In Persian, Nan-e Barbari translates to “bread of the Barbars,” a group of people, now referred to as Hazaras, who traditionally lived near Iran’s eastern borders. One of the unique features of this flatbread is that its surface is spread with roomal, a flour and water paste, before baking, which puts a layer of moisture directly on the bread. Over the years, steam ovens have replaced the use of the ancient bread-baking technique. This recipe lets you create a bread with a crisp crust without the need to make steam in the oven.

For dinner tonight, this flatbread was paired with homemade Creamy Vegetable Soup. While many vegetable soups include cubed potatoes, when I make soup I opt to leave the cubes out and to use a different form of potatoes. For thickening my soup, I added potato flakes instead of heavy cream. This decreases the fat in the soup while still including the taste of potatoes to the mix.

Creamy Vegetable Soup (serves 4)
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups water
2 Tablespoons Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Base
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup frozen green beans
2 carrots, sliced (today I used some shredded carrots left over from making a carrot cake)
1/4 cup potato flakes
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon of each of these spices: dill seed, oregano, parsley, thyme
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:
Over medium heat, cook the celery, onion and garlic in olive oil until softened but not browned. Add water and bouillon and bring to a slow simmer. Add the vegetables, potato flakes, milk and spices and simmer for 15 minutes. Serve and enjoy!