Պ ա ն ր խ ա շ
lavash and cheese bake
You know when you taste something and you think there’s no way so much flavor comes from so few ingredients? Panrkhash is one of those things. On his first trip to Armenia, John ate it in Gyumri and was baffled that a dish could be made simply with strips of lavash, some onion, some water, butter, and cheese. We knew we needed to find out more. At Old Armenia, a classic restaurant in Gyumri, we watched as chef Armenuhi Marukyan layered lavash pieces with shredded cheese, caramelized onion, and a generous amount of melted butter. Then she poured hot water over the top. The whole thing looked, well, dubious—until it was baked and a golden miracle of bread and cheese emerged from the oven. Could mac and cheese ever be this good?
If you’re using store-bought lavash, look for classic Armenian-style lavash, the thinnest kind you can find. You will need approximately 2 sheets of purchased lavash. If using homemade Lavash (page 48), have at least 6 sheets just to be on the safe side, to avoid coming up short. For a stronger cheese flavor, crumble in a little blue cheese with the string cheese.
Serves 4
1/2 cup [115 g] plus 1 Tbsp [15 g] unsalted butter, plus more for buttering the bowls
6 sheets homemade Lavash (page 48) or 3 sheets purchased lavash
1/2 yellow onion, finely diced
2 cups [170 g] shredded and chopped string cheese
2 cups [480 ml] hot water
Preheat the oven to 450ºF [230ºC]. Butter two 6 in [15 cm] wide ovenproof bowls or ramekins.
Cut two 6 in [15 cm] squares of lavash (these will cover the top of each bowl). Cut the remaining lavash into 1 in [2.5 cm] squares.
In a saucepan over medium-high heat, melt 1/2 cup [115 g] of the butter. Add the onion and sweat until softened, about 4 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat.
To assemble the panrkhash, in each bowl, build up four layers, alternating 1/2 cup [21 g] lavash squares and 1/4 cup [21 g] cheese and ending with cheese. Top each bowl with half of the onion-butter mixture and pour 1 cup [240 ml] of the hot water over the top of each bowl.
Place 1 lavash square over each bowl and dot each square with half of the remaining 1 Tbsp of butter.
Bake until the tops of the lavash squares are golden brown and the cheese is bubbling and melted, 10 to 15 minutes. Leftover panrkhash keeps, refrigerated, for up to 5 days. Reheat in a 350ºF [180ºC] oven until hot all the way through.
