When I was growing up, husbanding poultry and rabbits and hunting game were part of providing for the table. This was men’s work, and my Uncle Whitey did both ably. He was not at all Armenian, but married into the family via Aunt Rose, my father’s sister. He earned a living as a railroad conductor. At home, he maintained a backyard coop with chickens and Chinese ring-necked pheasants, which, strangely, wouldn’t sit on their eggs, so the chicken hens did the job. Once, when for some reason I cannot remember, he took some of us kids to the San Francisco zoo, I learned that camels love to chew cigarettes, and free-range peacocks can be approached close enough to have a feather plucked for festooning a child’s desk. When the peacock feather eventually got worn and dusty, I left it by the wayside, but I am quite sure I will forever cherish the experience of getting close enough to a wild animal to feed it or borrow one of its feathers, and of eating truly fresh home-grown chicken and eggs. This chapter’s recipes were inspired by such memories, and the Armenian traditions for preparing poultry, game, and eggs.
Uncle Whitey, Aunt Rose’s husband, this time with fish for the table.
Serves 6 to 8
In a stew that evokes Caucasian-Armenian cooking, chicken and homey root vegetables are combined in a healthy, warming dish made bright with a generous amount of fresh herbs both in the broth and as garnish. Don’t be put off by the long list of ingredients, this is a simple, one-pot preparation.
1 (5- to 6-pound) roasting chicken , cut up, or the same amount of chicken pieces
1 small celery root, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
18 boiling onions, peeled
3 sprigs mint
6 sprigs flat-leaf parsley
4 tablespoons butter
5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
5 cups water
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
16 baby carrots, peeled, or 4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch rounds
16 fingerling or creamer-size Yukon gold potatoes
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint leaves
¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
3 cups yogurt
Place the chicken, celery root, onion, mint sprigs, parsley sprigs, butter, broth, water, salt, and pepper in a large soup pot. Bring to a boil, skimming from time to time. Decrease the heat to maintain a simmer, partially cover the pot, and cook for 45 minutes, until the vegetables are almost, but not quite, fork tender. Add the carrots and potatoes and continue simmering uncovered for 20 minutes more, until the chicken and all the vegetables are fork tender and the liquid is golden and brothy.
With a wire strainer, transfer the chicken and vegetables to a platter, reserving the broth (see below). Sprinkle the chopped herbs over the platter and serve with the yogurt on the side.
EASY ARMENIAN CHICKEN RICE SOUP
Strain the reserved broth from cooking the chicken and let it cool completely. Cover and refrigerate overnight. The next day, skim off the fat. Reheat the broth with any chicken or vegetables left over from the stew (cut into small dice), 1 cup of cooked rice, and a large pinch of paprika. Serve hot.
Serves 4
The chicken and egg come together in this classic pan-Armenian preparation. It’s one of the easiest elegant dishes I know, and requires few ingredients. I use skinned chicken because it makes for a clearer, more pristine sauce-on-the-spot. To remove the skin, use a paper towel to hold a chicken piece in one hand and, holding another paper towel in the other hand, grasp the skin and pull it off.
1 chicken (3½ to 4 pounds) cut into pieces and skinned
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 egg yolks, beaten
⅓ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
Roasted Onions and Carrots
1 large yellow or white onion, halved and sliced ½ inch thick
3 carrots, cut into ½-inch-thick, 2-inch-long sticks
1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and Aleppo pepper
½ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for serving
In a large pot, combine the chicken, broth, and salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Decrease the heat to maintain a simmer, partially cover, and cook for 20 minutes, until the chicken is just tender and no longer pink (the pieces will continue to cook as they rest while the sauce is made). Transfer the pieces to a plate and set aside in a warm place. Reserve the liquid in the pot.
While the chicken cooks, prepare the roasted vegetables. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place the onion slices and carrot sticks on a baking sheet. Toss with the olive oil and a liberal sprinkling of salt and Aleppo pepper. Place in the oven and roast for 25 minutes, until ever-so-slightly charred. Remove and set aside in a warm place for a few minutes while preparing the sauce.
To prepare the sauce, bring the liquid from cooking the chicken to a boil over medium-high heat. Decrease the heat to medium and whisk in the egg yolks and lemon juice. Cook, stirring frequently, until thickened and saucy, about 15 minutes.
