Armenian potato - egg salad

Almost everyone has a few uncracked Easter eggs in the fridge, along with a nice portion of cold roast lamb. If you're like us, neither will go to waste just as they are.

But if you want to dress them up the Armenian way, here are two ideas.

Armenian Potato-Egg Salad
Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

1 lb. boiled potatoes, peeled, cooled and sliced
4 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and roughly chopped
½ cup parsley, chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
Dash allspice
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil, to taste

Directions:

1. Place sliced potatoes and chopped eggs in a large mixing bowl.
2. Gently toss in the parsley, onion and seasonings.
3. Lightly dress with a little olive oil.
(Note: If you’d like, you can add a little white vinegar or fresh lemon juice with the olive oil.)
4. Serve immediately.

Lamb and Pilaf

Yield: 4-6

Ingredients:

1 recipe for Pilaf (see Armenian Recipe link)
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp. Olive oil
1 to 1 ½ cups cooked lamb, cut into chunks
½ tsp ground coriander
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Prepare Pilaf recipe as directed, except substitute the rice with bulgur (#2 works well). If you don’t have bulgur, use the rice. That will work just fine, too.
2. Sauté the onion in olive oil until slightly golden, about 5 min. Add the lamb chunks and seasonings and cook two more minutes.
3. Stir the onion-lamb mixture into the cooked Pilaf. Heat thoroughly.
4. Serve with a crisp, tossed salad for a fabulous meal!

(Note: If you start out with leftover Pilaf and lamb, this recipe is a snap!)

Armenian pepper paste

Red pepper paste is one of those secret ingredients that a cook might neglect to mention when sharing the recipe with someone else.

My maternal grandmother, Yeranuhe Nanny, used red pepper paste in many of her homeland recipes - from Sarma Gurgood(Tabbouleh), to Banerov Hatz (Cheese Bread), to potato salad - or whatever recipe she fancied.

She wasn’t sneaky ; she mentioned the use of red pepper paste whenever someone wanted her recipe. What she didn’t tell them was that you had to MAKE it yourself!

Sure, today you can buy the paste in some Middle Eastern stores, but not many of them carry it, so you might still have to make it if you want to capture the true essence of Nanny’s recipes .

As a child I’d watch Nanny toil over the preparation. She’d go to the farmer’s market and buy several bushels of red peppers at the peak of their season, when prices were low.

She’d cut them, remove the seeds, wash them, then hand-grind the peppers. Then she cooked the ground peppers in a large pot until the liquid was evaporated. The next step was to spread the pepper mash onto baking sheets and sun-dry them for 1 to 3 days depending on the heat and humidity.

Nanny sat outside, guarding her trays against flies and other insects, or change in weather. If there was a threat of rain, she’d quickly snatch the trays and haul them upstairs to her kitchen.

The paste was ready when it turned a brownish-red color, and the consistency was more like tomato paste. Nanny would place the paste in small sterilized jars, put a little olive oil on top, tightly cover the jars, and refrigerate the amount that would be used soon.

The rest went into the freezer for year-round use.

Here’s a modern spin on the original red pepper paste recipe.

Red Pepper Paste

Ingredients:
6 large red bell peppers
½ tsp. cayenne pepper (add more if you want more heat, but be careful!)
1 tsp. salt
Olive oil

Directions:
1. Wash the peppers, and remove the seeds, and white membrane.
2. Chop into small pieces.
3. Grind in a food processor, using the metal S-blade. Squeeze out any excess liquid from the peppers.
4. Spread the ground peppers in a large skillet, stir in the salt and cayenne pepper, and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat to a simmer, cook, stirring periodically for about 45 minutes, or until the pepper mixture begins to resemble a thick paste.
6. Spoon the red pepper paste into small, sterilized jars. Pour a little olive oil over the top of the paste. Cover tightly, and refrigerate.

At this point you can freeze the red pepper paste. The trick is to use plastic ice cube trays. Place about a tablespoonful of paste in each ice cube compartment.

