This beautiful dish, with its reds, greens and yellows, is also called kookooyeh sehbzi. Delicious for breakfast or as a light meal, it keeps a few days refrigerated. It is easily transported for a breakfast on the go.

Ingredients:

8 eggs

1-2 tablespoons white flour

1 tablespoon red currants, or barberries (zershk), OPTIONAL, soaked 15 minutes and drained

1/3 cup (2-3 Ounces) crushed or finely chopped walnuts (gerdoo), OPTIONAL

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1-2 tablespoons cooking oil or butter

1 1/2 to 2 pounds chopped mixed greens including:

• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) finely chopped fresh chives/green onion stems (tarreh/piAzcheh).
• 2 cups (16 ounces) finely chopped fresh parsley (flat leaf Italian preferred) (jafaree) OR spinach
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) fresh coriander leaves or cilantro (gheshneez) or 2 tablespoon dried
• 1/4 cup (2 ounces) fresh chopped dill weed (sheveed) or 2 tablespoons dried
• 1/2 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaf (shanbelileh)
• you may also use some shredded lettuce as part of the greens

Mix the eggs, 1/2 of the cooking oil, the flour, nuts, 1/2 the soaked currants and seasonings. Beat with a fork until the ingredients have been mixed well.

If you are using the oven method. you may wilt the greens by sauteing them for about 5 minutes in a little oil or butter.

Add the vegetables, and stir the mixture just until the vegetables have blended in. Overbeating breaks down the vegetables.

Put the oven setting to bake at 250 degrees (F). Pour the remainder of the cooking oil in an oven safe dish at least 8-9 inches square. Pour the vegetable mixture in the dish. Sprinkle on the remaining red currants.

Bake at this setting for about 40-45 minutes. You should cover the dish with aluminum foil at the beginning to prevent over-drying of the top crust. Remove the foil half way during the baking process. Alternate temrature: preheat to 350 degrees, bake 15-25 minutes covered and 10 minutes uncovered.

The dish shpuld be firm on the bottom and light brown on the top. Cut in square pieces before serving. Serve warm or room temperature.

In a large, non-stick frying pan, saute the green vegetables slowly until the volume is reduced by at least 3/4 and they have stopped releasing water and become rather dry. Mix the rest of the ingredients, pour over the vegetables, stir well and cover. Cook over a low meduium heat 10 minutes. Uncover, if just firm, cut into 4-8 wedges, turn over and cook uncovered another 10 minutes until firm. Serve warm or room temperature.

Notes and variations:

If the dish has a bitter aftertaste, you cooked the green vegetables too hot or too dry.

Chives, sometimes called garlic chives are the same as "tarreh". If you can't find fresh chives, you can use the stems of either scallions (piAzcheh) which are also called green onions, or the white portion of leek, shredded, which is the same as "tarreh farangi". Other possible additions: Mint Dried, ½ tbsp, Mint Fresh, 4 tbsp chopped, Savory Dried, ½tbsp, Watercress, 2 tbsp chopped. To make the Arabaian version ( Ijjah bil Tawabel) add 1/4 tsp sumac. To make the traditional Iranian New Year dish Kookoo Now Rooz , add chopped nuts and dried fruit, serving with thick yogurt and a fennel sprig garnish.

Other traditional variations include omitting the currants and walnuts and substituting 1-2 cups of lightly cooked, chopped or shredded vegetables such as fresh fava beans ('Eggah bi Ful Akhdar), cauliflower (Kookooyeh Gol-Kalam), potato (Kookooyeh Seeb Zahmini), green beans and onions (Kookooyeh Loobiyah sabz), eggplant and onions(Kookooyeh Baadenjaan), or chicken, lime juice and onions for the green vegetables. For these variations, dissolve 1 teaspoon of baking soda and a pinch (10 threads) of saffron or 1/4 teaspoon turmeric in hot water and beat the liquid into the egg mixture.