To serve, return the chicken to the pot to reheat briefly. Transfer to a serving platter and surround with the roasted vegetables. Pour the sauce over all, sprinkle with the parsley, and serve.
Serves 4
There are two kinds of tarragon, French and Russian, both perennials. The Russian varietal has a soft aroma with just a hint of licorice, and it’s the kind that’s usually called for in Armenian or other Caucasian recipes. It’s very easy to grow in pots or in the garden. I prefer the French varietal with its more pronounced licorice flavor that adds as much spice as verve to a dish. It too grows easily in a pot or in the ground, but don’t be surprised when it dies back all the way to the ground during winter; it’s not lost, just dormant until next spring. In any case, the tarragon should be fresh from the garden or, these days, a supermarket—dried tarragon is too strident. I like to use a small chicken for this stew because it divides neatly into quarters that are just the right size for four portions, and it cooks up tender in no time flat.
One small (2½- to 3-pound) chicken, quartered
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 tablespoons butter or extra virgin olive oil
½ cup white wine
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon
½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper
6 small or 2 medium leeks, white and light green part, cut into 3- to 4-inch-long shreds, washed, and drained
4 to 5 pounds fresh fava beans in the pod, shelled, blanched, and peeled (page 94)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Toss the chicken quarters with the salt. Melt the butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, skin side down, and brown lightly, about 2 minutes. Turn, decrease the heat to medium, and brown on the other side, about 2 minutes.
Add the wine, broth, tarragon, and Aleppo pepper and stir to mix. Spread the leeks over the chicken and bring to a boil over high heat. Decrease the heat to maintain a simmer, cover, and cook for 20 minutes. Turn over the chicken pieces and continue cooking, covered, until the chicken is just tender and no longer pink between the leg and thigh, about 10 minutes.
Stir in the fava beans and let heat in the stew for about 3 minutes. Correct the salt seasoning, sprinkle the parsley over the top, and serve.
Serves 4
In this gaily-colored dish, with its blazing orange/yellow turmeric and contrasting bright green peas, I take Armenian cooking in a southerly direction, toward India, land of saffron robes and many Armenian enclaves. I recommend fresh turmeric if you can find it. A rhizome like ginger, only smaller, fresh turmeric adds a vegetable flavor, somewhat like ginger crossed with carrot, to the dish. It’s available in Indian and Middle Eastern markets and produce stores that cater to an international clientele.
The sauce, uncooked and with the addition of cumin, makes an excellent dip for the maza table.
Sauce
1½ cups yogurt
1 tablespoon peeled and finely chopped fresh turmeric or 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 (3½- to 4-pound) chicken, cut up, wing tips and backbone reserved for another purpose, or an equivalent amount of chicken pieces, skinned (page 159)
1 pound fresh peas, shelled
Bulgur and Walnut Pilaf (page 260), warm, for serving
Whisk together the sauce ingredients in a baking dish or oven casserole large enough to hold the chicken pieces without overlapping. Add the chicken and turn to coat. Set aside to marinate for 30 minutes. Or, refrigerate up to overnight (remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking).
When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 375°F.
Cover the baking dish, place in the oven, and bake for 25 minutes. Turn the pieces over and bake for 15 to 20 minutes more, depending on the size of the chicken, until the juices are golden.
While the chicken cooks, bring a small pot of water to boil over high heat. Add the peas and immediately drain in a colander. Set aside.
To serve, transfer the chicken to a platter. Stir the peas into the sauce and pour over the chicken. Serve right away, with the pilaf on the side.
GRILLED CHICKEN IN YOGURT TURMERIC SAUCE
The chicken is also delicious grilled: Prepare a medium-hot charcoal fire or preheat a gas grill to medium high. Lift the chicken pieces out of the sauce, reserving the sauce. Place the chicken on the grill rack around the heat, not directly over it, and grill for 35 to 40 minutes, turning once. Place the reserved sauce in a small saucepan, bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and simmer for a few minutes to cook the raw chicken juices. Stir in the peas, pour over the chicken, and serve.
Serves 4 to 6
I cooked a variation of this dish, made with duck rather than chicken and without the turnip greens, for the first-ever meal served at Berkeley’s world-famous Chez Panisse restaurant on August 28, 1971. I don’t know why I chose it for the opener, except its elements appealed to my French-cuisine style at the time, and also to my Armenian taste for turnips and olives. Dinner was rather later than advertised— we were all novices in the restaurant business—and was not quite perfect that night. I have made the dish countless times since. Adding turnip greens is one of my favorite latter-day innovations.
