Throughout history, as they migrated from their lush homeland in the center of the spice route and on to new worlds, Armenian cooks have embraced new foods, integrating them into their daily fare to create a rich and varied cuisine. Tangy yogurt and cheeses, tart grape leaves and sharp pickled vegetables, a bevy of spices and fresh herbs, unctuous olive oil, nippy eggplant and Aleppo pepper, healthful grains for pilafs, nuts and dried fruits for savory as well as sweet dishes, all have long been cupboard staples. New basics, now so long assimilated it’s hard to remember they weren’t available until they were introduced from the New World in the sixteenth century, include essential produce: dried runner beans, green beans, bell peppers, potatoes, zucchini, pumpkin seeds for a favorite snack, and especially tomatoes, used every way—raw, cooked, stuffed, and stewed. Altogether, the cupboard holds a nutritious and fragrant mix, aromatic and colorful as a spice bazaar or open-air market. Following is a list of what to keep on hand. Most items are available in supermarkets and gourmet food boutiques. For the odd ingredients you might not find there, Near East, Middle Eastern, and Mediterranean specialty stores can provide, or you can order online from www.kalustyans.com, whose import selections are top quality.
Whole and ground, nuts are used and served from morning to night. Along with walnuts, which are the signature nut of Armenian cooking, always in the cupboard are almonds, pine nuts, and pistachios.
Sesame, one of the world’s oldest seasonings, is used whole or ground to a paste as tahini; pumpkin seeds, from the New World, are toasted for a favorite snack or suspended in sweet brittles.
Dried apricots, the quintessential Armenian fruit, along with dried figs, dates, prunes, sour plums, and raisins, are used in all manner of ways, from a vegetablelike element in savory dishes to the centerpiece of sweet desserts.
Most common are parsley, mint, cilantro, and dill, used fresh and profusely. In smaller quantities, frequently called-for herbs are bay, oregano, basil, savory, marjoram, thyme, and tarragon. These are usually used fresh, but sometimes dried as well. Rosemary and sage are practically unheard of in traditional Armenian cooking, but I say, herb away, and use them all.
For a full Armenian cupboard of spices, keep the following on hand.
Salt—sea or kosher salt; the recipes in this book all call for kosher salt because it is the most readily available pure salt, but a fine-grained, not powdered, sea salt is the alternative of choice.
Black peppercorns—whole, so you can freshly grind them to retain the most of their berry flavor, aroma, and pleasing crunch.
Dried peppers—paprika, cayenne, and Aleppo pepper, named after the town of Aleppo in Syria where the finest quality comes from—these dried and ground capsicums are used as an alternative for or in addition to black pepper. Aleppo pepper, also known as Near East pepper, is the preferred one for Armenian cooking. It has a vegetably hot pepper taste that can be simulated, though not duplicated, with a mix of 1 tablespoon paprika and ⅛ teaspoon cayenne.
Daily spices—these include allspice, cumin, cinnamon, caraway, clove, coriander, nutmeg, saffron, and turmeric.
In addition, have on hand: fenugreek—chaiman in Armenian—key in making the spice mix called Chaiman Paste (page 44); and, especially for Turkish Armenian dishes, mahleb, the dried pits of black cherries, ground to season breads and cakes; nigella (black onion seed, sometimes called black caraway, which it doesn’t taste like at all but resembles in appearance), for seasoning string cheese and sprinkling on savory breads and rolls; and sumac, the red berries of a nonpoisonous varietal of sumac shrub, for lending a lemony note to fish, meat, poultry, sauces, and marinades.
Orange flower water—used in syrups for soaking cakes and in a candy brittle of sesame seeds (page 290).
Rose water—used to flavor beef stews, meat kuftas, and especially, in this book, Walnut Brittle (page 291). This seasoning is beloved by Armenian cooks.
Lemon juice and cider vinegar are the standard acid seasonings. I also employ red wine vinegar when I want a sharper acid taste, and balsamic vinegar for a woodsy acid flavor.
In addition, pomegranate syrup, the juice of sour pomegranates boiled down to achieve a molasses consistency, and verjuice, the liquid obtained from pressing sour unripe grapes, both provide a soft, fruity acid element to marinades and sauces. They should be stored in the refrigerator.
Olive oil—more used in Turkish Armenian cooking than in Caucasian Armenian cooking, where butter is often preferred, although in both branches of the cuisine olive oil is used when the dish is to be served cold, because it doesn’t congeal. I always call for extra virgin olive oil. It doesn’t need to be the ultra-expensive kind, just extra virgin, which means it’s a first pressing with less than 1% acidity and therefore has no pithy taste.
Butter—Armenian cooks of old always clarified their butter to silt out the whey and thus make it more preservable (like ghee, of Indian cooking). While that’s a delicious way to go, and does allow the butter to be kept longer, it requires more volume for less product. I skip the step and simply use stick butter, salted or unsalted, for daily cooking. When the difference between them affects the taste of the dish, I specify in the recipe.
