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Los Angeles Times
Feb. 29, 1996
LANDING ON ARARAT; RECIPE COLLECTION CELEBRATES ARMENIAN HERITAGE
By BARBARA HANSEN
[Passages]
BODY: Hermig Janoyan held up a plate of confections as pale as snow,
as chewy and nutty as nougat. Embedded with sesame seeds, the candy
came in two shapes: flat squares and rolls stuffed with walnuts.
This, Janoyan said, is the special halvah for the feast day of St.
Sarkis. It was her contribution to an Armenian luncheon that just
happened to take place on the saint's day, Jan. 31.
And so we nibbled on the luscious halvah, along with pastries called
kadayif and incredibly creamy gatnabour (rice pudding). All this on
top of a hefty lunch of kuefta (ground meat croquettes with a bulgur
wheat crust), chicken kebabs, bulgur pilaf, peda bread, salad and the
diluted yogurt drink tahn.
....
The book is selling rapidly because collections of heritage recipes
like these are rare. It was printed in Fresno, which has a large
Armenian community, and the first printing of 1,000 copies is already
gone.
The St. Sarkis halvah recipe is in the book, contributed by Vanda
Mazmanian, who specifies that the sugar be measured in Armenian
coffee cups. Janoyan, who researched the chapter on Armenian feast
days, explains that engaged girls and brides fast for a couple of
days at this time, then are honored at a feast at which the halvah is
presented on a tray along with fruit that conceals a gift of gold
jewelry.
Listening to these women talk whets your appetite to try their
recipes. Manoush Simonian said proudly that she has contributed an
authentic recipe for kebabs. The skewered meats are so important to
Armenians that the retirement home kitchen is equipped with a large
grill just for them.
Mary Zoryan described how she stacks burner plates and hot pads to
keep a potful of rice pudding from burning during the hours it takes
to cook to the right consistency.
Dolores Samuelian, cookbook committee head, recalled how her mother
collected sumac seeds from plants growing wild in her Chicago
neighborhood. From these, she ground the maroon powder Armenians
sprinkle over such dishes as fattoosh, a salad that contains toasted
peda bread, and manti, meat dumplings served in broth with a spoonful
of yogurt.
The book contains six versions of manti and three of fattoosh, just
as there are eight styles of kebab, eight recipes for yalanji sarma
(rice- stuffed grape leaves), 11 variations on the bread known as
choereg and four versions of kadayif. The idea is not to repeat but
to show the variations from household to household and place to
place.
Ararat Home's Armenian chef, Arut Durgaryan, contributed a recipe
for cabbage sarma (meat and rice-stuffed cabbage leaves), and the
residents provided inspiration and information for the book.
"Many of these recipes live only in the minds and memories of these
people," the dedication states.
The book, illustrated with photographs and drawings of Armenian
artifacts, is enclosed in a sturdy cover that allows it to stand
upright. It contains more than 500 recipes, mostly Armenian, and a
few American favorites.
* To order a copy, send a check for $24.50, which includes postage
and handling, to Ararat Home of Los Angeles, Attention Cookbook
Committee, 15105 Mission Road, Mission Hills, CA 91345. Make checks
payable to the Ararat Home Cookbook Committee. Allow four to six
weeks for delivery.
MANOUSH SIMONIAN'S SHISH KEBAB 2 pounds boneless leg of lamb 5 large
onions 1/4 cup chopped parsley 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 3
tablespoons cider vinegar 1 teaspoon ground cumin, optional 1/2
teaspoon red pepper flakes 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon ground black
pepper 2 green bell peppers 10 plum tomatoes Cooked rice, optional
Remove all visible fat and gristle from lamb and cut into 1 1/2- inch
cubes.
Thinly slice 1 onion. Combine sliced onion, parsley, olive oil,
vinegar, cumin, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Mix well. Add
lamb and stir to coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate several hours or
overnight.
Cut remaining 4 onions in quarters. Cut bell peppers into 2-inch
pieces.
Thread lamb cubes onto skewers. Thread tomatoes, onions and bell
peppers onto separate skewers to allow for individual cooking times.
Grill lamb kebabs over hot coals, turning occasionally to cook lamb
evenly, about 15 minutes. Then place vegetables over coals and cook
until tender, about 5 to 10 minutes. Serve skewers over bed of rice.