12 baby turnips, with greens, or 3 regular turnips plus ½ bunch fresh turnip greens
1 (3½- to 4-pound) chicken, quartered
1 small yellow or white onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 large tomato, cut into 1-inch wedges
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon paprika, hot or mild
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¾ cup white wine
1 cup (about 4 ounces) picholine or other mild green olives, not pitted
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
If using baby turnips, trim and scrub them, saving the greens. Cut the turnips in half and set aside. If using regular turnips, peel them and cut into ½- to ¾-inch wedges. Set aside. Thinly shred the greens, wash and drain them, and set aside.
Place the chicken, onion, tomato, bay leaf, paprika, salt, pepper, and wine in an oven dish large enough to hold the ingredients in one crowded layer. Turn to coat, winding up with the chicken skin side up. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Turn the chicken over, and continue baking uncovered for 25 minutes, until the chicken is almost done.
Remove the cover and turn the chicken over again (skin side up again). Tuck the turnips and olives under the chicken and bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes, until the turnips are tender and the chicken is golden on top. Remove the bay leaf, stir in the turnip greens, and cook uncovered for 3 minutes more, until the greens wilt. Serve right away.
Serves 4 to 6
Armenians, with their love of outdoor socials, are fond of grilled chicken, usually rubbed with garlic and olive oil, for such occasions. The tahini sauce and figs are my innovation on that old theme; together, they can also complement simply grilled duck or pork.
1 (3½-pound) chicken, cut into serving pieces
2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Tahini Sauce
¼ cup tahini
2 large cloves garlic, cut up
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
¼ cup white wine
½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper
½ teaspoon kosher salt
6 firm, fresh green figs
Place the chicken pieces in one layer in a nonreactive dish. Add the garlic, oil, Aleppo pepper, and salt and turn to coat. Set aside to marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
To make the tahini sauce, combine all the ingredients in a food processor and blend into a smooth mixture with the consistency of mayonnaise. Set aside at room temperature for up to several hours, or refrigerate for up to 3 days (bring to room temperature before serving).
To cook the chicken, prepare a medium-hot charcoal fire or preheat a gas grill to medium high. Grill over indirect heat, turning occasionally, for 30 to 35 minutes, until the pieces are cooked through but still moist (the thighs will take a bit longer than the breasts). Transfer to a serving platter and set aside in a warm place for a few minutes while cooking the figs.
To cook the figs, cut them in half lengthwise. Place them directly over the heat and grill for 3 minutes, turning once, until lightly charred and softened.
To serve, arrange the figs around the chicken. Serve warm with the tahini sauce on the side.
Serves 2
Baby chickens, weighing between 2 and 2½ pounds each, used to be widely available as “broiler” chickens, and they are the ones my father preferred for their tender, sweet meat. For some reason, we rarely see them in markets these days, but game hens or the even smaller specialty-item poussins work as well. Flattening the chicken ensures that it cooks evenly, and brining it tightens the meat and skin so the skin crisps better. Quinces, which turn an attractive peachy pink and become quite fragrant when cooked, are in season for only a short time, late October to December or January. I recommend you seize the moment to make the dish with them.
Brine
3 tablespoons kosher salt
8 cups water
2 bay leaves, crumbled
2 baby chickens or game hens
4 tablespoons butter
2 quinces or tart apples, such as pippins or Granny Smiths
1 large clove garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
To prepare the brine, combine the salt, water, and bay leaves in a deep dish and stir to dissolve the salt. Set aside.
Place the chickens breast side down on a cutting board and cut along each side of the backbones to remove them. Turn the chickens breast side up and pound them with a mallet to crack the breast bones and flatten the chickens. Place the chickens (one on top of the other is okay) in the brine. Cover and place in the refrigerator for 6 hours, up to overnight.
To cook the chickens, lift them out of the brine and pat them dry. Discard the brine. In a sauté pan large enough to hold both chickens flattened out (use 2 pans, if necessary), melt the butter over medium heat. Add the chickens, skin side down, decrease the heat to medium low, and cook for 15 minutes, until golden on the bottom.