Shortening and margarine—for some breads, like Lavosh (page 63), and cookies (page 269) where butter is too rich and olive oil is not binding enough, vegetable shortening or margarine is called for. For health and taste reasons both, I always use organic vegetable shortening with no transfats, and soy margarine because it’s not too salty.
THE PRODUCE BIN
Alliums—onions, leeks, shallots, scallions, and garlic are used with abandon (although garlic is not as effusively used as it is in Greek, Italian, or California cooking).
Eggplants—an Old World staple, eggplant is a principal ingredient in Armenian cooking. With one or two on hand—they keep well in the refrigerator for 2 weeks or so—you can always whip up an Armenian dish.
Grape leaves—jarred or fresh, grape leaves are used to wrap sarmas, fish, and small birds; garnish pilafs, and mix into boerek fillings.
Green beans—although a New World crop, green beans are included in countless Armenian dishes from mazas to stews and braises.
Leafy greens—crunchy romaine and iceberg lettuces are used for salads; spinach is used for salads, fillings, soups, and stews; and cabbage, the only brassica besides cauliflower common in Armenian cooking, is used for salads, dolmas, and stews.
Fresh peppers—green bells, rather than the more currently popular red bells, are used for pickles, salads, dolmas, soups, and stews. Fresh chile peppers are not employed in Armenian cooking, though dried chile peppers are (see page 11)—but I take liberty here and always have a few jalapeños or serranos on hand.
Tomatoes—both fresh and canned tomatoes are a must-have for Armenian food. When fresh, they are sometimes sliced or diced without peeling; occasionally they are peeled and seeded. Store fresh tomatoes at room temperature to ripen and develop sweetness. Store opened canned ones in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 3 months. Also, keep a good-quality, unseasoned tomato paste to enrich dishes when fresh tomatoes are not at their peak of ripeness and flavor.
In addition, have on hand standard produce staples: potatoes, carrots, and celery for soups, stews, casseroles, and other dishes.
PEELING AND SEEDING TOMATOES
Plunge the tomatoes into boiling water for 10 seconds. Drain and set aside to cool enough to handle. Slip off the skins with your fingers. Cut the tomatoes in half crosswise and gently squeeze out the seeds into a colander set over a bowl. Use the tomatoes right away, along with the juices, if called for. Or, store the tomatoes and juices together in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 6 weeks.
Bulgur—bulgur is cooked, then dried, hurled (or threshed), and cracked wheat. It comes in three sizes—fine, medium, and coarse. It’s nice to have all three because not just any bulgur will do for a particular recipe. For kufta, fine bulgur is the choice to achieve the lightest texture. Pilafs require a medium or coarse grind so the granules absorb the liquid and remain fluffy without becoming soggy. For tabbouli, medium grind is called for because it soaks to suppleness without any cooking.
Whole wheat berries—uncooked, threshed wheat berries, called dzedzadz in Armenian, are used in soups, stews, and the ancient sweet, Tarkana (page 293). Pearl barley can substitute in soups and stews; coarse bulgur can substitute in tarkana.
Rice—Armenians always use long grain white rice. I prefer the basmati varietal for its nutty flavor and fragrance, which befits Armenian dishes and adds extra presence over the more common California, Texas, or Carolina long grain rice.
Lentils—I use the small French green lentils because they hold their shape in cooking.
Chickpeas—also called garbanzo beans, chickpeas are an essential Old World legume. They are used whole to round out soups, stews, and salads, or can be roasted for a snack (page 35). Pureed, they are turned into kuftas and fritters (pages 125 and 127) and the world-renowned dip, Hummus (page 53). I heartily recommend buying dried chickpeas and cooking them at home (page 35): the ready-cooked canned ones don’t have the same legumy taste.
Armenian cooking features light-broth flavoring rather than the long-simmered, hearty stock flavoring of European cooking. If ready-made chicken broth is called for, I always make my own because it’s fresher and cleaner tasting. If you are not so inclined, Swanson’s low-sodium chicken broth is an acceptable substitute.
Makes 2 quarts
Homemade chicken broth will keep in the refrigerator sealed under its layer of fat for up to 2 weeks. Or, you can freeze it for up to 3 months.
3 pounds chicken pieces, such as wing tips, backbones, and gizzards
1 medium carrot, coarsely chopped
1 small yellow or white onion, halved
1 small rib celery, coarsely chopped
6 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 sprigs fresh thyme or ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
10 cups water
Combine the ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil over mediumhigh heat. Decrease the heat to maintain a simmer, and, without letting the liquid boil again, cook uncovered for 1½ hours, skimming from time to time. (The skimming ensures a clear broth.)
Strain the broth into a bowl, discarding the solids, and let cool completely. When cool, skim the fat off the top and proceed with the recipe. Or, to store, transfer the broth with its fat (the fat acts as a sealant) to a storage container and refrigerate for up to two weeks, or freeze longer. Remove the solidified fat from the top before using.