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| 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 LoafYield: 6 servings
Ingredients:1/2 cup uncooked fine (#1) bulgurWarm water1 ½ lbs. ground beef, lamb or a combination of the two1 small zucchini, shredded 1 cup finely chopped onion1 cup finely chopped flat leaf parsley1 garlic clove, minced1 egg, beaten1 tsp. freshly ground coriander1 tsp. salt½ 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.
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 shoulder1 tsp. salt3/4 tsp. allspice3/4 tsp. coriander1/2 tsp. ground red pepperAlso 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.
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 meat3 cups lamb broth (or chicken broth)2 cups sliced, fresh mango1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced2 cloves garlic, crushed 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes1 tablespoon finely diced fresh ginger1/2 teaspoon ground coriander2 tablespoons whole sumac, or 1 teaspoon ground sumacsalt and black pepper to taste1 cup fresh yogurt a few springs of fresh mintDirections: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!
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 water2 cinnamon sticksabout 4 whole cloves3 to 4 tea bags (optional)sweetener to taste, if desired1. 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 TeaFor 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.
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| Author Jane Haddam |
Have you ever heard of Oldways - a nonprofit in Boston interested in helping people learn to enjoy foods related to the Mediterranean Diet? Or Jane Haddam, author of the Gregor Demarkian series of mystery novels?I hadn’t... until recently.I became acquainted with Oldways, when Georgia Orcutt, their program manager, wrote to me asking for a recipe for Armenian Honey Cakes. She was contacted by a woman who is an avid reader of Jane Haddam novels.Apparently, the avid reader was intrigued by a line in one of Haddam’s recent books: “He had eaten an entire cookie tin full of honey cakes, and another cookie tin full of some hard cookie that he didn't know the name of.”The reader was interested in finding a recipe for these “honey cakes”.This is one determined person! The reader contacted the author, who directed her to the book, “Complete Armenian Cooking” (or something like that). The reader then checked with the Library of Congress to find that there was no recipe for honey cakes in that cookbook. Not wanting to bother the author again, Avid Reader found Georgia Orcutt at Oldways. Georgia didn’t have an appropriate recipe, began her own search and found ...... TheArmenianKitchen.com!It was at this point that I began communicating with Avid Reader directly. I scoured through my cookbooks, including “The Complete Armenian Cookbook” by Alice Bezjian, which I thought might be the one she referred to earlier. I found nothing. Continuing my search, I came up with three possible recipes which I adapted for home preparation, 2 Armenian Honey Cookie recipes, and one for Spicy Armenian Honey Cakes. I did warn Avid Reader that none of these were tested in our kitchen, so I couldn’t vouch for their quality. Here are the recipes I sent: Recipe #1:
Armenian Honey Cookies
3/4 cup butter, melted1 cup sugar1/4 cup honey1/4 tsp ground cardamom½ tsp ground ginger1 tsp cinnamon½ tsp salt1 egg2 tsp baking powder2 cups flour
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additional sugar for rolling
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1. Melt butter in a saucepan or microwave oven.
2. Place melted butter in a mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients (except additional sugar), and mix until well blended.
3. Chill for about 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
4. Shape dough into balls about the size of a walnut.
5. Place additional sugar in a bowl. Coat each ball in sugar.
6. Place balls on a lightly greased sheet. With your fingers, gently press each cookie to slightly flatten.
7. Bake in a preheated 375ºF oven for 8 to 10 minutes.
8. Cool on wire rack. When completely cooled, store in an airtight container.
Recipe #2:
Armenian Honey CookiesYield: about 4 dozenIngredients:
½ cup honey½ cup sugar2 large eggs3 cups all-purpose flour (approximately)1 tsp baking soda½ tsp ground cinnamon½ tsp ground ginger1/4 tsp ground cardamomdash salt
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1 egg white, beatenwalnut halves, optional
Directions:
1. Combine honey and sugar in a large bowl, mixing well. Add eggs; beat well.
2. Sift flour; set aside.
3. Sift baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, and salt into honey-sugar mixture; stir well.
4. Add enough of the sifted flour to make a stiff dough.
5. Shape into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 min. to 1 hour.
6. Remove ball of dough from refrigerator and flatten with your hand on it on a lightly floured work surface.
7. Lightly flour a rolling pin and roll dough to about 1/4 inch thickness. Cut with a round, two-inch cookie cutter.
8. Place each round on a greased cookie sheet about 1 inch apart. Brush top with beaten egg white, and press a walnut half in the center of each, if desired.
9. Bake in a preheated 375ºF oven for 12 to 15 minutes.
10. Cool completely on a wire rack.
11. Store in an airtight container.
Spicy Armenian Honey CakesYield: 20 to 25 cakes
Cake Ingredients:
4 ½ cups all-purpose flour1 tsp baking powder½ tsp baking soda1 ½ cups olive oil½ cup sugar 3/4 cup orange juice3/4 tsp ground cinnamon3/4 tsp ground cardamomdash salt
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Filling Ingredients:
1 cup chopped walnuts1 tsp cinnamon
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Cake Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, sift flour with baking powder and baking soda; set aside.
2. In a large bowl beat olive oil and sugar; stir in orange juice, cinnamon, cardamom, and salt until well combined.
3. Gradually add flour mixture to oil mixture, mixing well until a soft dough has formed.
4. Cover bowl and let rest about 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
5. In the meantime, prepare the walnut-cinnamon filling ingredients and set aside.
6. After 20 minutes, shape dough into walnut-sized balls, then flattening each.
7. Place ½ tsp walnut-cinnamon filling mixture in center of each.
8. Enclose the filling with the dough, pressing to seal.
9. Place on ungreased baking sheet; bake about 20 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. Cool.
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Syrup Ingredients:
½ cup sugar1 cup honey½ cup water2 tsp lemon juice1 small cinnamon stick
Syrup Directions:
In a medium pot, combine all syrup ingredients and bring to a boil, skimming any foam that comes to the surface. Cook about 5 minutes. Remove cinnamon stick; allow to cool a bit.
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Assembling Instructions:
Dip each cooled honey cake in warm syrup briefly and allowing excess to drip off. Place on serving platter.
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Topping Ingredients:
1 cup ground walnuts½ tsp ground cinnamondash ground cardamomTopping Directions:
Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle on each honey cake before serving.
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Avid Reader appreciated the recipes and decided the Spicy Honey Cakes seemed more like the small-formed cakes as described in Jane Haddam's book. She plans on giving it a go.Once she does, I’ve asked her to report back with photos, if possible.
By the way, if any of you have another Armenian Honey Cake recipe, we would gladly post it. Avid Reader might prefer yours!