Makes 4 to 6 servings. Each of 6 servings, without rice, contains
about: 387 calories; 265 mg sodium; 109 mg cholesterol; 18 grams fat;
18 grams carbohydrates; 38 grams protein; 1.47 grams fiber. DOLORES
SAMUELIAN'S CHEOREG
Samuelian has lowered the cholesterol in this rich bread by using
nonfat milk, substituting oil for butter and giving egg whites as an
option to whole eggs. As a variation, she suggests using half
whole-wheat flour and kneading in 1/2 cup raisins.
3 (1 1/4-ounce) packages dry yeast
2/3 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup warm water
3 eggs or 6 egg whites, beaten, plus extra beaten egg for glaze
1 cup nonfat milk
2/3 cup safflower or canola oil
2 1/2 pounds flour (about 10 cups)
Sprinkle yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar over warm water and stir. Let
stand 5 minutes, or until foamy. Combine eggs, milk, oil and
remaining 2/3 cup sugar in large bowl. Stir in yeast mixture and mix
until well combined. Sift enough flour into mixture to make dough
that is sticky but not wet. (Oil hands if necessary to facilitate
kneading.) Form dough into ball, cover and let rise in warm place
until doubled, about 2 hours.
Punch dough down. Place on floured surface and shape into long
narrow cylinder about size of baguette. Cut crosswise into pieces 1
1/2 inches long. Roll each into rope. Tie into knot. Place on greased
or foil-covered baking sheets. Brush tops with extra beaten egg. Let
rise in warm place 30 to 40 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees until golden
brown, about 20 minutes. PAGE 5 Los Angeles Times, February 29,
1996
Makes about 25 cheoreg. Each cheoreg contains about: 253 calories; 15
mg sodium; 51 mg cholesterol; 7 grams fat; 41 grams carbohydrates; 6
grams protein; 0.14 gram fiber. FAMOUS ARARAT HOME KADAYIF
Susan Jabejian gets the credit for this recipe, served at an annual
picnic at the home. The vermicelli-like kadayif dough (also known as
shredded filo) is available at markets that sell Middle Eastern
products.
2 pounds kadayif dough
1 1/2 cups butter, melted
1 quart half and half
1 quart whipping cream
3/4 cup cornstarch
3/4 cup milk
4 cups sugar
3 cups water
Few drops lemon juice
Cut and fluff 1 pound kadayif dough in bowl with hands. Add half
melted butter and mix until strands are evenly coated. Spread evenly
in lightly buttered 17x13-inch baking pan.
Combine half and half and cream in large saucepan. Bring to slow
boil over low heat.
Combine cornstarch and milk, stirring until cornstarch is dissolved.
Slowly add to cream mixture, stirring constantly, until mixture
returns to slow boil. Spread hot cream filling over kadayif in pan.
Cut and fluff remaining 1 pound kadayif in bowl. Add remaining
melted butter and mix with hands until strands are evenly coated.
Spread over top of cream layer, pressing down firmly to form even
surface. Place on lowest oven rack and bake at 450 degrees until
golden, about 20 to 25 minutes. If not golden, move pan to top rack
and bake 5 to 10 minutes longer.
Meanwhile, prepare syrup. Combine sugar and water in pan and boil 5
to 10 minutes. Add lemon juice. Cool. Pour cold syrup evenly over
kadayif as soon as it is removed from oven. Cut into squares to
serve. Makes 24 to 30 servings. Each of 30 servings contains
about:
458 calories; 163 mg sodium; 81 mg cholesterol; 25 grams fat; 56
grams carbohydrates; 6 grams protein; 0 fiber.
Kitchen Tip
Katayif (kadayif, kataifi) -- also called knafeh -- is a traditional
Near Eastern pastry dough that looks like angel hair pasta when raw
and Shredded Wheat when cooked. It's made by dribbling a thin batter
through tiny holes onto a warmed griddle, where it dries enough to be
handled. You can buy it ready-made at almost any store that sells
Near Eastern products. (Hardly anybody makes it at home, even in the
Near East.)
Although it's sometimes called shredded filo dough, katayif really
has nothing to do with filo except that it's used in the same sorts
of pastry. The threads of dough, rubbed with butter so they won't
stick in baking, are usually rolled into tubes around a filling or
layered with a filling in a baking pan, baklava-fashion.
GRAPHIC: Photo, Shish kebab like mom used to make. KIRK MCKOY / Los
Angeles Times; Photo, Dolores Samuelian and Hermig Janoyan test the
halvah. RICARDO DE ARATANHA / Los Angeles Times; Photo, (APOLLO
SHREDDED FILLO DOUGH)
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