While the chicken cooks on the first side, peel and core the quinces, then cut them into 1-inch wedges. (If using apples, leave them unpeeled.)
Turn over the chicken, add the quince and garlic to the pan, and stir to mix. Continue cooking for 25 minutes, until the chicken is no longer pink between the leg and thigh. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter and set aside in a warm place.
Continue cooking the quinces for 5 minutes, until the pieces are soft but still holding their shape. Add to the platter, sprinkle the chives over all, and serve.
ABOUT BRINING
Presoaking poultry or other meats in a light salt brine was a technique more used when women, the designated home cooks, were at home rather than working outside the home during the day. It’s not difficult to keep this step in our modern times with a little advance planning: Start the night before, or even on the morning of the day you are cooking the dish, by mixing together the salt solution, adding the chickens, and placing them in the refrigerator while you go about your business of the day. (Don’t leave the meat in the brine longer than 24 hours, however, or it will become too salty.) The technique works also for seasoning and firming pork roast, rabbit, or trout.
Serves 4
Baking the stuffing both in and under the game hens results in a pleasing contrast between crisp and soft. The stuffing recipe can also be baked separately for a crunchy side dressing to accompany a Thanksgiving turkey (page 175).
Stuffing
4 tablespoons butter, melted
2 celery ribs, halved and thinly sliced
½ large yellow or white onion, finely chopped
12 dried apricot halves, coarsely chopped
½ cup coarsely chopped walnuts
4 cups fresh (½-inch) bread cubes, dry-toasted until golden
¾ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons dry sherry
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 game hens
¼ cup white wine
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
To make the stuffing, melt the butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the celery and onion and sauté until wilted, 5 minutes. Stir in the apricots and nuts and cook for 1 minute, until the apricots soften. Transfer to a large bowl, add the bread and remaining ingredients, and toss to mix. Set aside until completely cool.
Fill the cavity of each game hen with as much stuffing as will fit without packing it tightly. Spread the remaining stuffing on the bottom of a clay oven pot or roasting pan. Place the game hens on the stuffing bed and pour the wine over the top. Cover and roast for 40 minutes. Remove the cover and continue roasting until the hens are golden on top and the meat between the leg and thigh is no longer pink, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve right away.
Serves 4 to 6
A humble dish that goes by two names, keshkeg and herrisah, is an ancient comfort food of chicken and wheat cooked and beaten together by hand to achieve a porridge consistency. To simplify the process while preserving its heritage, I offer a quicker and easier recipe that calls for cracked wheat rather than the traditional whole berries, because it takes less time to cook and uses an electric mixer for the beating. The seasoned butter topping can also be used as a finishing touch for many other dishes, for instance, grilled or sautéed chicken breasts or otherwise unadorned vegetables, such as zucchini, eggplant, or tomatoes.
1 cup bulgur, preferably coarse
3 cups boiling water
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
4 boneless, skinless chicken thigh pieces, cut into ¼-inch-wide strips
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
8 large sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley, with stems
Topping
4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter
1 teaspoon mild paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Place the bulgur in a bowl and pour the boiling water over it. Set aside to soak for 1 hour.
Drain the bulgur and transfer it to a large, heavy pot. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil over high heat. Decrease the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook, covered, for 30 minutes, until the liquid is mostly absorbed. Remove the parsley and beat the mixture with an electric mixer until it is creamy and almost a puree, about 5 minutes.
In a small sauté pan, heat the butter with the paprika, cumin, and salt over medium heat until foaming. Pour over the porridge and serve.
VARIATIONS FOR KESHKEG
Instead of cumin, use cinnamon, curry powder, or allspice.
Accompany with a bowl of yogurt on the side.
Serves 10 to 12
For Armenians, Saint’s Day celebrations at church or just-the-family birthdays at home all provide welcome occasions to celebrate around food. For Armenians in America, Thanksgiving is always on the calendar to fill this need for convivial, food-centered gatherings. It is a gala affair, with turkey and all the trimmings. Here’s my rendition of an Armenian-American Thanksgiving.
Cranberry Sauce
4 cups fresh cranberries, rinsed and picked over
¼ cup freshly squeezed tangerine juice
1 cup sugar
Turkey
1 (14- to 16-pound) turkey with giblets, giblets reserved
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
2 sprigs rosemary
4 sprigs thyme
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
My dad with a rack and counter full of dressed turkeys for Thanksgiving in Japan, circa 1945.
