March 20, 2010
Cher is more flamboyant than Armenian Food.
— Mr. Cher Scholar
I must say the best place to have an Armenian dinner party would be in the city of Los Angeles, a city to where many Armenians migrated during the period of Armenian Genocide by the Turks during and after World War I. Is it a coincidence that Turk rhymes with Jerk?
When Armenian refugees came to California, they settled in areas like Glendale and Hollywood. This may have originally included Cher’s grandparents and her father. In a recent interview with the Armenian-American press, Cher says she remembers her grandma’s food.
“…the family would often visit her father’s relatives in Fresno. “All of my relatives were living there, in Fresno. A huge family, and my great grandmother never learned to speak English. My grandmother spoke English, but she called women ‘He.’ She got [English] a little bit, but she didn’t get it great. But they were great. They were really happy to see me, and my grandmother taught me how to make sarma, kufta, and all kinds of things. I really enjoy and love the food. Armenian food is brilliant.”
(Paul Chaderjian from the February 16, 2006 Armenian Reporter)
Because every Cher zine has had a food component, I threw an Armenian food party on the night of the Cher Video Marathon.
The Appetizer: Eggplant & Roasted Garlic Babakanoosh
If you’ve ever had Greek, Middle Eastern, or Iranian food, you’ve had baba ghanoush (that dip of many spellings). It’s basically an eggplant dip and usually served in all the same fine restaurants where you normally find hummus. Of the two dips, I have come to like hummus better because it’s smoother and with loads more garlic. But I never turn my chip from a bowl of baba ghanoush. It’s a good choice for a trio of dips, usually served with pita bread or pita chips.
Ingredients:
1 large head garlic, roasted* [see below]
3 large eggplants, whole with skin on
1 medium Vidalia onion, red or other sweet onion, chopped
1/2 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped [optional]
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco Sauce [optional]
Salt and pepper, to taste
Preparation:
On a gas or preferably charcoal barbecue, roast the whole eggplant evenly on all sides until the skin is charred or the eggplant is soft. Set aside and let cool. Peel off charred skin, or scoop out the soft insides of the eggplant and place in a large bowl. Add garlic, olive oil, onion, parsley, basil, Tabasco sauce, salt and pepper to taste.
* Roasted Garlic: Peel outer skin layer from head of fresh garlic, leaving cloves and head intact. Place head on double thickness of foil; top with 1 teaspoon butter and a sprig of fresh rosemary or oregano [or 1/4 teaspoon dried]. Fold up and seal. Bake in a 375° oven for 55-60 minutes. Squeeze cloves from skins and set aside. Discard skins.
Cher Scholar Notes: This recipe was very strong but I think we overdid the onions.
Main Course: Easy Sou-Berag (Armenian Lasagna)
A meatless noodle dish
Ingredients:
1 lb lasagna noodles
1/2 cube melted butter
1 lb. grated jack cheese
1/2 pint small curd cottage cheese
1/2 pint ricotta cheese
2 eggs [well beaten]
1 cup chopped Armenian or Italian parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint leaves [optional]
(serves 6)
Preparation:
Cook lasagna noodles in salted water until soft and pliable. Lightly butter a baking dish and line with a layer of noodles. Mix the remaining ingredients together and layer a portion of this on the noodles. Add another layer of noodles and another layer of the mixture. Make sure the last layer is noodles. Brush the remaining butter on top of the noodles and bake in a 350° oven until golden brown. Cut into 3-inch squares and serve. Good hot or cold.
Cher Scholar Notes: I didn’t love this lasagna. It seemed a bit dry and felt overcooked to me. I also found the idea of lasagna bland without a tomato element. However, this dish was a huge hit at the party (what do I know?) and all of it went. All of it.
Desert: Filled Armenian Cookies
Ingredients:
5 1/2 cups Swansdown® or Softasilk® flour
3 eggs beaten
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter
Preparation:
Beat eggs well and add to melted butter. Dissolve sugar into milk and add to the eggs and butter. Mix flour and baking soda together and slowly add to the above mixture to form a soft dough. Roll out about 1/4 inch thick and cut into 2 1/2-inch iameter circles. Place a teaspoon full of the filling onto the circle, fold over and seal the sides together so as to make an egg shape with the filling inside. Bake cookies in a 350° oven for 20-25 minutes.