Cover with heavy freezer wrap, and place trays in freezer. When ready to use, remove the number of red pepper paste cubes you need and defrost in the refrigerator. Keep the other “cubes” frozen until needed.

Armenian Pancakes

In our recent recipe search, some of our dearest readers have come through with some recipe suggestions.
To refresh your memory...Pam Moroukian was looking for a type of pancake, souvazogh. In answer to this, 2 readers indicated that it sounded like “dzevadzegh”, an omelet or French toast-type recipe.

Here’s what Shushan has sent in. Pam, let us know if this hits home.
Shushan wrote:
“Here's the recipe for Dzevadzegh (French Toast) from the ‘Tasty Armenian Dishes’ cookbook:

2 eggs, beaten
1/3 to 1/2 cup milk
Pinch of salt, optional
Sugar and cinnamon, maple syrup or favorite jam
4-6 slices day old white bread
1 tbsp butter or margarine

Combine eggs, milk and salt. Heat frying ban and grease lightly. Soak bread slices on both sides in egg mixture. Melt 1/2 tbsp butter for each slice of bread, fry soaked bread on both sides until golden brown. Sprinkle sugar and cinnamon, or spread with jam or maple syrup. Serves 2-3.

Hope this helps!”

**********************************************************
OPTION #2:
Here’s a recipe option I found in Sonia Uvezian’s cookbook, “The Cuisine of Armenia”. It’s called, ‘Armenian Pancakes’, or Dabagaplit.

1 egg, beaten
1 ½ Tbsp melted butter, cooled to lukewarm
½ cup water
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour (approximately)
½ tsp salt
1 ½ tsp baking powder
clarified butter**
sugar

1. In a mixing bowl combine the egg, melted butter, and water; blend well.
2. Gradually stir in the flour salt and baking powder until a soft, smooth dough is formed.
3. With the hands lightly floured, shape into 1 1/4 inch balls.
4. Using a rolling pin on a floured surface, roll each ball into a circle about 5 inches in diameter.
5. In a small, heavy skillet, melt a little clarified butter. Add the circles of dough and fry one at a time until golden brown on each side. Keep the cakes warm while the others are cooking.
6. Add more butter to the pan as needed.
7. Sprinkle with sugar and serve hot.

** Clarified Butter: Melt 1 pound butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat. Don’t let butter turn brown. Remove any foam which rises to the surface. Remove from heat. After a few minutes remove any foam that remains on the surface. Transfer the clear butter to a storage container. Discard any residue from the bottom of the saucepan.
Cover the clarified butter and refrigerate. Use for frying or baking.

OK, Pam, it's up to you to let us know which one is closer to what you're looking for.
If anyone has another recipe option, we're open to suggestions.

Armenian Meat Loaf

Armenian Meat Loaf

 As I was organizing my recipe folder, a small piece of old newspaper flew off the shelf. I was about to throw it away when I realized it was a recipe for Armenian Meatloaf that I found in a newspaper years ago. I had tucked it in my recipe folder then promptly forgot about it. Its reappearance came at a perfect time.


We’re always looking for ways to stretch our food budget, yet maintain a healthy balance of nutrients. One way we do this is to incorporate bulgur in as many recipes as possible. We stock up on bulgur whenever we go to the Middle Eastern store because they generally sell all sizes of bulgur in bulk, allowing us to save a pretty penny. What we don’t use is stored in the freezer; it keeps for a very long time.
A word of warning: if you purchase bulgur at Whole Foods or other upscale grocers, you won’t, I repeat, won’t, be saving money! 

After modifying the recipe to suit our taste, Armenian meatloaf become our dinner that very night. Served with cooked carrots and a tossed salad, it was a very satisfying meal.


