a dish that I’ve never made before. Something that’ll create this emotional experience we crave so much. Growing up in a Persian home has molded my own definition of comfort food–for me, it has always been something warm and stewy, and obviously served with rice. We par cooked the rice 70% of the way then worked on the filling, perfuming the oil with cardamom before cooking down our onions until sweet and caramelized. Next some carrots and pistachios, then to brighten things up orange zest and its juice. To take it over the top, some saffron for its golden color and floral aroma. We folded this gorgeous mixture into some rice, then tahdigified it. We served this rice alongside beautifully seasoned beef patties, layered with fresh herbs and aromatic spices. Our patties also get a sauce inspired by fesenjan, one of my favorite Persian stews. Walnuts, pomegranate molasses, and date syrup bring the character here. Once the patties were fried, we let them gently simmer in the sauce, giving the flavors time to deepen and weave into the meat. Then finally it all came together.

Ingredients