Wild Rice Pilaf
6 tablespoons butter
1 cup walnut pieces
½ pound chanterelle or shiitake mushrooms, trimmed and sliced ¼- to ½-inch thick
1 small yellow or white onion, finely chopped
1½ cups good-quality, hand-harvested wild rice
3 cups turkey broth (see box, page 178)
½ teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
To make the cranberry sauce, combine the cranberries, tangerine juice, and sugar in a heavy saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook until the cranberries begin to pop, about 5 minutes. Stir to mix, decrease the heat to maintain a brisk simmer, and cook until thickened, 5 to 10 minutes, depending on the size of the pot. Remove from the heat and cool. Serve at room temperature or chilled. Will keep in the refrigerator for several months.
To cook the turkey, preheat the oven to 375°F.
Liberally salt and pepper the turkey inside and out. Place a double layer of cheesecloth over the breast and spread the butter over the cheesecloth. Place the rosemary and thyme sprigs over the butter and cover with another layer of cheesecloth. Place in the oven and roast for 15 minutes per pound, until an instant-read thermometer registers 162° in the thigh. For the last half hour, remove the cheesecloth so the breast can brown.
While the turkey cooks, make the pilaf. Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the walnuts and sauté until lightly toasted, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Add the mushrooms and onion to the same pan and sauté until the vegetables soften, about 5 minutes. Increase the heat to high, add the rice, and stir to mix and coat the grains. Add the broth, thyme, salt, and Aleppo pepper and bring to a boil. Decrease the heat to low, cover the pot, and cook until the rice is tender, about 40 minutes. Turn off the heat and set aside to steam-dry for 15 minutes. Stir in the walnuts and parsley and adjust the salt seasoning. Dot the top with the remaining 3 tablespoons butter and, without stirring, cover and set aside in a warm place until ready to serve.
To serve, transfer the turkey to a platter and carve. Accompany with the wild rice pilaf and the cranberry sauce in side dishes.
TURKEY BROTH FOR THANKSGIVING WILD RICE PILAF
In keeping with the turkey theme of the day, use the giblets to make turkey broth for the pilaf. Place the neck, gizzard, and, if you care to, the wing tips from the turkey in a saucepan. Add ½ small yellow onion, 1 clove garlic, 1 small carrot, all coarsely cut up, along with 3 sprigs flat-leaf parsley and 4 cups water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Decrease the heat to maintain a brisk simmer and cook uncovered for 30 minutes, until reduced to about 3 cups. Strain through a fine mesh sieve set over a bowl and set aside at room temperature for up to 30 minutes, or store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Discard the solids from the strainer.
Serves 4
I suggest Muscovy duck for its dark meat, reminiscent of the wild duck my Uncle Whitey might have bagged. The walnut pesto sauce, called taratour, is a classic of Armenian and Middle Eastern cuisine. It is also lavished on baked fish, fried mussels, fried eggplant, and boiled vegetables, such as green beans and cauliflower.
Duck
4 duck leg/thigh pieces
1 large clove garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Walnut Pesto: Taratour
4 (1-inch-thick) slices baguette, crusts removed (stale bread is okay)
½ cup water
½ cup walnut pieces
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons water
Place the duck in a dish large enough to hold the pieces in one layer. Add the garlic, olive oil, thyme, Aleppo pepper, and salt and toss to mix and coat. Set aside to marinate at room temperature for 1 hour or refrigerate for up to 3 hours.
To make the taratour, place the bread and ½ cup water in a small bowl. Set aside to soak and soften for 5 minutes, then squeeze dry. Pulverize the walnuts in a food processor. Add the bread and remaining ingredients and puree. Set aside at room temperature until ready to use, up to 4 hours, or refrigerate for up to 3 days.
To cook the duck, prepare a medium-hot fire or preheat a gas grill to medium high. Grill the duck over indirect heat, turning 2 or 3 times, until medium to medium rare, 30 to 35 minutes.
Transfer to a platter and serve, accompanied with the taratour sauce on the side.
Serves 4
Grape leaves, used for wrapping sarmas (page 239) or stewed as a vegetable side dish (page 222), can also serve as an herby wrap for grilled meats, as they do here. The kebabs of whole grapes provide a sweet counterpoint to the leaves’ tartness, and the whole rind of the lemon (including the white part) adds a definite lemon flavor with a touch of bitter.
