On this Thanksgiving, enjoy recipes for some classic Armenian dishes.
Thanksgiving is a decidedly American holiday highlighted by the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and football games. Golden, overstuffed turkeys, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and green bean casseroles will be prominently displayed on festively set tables across this great land.
Happy Thanksgiving
Credit: The Armenian Kitchen
mmmm…pumpkin pie with a twist, some might say… .
By Liana Aghajanian via IanYan MAG
Considered to be the candy of the Middle East, dates have been cultivated around the Persian Gulf for eons and are now important crops in Turkey and Iraq. Egypt, Iran and Saudi Arabia are the three highest producer of dates, according to the UN Food and Culture Organization. Whether they’re of the Medjool or Bahri variety, dates form a staple in Middle Eastern households across the world.
Credit: IanYan MAG
Here’s a quick, easy recipe for making the classic Armenian manti.
By Karen via Globetrotter Diaries
Heat a pot of salted water and when boiling, put in your manti. Boil for 5 minutes and strain. Stir the yogurt until it is a bit runny and pour over the manti. Sprinkle with a touch of cayenne pepper and garnish with chopped parsley leaves. You can also melt butter and pour simple melted butter over manti. Enjoy this delicious Armenian treat!
Credit: Globetrotter Diaries
For the past 25 years, Jacqueline Dechkounian has worked in the New York offices of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America, where she has delighted the palates of some of the church’s most important figures with her renowned culinary creations. Here’s a special one for your kitchen.
1 package of kadayeef (Shredded Pastry)
1 stick melted sweet butter
½ cup mazola oil
Cream Filling
1 pint heavy cream
3 cups half & half milk
6 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons sugar
Syrup
2 cups sugar
1 ¼ cup water
1 teaspoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon orange blossom
½ teaspoon rose water
1. Mix the heavy cream, half & half, cornstarch & sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil with nonstop stirring until thickened and set aside.
2. Stir together the sugar and water, bring to a boil then add the lemon juice and keep boiling for 10 more minutes, shut the flame and add the rose water and the orange blossom, set aside to cool.
3. Loosen the kadayeef with hands, add the melted butter and Mazola oil, mix together with hands to coat evenly.
4. Spread ½ of the kadayeef into 9×12 inch. Baking pan, pat down the kadayeef firmly, add the cream filling then add the rest of the kadayeef on top pat again and bake on 350 degree until golden.
5. Cut the kadayeef into squares, add syrup on top of each square while serving as much as you like you.
For the past 25 years, Jacqueline Dechkounian has worked in the New York offices of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America, where she has delighted the palates of some of the church’s most important figures with her renowned culinary creations. A beloved member of the staff, her food has been enjoyed by generations of clergy, staff members, and visitors alike. His Holiness Karekin II even recently awarded Jacqueline with the prominent St. Nerses Shnorhali Award for her extended services to the Church.
Her influences did not come from her mother but from her father who owned a bakery in Lebanon, her daughter Maral recently explained. Jacqueline would help at the shop. “She likes to cook. She doesn’t let me cook,” Maral affectionately added. “She invents recipes.”
Jacqueline is now ready to bring her kitchen to you. To celebrate her successes at the Diocese, she and Maral, also a member of the Diocese staff, will be sharing Jacqueline’s recipes with the FAR community on our blog. They will be posted on a regular basis for our readers to enjoy, so keep your eyes open and your stomachs empty. We all look forward to her first recipe!
Jacqueline at the Diocese
Credit: Diocese of the Armenian Church of America
And I was looking everywhere for a great Armenian Summer recipe -
Here it is. Summer Dolma.
The smell inside Anahit Harutyunyan’s corridor draws attention and kicks saliva glands into action. Summer dolma is on the stove and all neighbors know that the odor leads to a pot of good eating.
The women in the building accuse Anahit of having a “secret” ingredient that she guards closely.
Anahit agrees that she does: Her cooking philosophy . . .
“When preparing food, you must put soul in to it, this is the most important. One must have good thoughts, the mood should be high. One must think that people will not get enough of it while tasting,” says Anahit.
Cooking summer dolma is a real festivity for 62-year old Anahit. She follows all kitchen rules while preparing dolma. The process is launched when Anahit puts a kilo of milled beef into a bowl, adds 250 grams of pork fat, 7-8 onions, 200 grams round rice and a little bit of warmish water. While mixing the mincemeat by hand, she adds greens and spices.
Please continue reading here. And try the recipe, it is delicious.
Credit: ArmeniaNow