Armenian Meat Loaf
Yield: 6 servings


Ingredients:
1/2 cup uncooked fine (#1) bulgur
Warm water
1 ½ lbs. ground beef, lamb or a combination of the two
1 small zucchini, shredded 
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup finely chopped flat leaf parsley
1 garlic clove, minced
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp. freshly ground coriander
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. black pepper
*****************
3 Tbsp. pomegranate jelly, melted (apricot jelly or preserves can be substituted – or - omitted completely)


Directions:
1. Place the bulgur in a medium-sized bowl. Pour enough warm water to cover the bulgur. Cover with bowl with plastic wrap and let rest until water is absorbed. Once bulgur is soften, strain excess water, if any.
2. Combine ground meat, shredded zucchini, softened bulgur, onions, parsley, garlic, egg and seasonings. Mix well. Shape into a loaf.
3. Place loaf in a shallow baking pan. Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 55 minutes.
4. Brush top of meat loaf with jelly/jam, if using. Return to oven and bake another 3 to 5 minutes. Allow meatloaf to rest 10 minutes before slicing.
5. Serve with your favorite side dishes.

Armenian Lamb Burgers

Last summer, we cooked up a plan to teach Americans a thing or two about lamb but wound up with egg on our face instead.

My bad, as the kids say.

I waited until the last minute to make a video entry for the American Lamb Board's annual grilling contest, and we got rained out.

This year, the calendar and the weather both cooperated. We're officially entered -- and our fingers will remain crossed until the winner is announced July 15.

We're particularly excited because this year's challenge is to make the "ultimate lamb burger."

That would be luleh kebab, right?

I mean, seriously! We sure couldn't think of anything better, so we stuck with a very basic recipe for Armenian ground lamb rolled into the traditional sausage-without-a-casing shape.

I have to say: It tasted pretty good to us!

Check out our entry video and let us know what you think.

Here's the recipe we followed:

Armenian Lamb Burgers (makes six portions)
1 1/4 pounds ground lamb shoulder
1 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. allspice
3/4 tsp. coriander
1/2 tsp. ground red pepper

Also chop 1 medium onion and one bunch parsley and set aside.

Directions:
Add the seasonings to the lamb and mix thoroughly. Of course, you can adjust the seasonings to taste: Make a small patty and cook it on the stove to test the mix before proceeding.

Divide the meat into even portions and shape each by rolling between your hands.

Cook on a hot grill (charcoal rather than gas, if you can), turning frequently with tongs. Serve well done.

We like to grill veggies at the same time: tomato, squash, bell peppers.

Serve on lavash or other flat bread. Place each burger on a piece of bread, add a sprinkle of the onions and parsley, and wrap as you would any other sandwich. You can also wrap in some of the veggies.

Really, no other condiments are necessary. Unless you've really incinerated the meat, the lamb should be juicy enough to require no sauce.

Armenian Lamb and Mango Stew

The best part of mango season here in Florida is the end, when the ripe fruit tumbles from the trees and spreads across lawns and backyards.

Friends beg you to take home a bag or two. Some people actually leave piles of them by the curb, inviting passers-by to scoop them up.

We came home with a surprise armload of free mangoes the other day and decided to try something a little different instead of the usual mango desserts.  We had lamb on the brain, as usual, so we settled on a lamb-mango stew.

Mango isn't part of the Armenian kitchen tradition, but apricots and other fruits are. We wondered,  could our local bounty be a tasty substitute?

The short answer is: Yes!

A New Fusion Cuisine is Born :Flormenian Cuisine  (Floridian-Armenian).
We knew mango and lamb would work because it's done in India, although the recipes we found were variations on curry. We wanted a more traditional Armenian taste, and we also wanted to keep it simple. 

We have a habit of freezing lamb tidbits -- the pieces that don't quite work as kebab -- so we started by defrosting a container full. We also cooked up some fresh neck bones and picked the meat off them. (You know the drill: You just boil and boil, and then boil some more.)

We wound up with about two cups of well-trimmed lamb meat, and about three cups of broth. Basically, we added about two cups of sliced mangoes, seasoned the mix and kept on cooking.