1 lemon
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
8 quail
16 large grape leaves, fresh or brined
24 plump green grapes, preferably Thompson seedless
To prepare the quail, peel the lemon using a vegetable peeler, cutting deeply enough to include some of the white part, and chop it. Place the chopped rind in a dish large enough to hold the quail side by side. Squeeze the juice out of the lemon and add it to the dish. Add the oil, salt, and pepper and stir to mix. Add the quail and turn to coat inside and out. Set aside in the refrigerator to marinate for 3 to 6 hours, but not longer or the delicate quail will become “pickled.”
When ready to cook, prepare a medium-hot charcoal fire or preheat a gas grill to medium high.
Lift the quail out of the dish and, without wiping them off, wrap each one in grape leaves, using toothpicks to secure the leaves. String the grapes on 4 individual bamboo skewers (6 grapes per skewer).
Place the quail on the grill rack over indirect heat, cover the grill, and cook for 6 minutes. Turn and cook for 6 minutes more, until firm to the touch. Move the birds to directly over the fire and grill uncovered until the grape leaves are slightly charred and the quail is medium rare in the breast, about 2 minutes more. Transfer to a serving platter and let rest so that the juices settle while you cook the grape kebabs.
Place the kebabs on the grill directly over the heat and cook, turning once, until lightly charred and a little shriveled, about 6 minutes.
Add the grape kebabs to the platter with the quail and serve right away.
Serves 2 to 3
Here’s how my cousin Bob White, Aunt Rose’s son, remembers his mother cooking the pheasant from his stepfather Whitey’s coop, except for the wine, which Bob doesn’t remember, and the allspice, which I’ve added for an extra Armenian touch. The lemon-juice rub, along with the orange juice and white wine in the basting sauce, add acid that tenderizes the pheasant meat.
1 young plump pheasant (about 2½ pounds)
Juice of ½ lemon
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
½ cup raisins
⅓ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 teaspoon finely chopped lemon rind
⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
⅓ cup white wine
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Rub the pheasant inside and out with the lemon juice and a liberal amount of salt and pepper. Place in a baking dish breast side up and spread the butter over the breast and legs.
In a bowl, mix together the raisins, orange juice, lemon rind, allspice, broth, and wine. Pour over the pheasant and bake, basting every 10 minutes, for 50 minutes, until the meat is no longer pink between the breast and wing meat.
Remove from the oven and transfer the pheasant to a platter. Set aside in a warm place. Pour the pan juices into a small saucepan, bring to a boil over high heat, and cook until thickened and saucy and reduced by half, about 7 minutes.
Pour the sauce over the pheasant and serve, carving at the table.
Aunt Rose, my father’s sister, and her son, cousin Bob White, dressed up for Sunday. Not sure if Bob likes his outfit, but he looks cute!
Serves 4 to 6
Rather than accompanying the rabbit, the liver and kidneys can be cooked in advance and served with baguette slices as a “kitchen” maza, to enjoy while diners await the fricassee.
4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
1 (2½-pound) rabbit, cut into 6 serving pieces and brined (optional, see page 169), liver and kidneys reserved separately
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon ground coriander
⅛ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup white wine
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup water
6 Calimyrna or Kalamata golden dried figs, quartered
6 small boiling onions, peeled
1 teaspoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish
1 teaspoon chopped fresh mint, for garnish
Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter with the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat.
Pat the rabbit pieces dry, sprinkle with salt, and add them to the pan. Cook, turning once, to brown on both sides, about 5 minutes. (Work in batches if necessary to keep from crowding the pan.)
Add the cloves, coriander, cinnamon, pepper, wine, lemon juice, and water, and stir to mix. Bring to a boil, decrease the heat to maintain a simmer, cover, and cook for 1 hour.
Add the figs and onions, cover again, and simmer for 30 minutes more, until the rabbit is tender. Remove from the heat and let rest 10 minutes for the juices to settle.
In a small sauté pan, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat until foaming. Add the liver and kidneys and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté until firm but still pink in the centers, about 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside in a warm place.
