Լ ա վ ա շ ի ե ռ ա ն կ յ ո ւ ն ի ն ե ր լ ո բ ո վ
The afternoon we spent cooking with Anahit Badalyan at her home in Goris, we thought she’d eventually run out of things to make with the big batch of beans she had cooked. We had challenged her the day before to show us all the ways you can use the city’s famous legumes, and two slam dunks in (a bean side dish and a bean salad), we figured we had maxed out. But then she started mashing beans and wrapping them in lavash. The resulting triangles (we called them “bean samosas”) may have been the favorite bean recipe of the day.
If using dried beans, start with 11/2 cups [240 g]; see Cooking Dried Beans (page 32). Buy the thinnest, most pliable lavash you can find. If using homemade Lavash (page 48), keep it covered to prevent it from drying out. If it starts to crack, spritz it with water, cover with a towel, and let it sit for a few minutes to soften up.
Serves 6 to 8
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp [90 ml] sunflower oil or other neutral oil, plus more as needed
1/2 yellow onion, finely diced
Two 15.5 oz [440 g] cans cranberry or pinto beans, drained, or 3 cups [720 g] cooked homemade beans
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
1 Tbsp chopped dill
4 large sheets Lavash (page 48)
To make the filling, in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, warm 2 Tbsp [30 ml] of the oil. Stir in the onion, lower the heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 4 minutes. Stir in the beans, salt, and pepper and cook until the beans absorb some of the seasoning and are hot all the way through, about 2 minutes. Turn off the heat.
Using a potato masher or an immersion blender, mash the beans in the pot to make a paste. Mash in the cilantro and dill and let cool to room temperature.
Cut the lavash into 12 strips 3 in [7.5 cm] thick and about 12 in [30.5 cm] long. Keep cut lavash covered or in a plastic bag so the strips don’t dry out.
To shape each triangle, position a strip of lavash in front of you vertically. Place about 2 Tbsp of bean paste at the bottom end of the strip. Pull the bottom left corner of the strip to the right side, about 3 in [7.5 cm] up from the bottom, to create a triangle that encases the beans. Next, take the bottom right corner of the triangle and fold it away from you to the left edge of the lavash to enclose the filling, “rolling” the triangle up the lavash and adding a layer to the triangle. Continue to fold the triangle all the way up the strip until all of the lavash is used up. If any extra lavash hangs off the edge, trim it with scissors. Once finished, place the triangle seam-side down and repeat with the remaining strips and filling.
Line a plate with paper towels. Heat 2 Tbsp of oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Place half of the triangles seam-side down in the oil and fry until golden brown on one side, about 1 minute, adjusting the heat as needed to prevent the lavash from burning. Flip the triangles over to brown the other side, 30 seconds to 1 minute more. Transfer to the paper towel–lined plate and repeat with the remaining oil and triangles. If the pan seems too dry after flipping over the triangles, add more oil. Let cool slightly before serving. Leftovers keep, refrigerated, for up to 3 days and can be reheated in a toaster oven for 3 to 5 minutes until hot in the center.
