Fire

Before dinner I went outside to fetch kindling and some new logs for the fire, hurriedly opening the woodbox and steeping back inside the apartment before the cold seeped into my flesh far enough to penetrate and cling.  I made the fire and sat and read while my husband baked pizza, and we ate in front of the fire, watching the logs turn from dark shapes, still allied with trees and water, into red-gold embers that pulsed like the interior of the earth far beneath the snow that covers the city and the cornfields, the dark flowing river running over rocky tombs, white with the skeletons of sea creatures.

On the kitchen counter is a small glass containing liquid of the same reddish gold, where I poured boiling water over crushed saffron threads and covered the lip of the glass with a saucer to keep the steam and the full perfume inside. Half was stirred with eggs and herbs for today's Persian omelette; half reserved for tomorrow's chicken stew.

You see, we search everywhere now for the molten sun, and swallow it when we can.

Comments

[Dave]

Saffron? Damn, y'all are livin' large!

[kaycie]

It is very cold here today, icy and wet, not fit for humans, my husband would say. I tried to eat and drink in the warmth all day.

[Loretta]

This post warms me to the core. The imagery is glows.

[Rachel]

Yes. Oh, yes.

[Fred Garber]

Beautiful! Great advent story, too! Tell us more about the Persian omelette

[beth]

Dave, my Iranian friend brought me a big package of saffron so I've been feeling like I can use it instead of hoarding it...

Thanks, Kaycie, Loretta, Rachel. I was trying to write words that would hold some of that warmth...glad if they did.

Fred, here it is. The proper name for this kind fo a dish is "Kuku" - this would be Eggplant Kuku (kuku-ye bademjan), one with herbs only is "kuku-ye sabzi". Preheat oven to 350. Boil some water and pour it onto 1/4 teaspoon of saffron threads, crushed in a small glass, and immediately put a saucer on top of the glass to concentrate the perfume. Set aside while you do the rest of the recipe. Cut up a cup and a half of eggplant, a good-sized potato cut in small cubes, and 1/4 c of onions, and fry them in a skillet with olive oil until the pieces are pretty soft and getting golden. Remove from heat. Chop up another cup or two of fresh mixed herbs: I used cilantro, parsley, and dill. Chop 1/3 cup of walnuts. In a bowl, beat 4 or 5 eggs. Put the vegetables, walnuts, and herbs into the eggs along with your saffron water, 1/4 cup of lime juice, salt and a generous amount of freshly ground pepper. Stir it all up, and turn the mixture into an oiled terra cotta pot, or a cast iron skillet, or a pyrex baking dish - something about 10" round that will be OK in the oven. You can dust the inside with bread crumbs if you want, it's not necessary but tastes good. Bake at 350 for half an hour or a bit more, until the eggs are set and puffy and it's beginning to get golden on top. Let cool for five minutes or so, and cut into wedges and serve plain or with yogurt, or even yogurt with squeezed, grated cucumber. Kukus are also excellent when cold, for a picnic, and you can vary them to incorporate other vegetables, or make them with just eggs and herbs. I especially like the addition of the walnuts and potatoes because it makes the omelette heartier and more complex. I often use spinach instead of the eggplant - fresh or frozen works well, just cook it lightly and squeeze out the excess moisture before putting it with the eggs.

You can also cook this on top of the stove in a skillet that has a cover.

[marja-leena]

Beautiful imagery and colours and flavours, Beth. Thanks for the recipe, a very interesting and herb rich variation of an egg dish I sometimes make.

[Cassandra]

Looks like we have some views in common. See an election insider's view at www.cassandrachanting.com

[rr]

Swallowing the molten sun. Yummmmmmmeeeee. I shall make this for the spawn and tell them it is the molten sun.

"Kuku" is the Swahili word for chicken. I wonder if, like quite a proportion of Swahili, it is derived from Arabic and the two terms, the egg dish and the progenitor of the ingredient, are related.