To serve, arrange the rabbit, figs, and onions on a serving platter and pour the pan juices over the top. Slice the liver and kidneys, place them on a separate small plate, and sprinkle the parsley over the top. Sprinkle the mint over the rabbit and serve.
Serves 4 to 6
When we were kids, my cousin Gary Jenanyan, chef extraordinaire, lived around the block from my grandmother’s and aunt’s houses in Sacramento. We often shared in food celebrations—he always won the Easter egg cracking game (page 195)—and we still do. He calls this stellar dish somewhat un-Armenian, but then, Armenians do love onions, mushrooms, and good food of any style. Making the onion confit by first wilting the onion in water before caramelizing is a professional tip to treasure: The confit comes out sweet as can be, and low fat. Gary includes the rabbit liver only if it is buttery fresh. For a simpler dish, the rabbit and onion confit can be combined and served over pasta. In place of the hard-to- find chervil sprigs, a mix of 1 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon and 1 tablespoon fresh flat-leaf parsley can be substituted.
4 thin slices pancetta (Italian unsmoked bacon), cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces
1 (2¼- to 2½-pound) rabbit, with kidneys and liver, rabbit cut into 6 pieces
3 tablespoons butter
2 ounces fresh chanterelle or shiitake mushrooms, trimmed and sliced ¼ inch thick
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ medium yellow or white onion, coarsely chopped
1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped
1 small carrot, coarsely chopped
1½ cups low-sodium chicken broth
Onion Confit
1 large yellow or white onion, halved and thinly sliced
⅓ cup water
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons butter, melted
8 (12 × 13-inch) sheets fillo
12 sprigs fresh chervil, for garnishing, or 1 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon and 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Place the pancetta in a large, heavy sauté pan over medium-high heat, and sauté until wilted, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the rabbit kidneys and liver, if using, and cook, stirring often, until the pancetta is browned and the kidneys are firm to the touch, about 4 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer the pancetta, kidneys, and liver to a large bowl, leaving the fat in the pan, and set aside. When cool enough to handle, coarsely chop the kidneys and return to the bowl.
Add 2 tablespoons of the butter to the same pan and let it melt over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, minced garlic, and sage and sauté until the mushrooms are well wilted, about 5 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the pancetta and kidneys and set aside.
To cook the rabbit, melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter in the same pan. Season the rabbit pieces with salt and pepper. Working in batches, add as many pieces as will fit without crowding and brown them on both sides, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer the pieces to a plate. When all the rabbit is browned, add the chopped onion, chopped garlic, carrot, wine, and broth to the pan. Bring to a boil over high heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Turn over the rabbit pieces and continue cooking, covered, until tender enough to pull off the bones with a fork, about 25 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool in the broth for 15 minutes.
My dad’s cousin, Armen Jenanyan, with his wife, Helen Jenanyan, and their children (my cousins) Gary and Karen.
With a slotted spoon, lift the rabbit out of the broth. With your fingers and a paring knife, remove the rabbit meat from the bones. Discard the bones. Cut the meat into bite-size pieces and add to the bowl with the mushrooms and other ingredients. Strain the liquid into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until reduced to about 1 cup, 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the size of the saucepan. Set aside.
While the rabbit cooks and cools, make the onion confit. Place the onions and water in a large, heavy sauté pan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Decrease the heat to medium and cook uncovered until the onions are well wilted and the liquid is mostly evaporated, about 8 minutes. Add the butter and cook until the onions are golden and lightly caramelized, about 8 minutes. Set aside.
To assemble and cook the pie, preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9 × 12-inch baking dish with a little of the melted butter.
Lay 2 fillo sheets in the bottom of the pie dish and brush with butter. Add 2 more sheets, brush with butter, then 2 more sheets and brush with butter. Spread the rabbit mixture over the fillo, then spread the onion confit over the rabbit. Pour in the reduced juices and cover the pie with 6 more layers of fillo, buttering every second sheet as above. Place in the oven and bake until golden and crispy, about 35 minutes.
Cut into serving portions, garnish each with chervil sprigs, and serve hot.
Serves 2 to 3
Armenians love omelettes as much as the Greeks or French do, especially Caucasian Armenians, who make a wide variety based on various vegetables rather than cheese for extra flavor. The omelettes, and other egg dishes (see the following two recipes), are served around the clock, for breakfast, light meals, or snacks on the maza table.