Filling:
2 cups finely ground walnuts
2 egg whites [beaten]
1 tablespoon sugar
Pinch of cinnamon
Mix the above in the order presented.
Cher Scholar Notes: Again, a bit bland I felt, with or without the almonds (we did both). They were also time-intensive to make. At least it looked like they were. Mr. Cher Scholar made them, including the inspired Cher-show logo centerpiece cookie.
The recipes for My Armenian Dinner Party came from the website Dining at Noah’s Table at
http://www.thegutsygourmet.net/
My friend Julie Wiskirchen of the web blog Julie and Jello (http://julieandjello.wordpress.com/) arrived with a lovely Jell-o made to match the colors of the Armenian flag. It was delish.
We also ordered some items from an LA fast food Armenian eatery called Zankou Chicken (http://www.zankouchicken.com/). Armenian food is usually very good if I’m not cooking it. The Zankou Chicken food we received from the West Los Angeles location was fresh and tasty:
—Rotisserie Chicken
—Hummus (the other ubiquitous Middle Eastern/Greek/Iranian/Russian dip). I have never understood how countries with such similar food have such a hard time getting along. I mean Mexico and the US eat drastically different cuisines and yet we’re not trying to kill each other. You’d think food, being so primal and necessary to life, would bring folks together.
—Mutabbal – their version of baba ghanoush (it was better than mine)
—Tabbouleh Salad – another ubiquitous dish of the Middle East
—Pita Bread
Zankou Chicken is also famous for the scandalous LA murder of its owners in January of 2003. I read all about it in a story in LA Magazine. Armenian refugee Mardiros Iskenderian started Zankou Chicken in Los Angeles in 1983 using his mother’s recipes, specifically for her secret garlic sauce. In 1991, the business spit between Mardiros’ parents and sisters and Mardiros himself when he wanted to go off and expand the franchise. Mardiros started having health issues. Distrust built up between him and his mother and sisters. On January 14, 2003, he murdered his sister, his mother (of the great garlic sauce recipe) and then he killed himself. Some believe his advanced cancer affected his mental state at the time. Mardiros’ wife, who had never worked in her life, took over his restaurants and the heirs of Mardiros’ sisters still operate their restaurants. The family is still feuding over the restaurants.
Cher Made These!
Grape Leaf “Sarma”
Ingredients:
1 lb. ground lamb meat (not lean)
1 can tomato sauce
1 large onion chopped fine
4 c. chopped parsley
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 tbsp. sweet basil
1 tbsp. salt
Black pepper and cayenne to taste
½ c. lemon juice
¼ c. rice
¼ c. large bulgur (cracked wheat)
Preparation:
Mix all ingredients, knead together. If using prepared grape leaves, wash and drain well. If using fresh grape leaves, wash first, place in boiling salt water until color of leaves changes. (Do not boil too long). Then drain. Arrange damaged leaves in bottom of roaster or pan to prevent the sarma from burning while cooking. Put rough side of leaf on dish, put a little of the meat mixture on it and start wrapping. Arrange wrapped leaves in roaster or pan. Pour one half cup canned tomatoes, or fresh if preferred. Add enough broth to cover. Add a little salt over top.
Bring to a boil in oven about 400°, then reduce to 250°. Let cook 1 hour.
(Recipe from Mrs. Azniv Barooshian on armenianeyes.com)
Kufta (Stuffed Meat Balls)
Ingredients:
1 lb. lean ground beef
1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley
1 onion
1 egg
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. ground pepper
1 tsp. salt
Preparation:
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Let stand 1 hour to blend flavors. Mold into sausage shape around flat metal skewers (or shape around handle of round wooden spoon). Moistening your hands with cooking oil will help mold the meat mixture. Place kufta on grill over hot coals. Turn frequently to brown evenly until meat is done as desired, 10 to 15 minutes. Makes 8 to 10 servings. (Recipe from cooks.com) ◙
From Cher Zine 3: This Is Cher
