Secret Recipe: Kookoo Sabzi — The Wondersmith (2024)

Fall and winter are filled with nostalgia and memories. Just the scent of cloves instantly brings me back to sitting in front of the woodstove with my sister, industriously poking cloves into oranges to create pomanders. I can remember the tile underneath my folded ankles, the warmth on one side of my face, and the excited chatter that filled us so often in the days leading up to Christmas. I’m sure you have your own such memories. Is cinnamon the elixir that sends you back in time? The smell of a roast in the oven? The bright fragrance of fresh conifer branches?

When I talk to my sister about our shared memories, I’m often surprised at just how different our accounts of the same experience are. (She likely remembers how I hogged all of the cloves, which I’m probably guilty of.) I do not think she is lying or editing the story; what she recounts is legitimately what she remembers. The same goes for me. It’s almost as if those stories are a game of telephone, told over and over (if only to ourselves) until they become warped and re-painted.

One memory that does remain pretty clear in many peoples’ memory in this region is their first experience with stinging nettle. This relative of the mint family has thin little silica spines filled with irritating acid on its stalk and the bottom of its leaves. One brush against an unseen nettle will definitely remind you of its name: a sharp, itching burn that seems to last for ages. Perhaps that’s why anytime I post a recipe containing stinging nettle, I get a few shocked responses from people who think I’m crazy to put something so painful in my mouth! The great thing about nettles, though, is that it’s actually really easy to break down those painful spines and in return you get a highly nutritious and flavorful wild green to use in a wide variety of recipes. All you need to do is boil it, steam it, cook it, dry it, tincture it, or freeze it to remove the sting. Just make sure you wear protective gloves and clothes to harvest and anytime you are handling it in its raw state.

Many people recommend substituting nettle for spinach in your favorite familiar recipes, citing that the flavors are similar. While you certainly can do that, I think nettle deserves a little more focus. It has a distinct flavor that I absolutely adore - it smells almost a bit spicy and sharp, with umami undertones and a mineral-like saltiness. These flavors are subtle, but they do wonders in rounding out the predominant green vegetable flavor. Nettle is delicious. I LOVE stinging nettle.

That’s why when I stumbled on a recipe for Kookoo sabzi in the book referenced above, I got really excited. This Persian recipe is a bit like an omelette or a frittata, except it contains WAY more greens. In fact, it’s more like a delightful parade of herbs bound together with a little egg. As soon as I started reading the ingredients list, my mind practically screamed “nettle! Nettle!!” I was equally excited to find such a fresh, green preparation. Sometimes the rich and heavy foods of the season feel a bit too much for me, and it’s lovely to have some lighter treats to balance it all out.

Kookoo sabzi is also really versatile. It makes a meal on its own, perhaps accompanied by some yogurt and flatbread. It can be cut into smaller pieces for snacks and appetizers. It can be eaten warm, room temperature, or chilled. And did I mention that it’s a very festive shade of dark green? It’s the perfect canvas for creativity, which is something else Naz Deravian talked about in a beautiful way: