Ash-e Sak (آش ساک) — Gorgani Spinach and Lamb Ash

• 180 gdried chickpeas (rinsed and picked over)
• 1.5 lwater
• 450 glamb shoulder (cut into 3 cm cubes)
• 2medium yellow onions (1 quartered for the broth and 1 thinly sliced for garnish)
• 1.5 tspground turmeric
• 10 gfine sea salt
• 1 tspground black pepper
• 90 gshort-grain rice (rinsed until the water runs mostly clear)
• 700 gfresh spinach (washed, dried, and roughly chopped)
• 6 clovegarlic (thinly sliced)
• 60 mlneutral oil
• 2 tbspdried mint
• 180 gkashk (stirred smooth before using)
• 60 mlboiling water (for loosening the kashk)
• 30 mlPersian verjuice

Instructions

1. 1

   Put the chickpeas in a bowl with 1.5 l water and soak them for 8 to 12 hours. Drain them well before cooking, because the soaking water can make the ash taste dull and can slow the softening of the legumes.

2. 2

   Place the soaked chickpeas, lamb shoulder, quartered onion, 2.2 l water, turmeric, black pepper, and 6 g of the salt in a heavy pot. Bring to a boil, skim the foam carefully for 5 minutes, then lower the heat and simmer partly covered for 90 minutes.

3. 3

   Add the rinsed rice and stir well so it does not settle and scorch on the bottom of the pot. Continue simmering for 25 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until the rice begins to break down and thicken the broth.

4. 4

   Add the chopped spinach in two additions, letting the first addition wilt before adding the second. Stir in the remaining 4 g salt and cook for 20 minutes, until the greens are tender and the soup has a deep green, porridge-like body.

5. 5

   Lift the lamb pieces onto a plate and shred them with two forks, discarding any large pieces of connective tissue. Return the shredded lamb to the pot and mash about one-quarter of the chickpeas against the side of the pot to give the ash a naturally thick texture.

6. 6

   Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium heat and fry the sliced onion for 10 to 12 minutes, until golden and crisp at the edges. Add the garlic and cook for 60 to 90 seconds, then remove the pan from the heat and stir in the dried mint so it blooms without burning.

7. 7

   Whisk the kashk with 60 ml boiling water until smooth, then stir about two-thirds of it into the pot. Add the verjuice and simmer gently for 5 minutes, keeping the heat low because hard boiling can make the dairy in the kashk separate.

8. 8

   Taste the ash and adjust only with the measured balance already built into the recipe, adding no more than 15 ml extra hot water if it has become thicker than a spoonable stew. Ladle into warm bowls and finish each serving with the remaining kashk and a generous spoonful of the onion, garlic, and mint oil.