18. Armenia

Pamidorov Dzvadzekh (Tomato & Egg Scramble)

Ingredients:

3 eggs lightly beaten
3 medium size tomatoes
1 tablespoon butter or ghee
1 green pepper (optional)
2 stalks of green onions (optional)
Fresh dill weed
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Submerge tomatoes into the boiling water and let them sit for a few minutes. Once the skin starts cracking carefully remove with slotted spoon and put into the ice bath. Peel off the skin and remove the core. Cut into slices and put into the pan. Simmer for about five minutes, then add butter and cook for another minute. Lightly beat the eggs and spread over cooking tomatoes. Cover and let cook for 3-5 minutes. Serve with fresh green peppers, chopped green onions or dill weed..

Bon Appetit! 

Eetch

An easy, vegan, Armenian appetizer or side dish

 Course Appetizer

 Cuisine Armenian

 Prep Time 10 minutes

 Cook Time 1 hour

 Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

 Servings 6 -8 servings

 Author Diana

Ingredients

• 1 cup finely ground bulgur
• 1 15 oz can tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup minced onion can use more/less to taste
• 1 cup finely chopped parsley can use more/less to taste
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup canola oil

Instructions

1. Place all ingredients in a medium bowl or reusable container. Stir. Place, covered, in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
2. Remove, stir with a fork (helps it "fluff up" a little), season with salt to taste (and more of any of the other ingredients, if desired), and serve chilled or at room temperature. This can either be eaten on its own, inside some pita bread, or with crackers.

Notes:

1. It is imperative that you use fine bulgur (burgol/bulghur, they're all the same). You CANNOT use coarse bulgur; it will not work, and you will not like this recipe.
2. You can use either flat leaf or curly parsley. Most Armenians use curly, but I've used both and there's not much difference in the flavors.

MANTI

1 pound lean ground beef

1 medium onion, grated

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon allspice
1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley

4 tablespoons tomato paste, divided

salt and pepper to taste

1 package wonton wraps, cut into quarters

8 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup non-fat plain Greek yogurt, for topping

1 clove garlic minced (optional)

In a medium bowl, combine the ground beef, onion, garlic, allspice, 1 tablespoon of the tomato paste and salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Spread out some waxed paper on a counter or table to protect the surface. Keep the wonton wraps under a damp towel to prevent them from drying out. You’ll need a small bowl of water for each person helping out. I like to work in batches. I lay out about ten to fifteen squares at a time, then using a 1/4 teaspoon measuring spoon I drop that amount of the meat mixture onto each square. Dip your fingers in the bowl of water, wet the outer edge of each square of dough and bring up the sides, pinch together while pushing down toward the table to create the little boats you see in the picture. Place each manti onto the parchment lined baking sheet. Continue until you’ve used all of the meat mixture.

Bake the manti on the center rack in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes until crispy, golden and crunchy. My oven can be very uneven, so I check often and rotate the sheet halfway through.

While the manti are baking, bring the chicken broth to a boil in a large pot over high heat. Add 3 tablespoons tomato paste and stir to combine. Taste for seasoning. Add salt and a bit of pepper if needed.

Once the manti have baked, you can immediately throw them in to the pot of broth. I like to take the pot off of the heat and let them sit for maybe 5 minutes.

Serve in bowls topped off with a healthy dollop of the yogurt. You can mix the minced garlic into the yogurt if desired. That is the traditional way to eat it. Personally, I like it plain.

NOTES:

• The wonton wraps come in 3 inch squares.  Cut them in half in both directions to get 1 1/2 inch squares.
• You can make batches of the dumplings and freeze them for later use. Just make sure to pre-freeze them on the baking tray for about a half hour in your freezer after they have cooled completely. Then put them in a zipper bag.
• The bowl used in the photo above deserves some credit! For the past several years, my friend Pat and I attend a fundraiser called Empty Bowls http://www.emptybowls.net  Their purpose is to raise funds to end hunger. Potters donate some beautiful bowls in which guests are served soup.  The guests take their empty bowls home to remind them of the cause. Pat was kind enough to give me her bowl…I think she knew I was eyeing it up! So, if you are interested, you can go to their site to see if there is an Empty Bowls event in your area.

Gata

Ingredients for Puff Pastry Gata Bread

• 1 pack of puff pastry  (or you can make your own, if you want)
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tbs unsalted butter at room temperature (do not melt it)
•  1/2 tbs vanilla extract
• 1 egg for egg wash

Gata Bread and Puff Pastry Preparation Process

1. Preheat the oven to 180 C (375 F)
2. In a bowl, combine and mix well together butter, flour and sugar.
3. If the mixture sticks together after you palm it, then the consistency is good
4. Open the puff pastry along your baking sheet to be about the same size
5. Spoon the butter mixture onto the pastry sheet and spread it evenly
6. Fold the pastry twice and cut it into medium sized pieces (the size can vary according to your taste)
7. Place the pieces on a baking sheet, aligned with parchment paper
8. You can dot the already folded and sliced dough with a fork to give it a nice design
9. Beet an egg and brush the pieces of gata with it.
10. Bake gata for about 25-30 minutes, or until they become nice and golden 

Bon appetite!

Alani

Composition:

• 200 g of dried peaches
• 200 g of walnuts
• 200 g sugar
• powdered sugar

Cooking:

1. Walnut chopped.
2. Mix the nuts with sugar.
3. Dried peaches pre-soak in hot water.
4. In each fruit we find the hole through which the bone was removed, and expand it.
5. Each fruit is filled with filling.
6. Finished Alani powder with powdered sugar.

Of course, store dried peaches are very different from home-dried peaches. But it turns out delicious snack dessert.

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Homemade Juice (Kompot)

5 from 2 votes

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Author: Natasha of NatashasKitchen.com

Skill Level: Easy

Cost to Make: $10-$12

Servings: 16 cups

Ingredients

• 15 apricots or 6 cups of pitted
• 4 cups of cherries
• 2 cups of blueberries
• 1 gal of water
• 3/4 cup of sugar or to taste

Instructions

1. Bring 1 gal of water to a boil.
2. Wash all the fruit. Cut apricots in half and remove the pits. Pit the cherries.
3. When the water starts to boil, carefully add fruit and bring water back to a boil.
4. Switch heat to medium and let the mixture boil for 30 min uncovered.
5. When time is up, remove from heat and stir in 3/4 cup of sugar or to taste.
6. Let kompot cool completely, strain off the juice and refrigerate. Serve chilled.

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