Ash

آش جو

(Aush-e-Joe)

Barley and Spinach Stew

Ingredients

• 1 Cup of dried green lentils
• 1/2 package of dried Aush (sometimes transliterated Osh) vegetables. These can be found at your local Persian or Armenian Grocer
• 1/2 package dried leeks. These can also be found at your local Persian or Armenian Grocer
• 2 large onions chopped
• 1 large onion sliced and fried until caramelized to use as a garnish
• 5-10 cloves of garlic (depending on your taste)
• 2 fresh bunches each of cilantro, curly parsley, Italian parsley, green onions, and spinach
• 1 tbsp dried fenugreek
• 1 can kidney beans drained and rinsed
• 1 can garbanzo beans drained and rinsed
• 2/3 - 3/4 cup barley
• water or stock (either beef or vegetable)
• 1 tbsp dried mint (for stew)
• salt
• ground black pepper
• celery salt
• onion powder
• dried mint (for garnish)
• olive oil

Directions

Aush is a time consuming process if you use any fresh greens. However, when made with half fresh and half dried greens the flavor is so much better than all dried that it is worth the effort.

Prepping the greens

We usually start this process right after lunchtime when making Aush for dinner.

1. Wash and pat dry all the fresh cilantro, spinach, and parsley
2. Remove the stems from the leaves and discard the stems (this is the time consuming part, we recommend you pair it with a good movie like the Godfather Part 1)

Making the stew

1. Season about 3 cups of water with salt, pepper, celery salt, and onion power
2. Add the dried lentils, bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer until almost soft (think al dente pasta)
3. Drain but save the liquid from the lentils

While the lentils are simmering

1. Soak the dried Aush vegetable and dried leeks in warm water and set aside
2. Chop onions and garlic
3. In a large stock or stew pot fry the onion and garlic mixture in just enough olive oil to coat or medium heat stirring occasionally to avoid burning
4. While the onions and garlic are frying, roughly chop the prepared greens and green onions in a food processor (this can be done by hand as well)
5. Squeeze the liquid out of the dried greens
6. When the onions start browning, add the 1 tbsp of dried mint and fry for another minute stirring constantly
7. Add the reconstituted greens and the dried fenugreek
8. Add enough water or stock to cover
9. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and leave to 20 minutes

When Lentils are cooked

1. Add the lentils, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, and barley
2. Add some of the liquid from cooking the lentils, the amount is determined by how thick you want the Aush to be. Keep in mind that the barley will absorb quite a bit of liquid
3. Simmer until the barley is cooked

Serve the stew with the fried onions, dried mint, and yogurt, labneh, or kashk.