The main seasonings: sumac, coriander, onions and garlic. If you're not familiar with sumac, you should cozy up as soon as you have the chance. It's a tart berry, almost lemony but with a unique flavor. 

We infused the broth by placing two tablespoons of the whole, dried sumac berries in a tea strainer and letting it simmer for about 10 minutes.

The sumac balanced the sweetness of the mango perfectly. We also added a little heat with some fresh, diced ginger and a heaping tablespoon of Aleppo red pepper.

The result tasted something like an Armenian chutney: sweet, but not too sweet.

Overall, we were really happy (and a little surprised) at how nicely it all came together. One thing we'd change: I put all the mango in the broth with the lamb and let it all cook together for almost an hour. As a result, the mango pretty much melted. I should have reserved half the mango for the last 10 or 15 minutes for more fruity chunks.

Armenian Lamb Mango Stew (serves 4)
2 cups cooked, trimmed lamb meat
3 cups lamb broth (or chicken broth)
2 cups sliced, fresh mango
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed 
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon finely diced fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
2 tablespoons whole sumac, or 1 teaspoon ground sumac
salt and black pepper to taste
1 cup fresh yogurt 
a few springs of fresh mint

Directions:
1. Start with broth in a stew pot, reserving the lamb. Bring to a simmer. 
2. Place the sumac in a tea strainer and lower into the broth. Leave it there about 10 minutes, until the broth is flavored. If you don't have a strainer, or whole sumac, you can just add ground sumac when you add the other seasonings. If you don't have either, use a tablespoon of lemon juice. 
3. Sauté the onion, garlic and ginger in olive oil until just soft but not brown, then add to the broth.
4. Add 1 cup of the sliced mango, reserving the other.
5. Add the lamb.
6. Add the red pepper and coriander, plus salt and black pepper to taste.
7. Cook it all for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mango is blended and the lamb is tender.
8. Add the rest of the mango and cook another 10-15 minutes. 

Serve over white rice, or pilaf if you like. Garnish each serving with a dollop of cold yogurt and a spring of fresh mint. And don't forget to eat the mint!

Armenian Iced Tea

It’s heating up again outside in the sunny south and our thirst level is on the rise. There’s no better way to quench our thirst than to sip a tall, icy glass of iced tea (“chai” as Nanny would say). In the deep south you’ll get sweetened tea unless you specify unsweetened, so be careful what you order.

In our home - and on the road, we prefer unsweetened tea. 

You don’t even need tea leaves to make iced tea. All you need, really, is cold water, fresh, aromatic herbal plants, some spices to jazz things up, and sweetener, if desired. If you grow your own herbs, that’s great. We don’t have a traditional garden, just containers on our patio filled with a variety of herbal plants, such as mint, basil, and lemon grass.

To make 8 cups of Armenian-style tea, you’ll need:

8 cups cold water
2 cinnamon sticks
about 4 whole cloves
3 to 4 tea bags (optional)
sweetener to taste, if desired

1. Place the water in a large pot. Tie the cinnamon sticks and cloves in cheesecloth; place in the water. Bring to a boil; simmer about 10 minutes.
2. Remove pot from heat; remove the cheesecloth with the cinnamon sticks and cloves, and discard.
3. Add tea bags to pot, if using, and allow to steep about 5 minutes. Discard tea bags. Add desired amount of sweetener, if using; stir until sweetener is dissolved.
4. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
5. To serve, pour in tall glasses filled with ice.

Variation: Mint Iced Tea

For minty iced tea, follow the same instructions as above, EXCEPT: add about 1 cup of fresh mint leaves, slightly crushed to release their flavor, or two tablespoons of dried mint (tied in cheesecloth) to the boiling water, and eliminate the cinnamon and cloves. Remove tea bags, and strain mint leaves before adding sweetener. Sweeten as desired. Serve with ice.