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium tomato, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped green bell pepper
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon Aleppo pepper
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
Melt the butter in a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the tomato, bell pepper, cumin, chive, salt, and Aleppo pepper and stir to mix. Cook until no longer moist, about 2 minutes. Stir in the eggs and cook until they begin to set and form a solid base, 2 to 3 minutes. With a spatula, flip one half over to make a half-moon shape and continue cooking for 1 minute more, until set but still moist inside. Transfer to a platter and serve right away.
OMELETTE CUM FRITTATA
As often as not, omelettes are made frittata-style—baked in the oven rather than cooked on the stove top. To make a baked omelet, preheat the oven to 350°F. Using a pan with an ovenproof handle, follow the recipe to the point of adding the eggs. Rather than cook on the stove top, place the pan in the oven and cook until the eggs set, 15 to 20 minutes. Slice and serve.
Serves 4
Cooking the eggs in small ramekins makes for cute, individual servings, but you can also cook them side by side in a single glass baking dish. The timing is the same.
1 bunch (about ¾ pound) spinach
2 tablespoons butter
½ small yellow or white onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons yogurt
1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
½ teaspoon kosher salt
4 large eggs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
To prepare the spinach, cut off the stems, wash the leaves well, drain, and transfer to a heavy pot or microwave bowl. Cover and cook over high heat on the stove top or on high in the microwave just until the leaves are wilted but still bright green, 3 to 5 minutes either way. Drain and cool enough to handle. Squeeze out excess water, chop finely, and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a sauté pan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for 2 minutes, until slightly wilted. Add the spinach, yogurt, dill, and ½ teaspoon salt and stir to mix. Cook for 1 minute more, until the moisture is mostly gone.
Divide the spinach mixture among four 1-cup ramekins. Break an egg into each ramekin. Place in the oven and bake until the white is set and the yolk is done as you like, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper and serve right away.
Serves 4
Fried eggs coupled with basterma is an Armenian speciality, and a perfect dish for an all-American Sunday brunch, along with Choeregs (page 60), perhaps some Green Fig and Fennel Seed Marmalade (page 61), coffee, and a pitcher of freshly squeezed orange juice. If you don’t have the mock basterma, prosciutto can substitute nicely.
2 tablespoons butter
12 thin slices Mock Basterma (page 43)
4 large eggs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
“Uncle” Doc Jenanyan, Hatcher’s brother, and Uncle Doc’s wife, Grandma Rose, with my cousins Gary and Karen, 1951.
Melt the butter in a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Arrange the basterma slices in an overlapping layer in the pan and cook for 30 seconds, until the basterma begins to shrink. Crack the eggs into the pan over the basterma and cook until the eggs set, 3 to 5 minutes, depending on how well done you like them. Serve right away, accompanied with the dishes suggested above, if using.
EASTER EGGS
One day my cousin Gary Jenanyan and I were reminiscing about our shared memories of Easter, a big Armenian holiday we sometimes spent together in Sacramento with all the relatives. He eloquently described the lively, fun-for-kids part of the day:
“By the time our Easter baskets were full, we were ready to wrestle and foist and raise mischief any way we could. The adults had designed a ritual exactly to suit this purpose, and it was a highlight of the Easter get-togethers. The game was to keep your own egg intact while smashing all the others. You tightly hold an egg in the fist, exposing as little as possible of its end through a nickel-sized, open circle formed by your thumb and forefinger. The game plan was to reveal as little surface as possible through a tiny hand—you had to show some—so as not to expose too much to the bang of the other. Total triumph was to stand holding the last uncracked egg.”
We can’t remember how much egg salad turned up from all the cracked eggs, or how long the winner’s egg sat as trophy on the shelf before being discreetly plopped into the garbage. We do remember that it was always a marvelously boisterous round of indulging the children, and we now do the same with our own kids. Here’s our recipe for not-too-bouncy, tender hard-boiled eggs.
FOR 3 DOZEN EGGS
36 large white eggs
Water
Place the eggs in a pot large enough to hold them in 2 layers (you may need to use 2 pots). Add water to cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover the pot, remove it from the heat, and let sit for 13 minutes.
Ever so gently, drain off the water, then run cold water into the pan until the eggs are cool enough to handle. Use to dye for an Easter egg hunt, or peel them and enjoy as deviled eggs or egg salad.
