Butternut Squash Risotto

This is a recipe I thought I’d never share. But I’m feeling generous today, so here it is. This is the best risotto I’ve ever had. If you don’t make this, you are missing out big time. I have to mention that this is adapted from a recipe from the good people at America’s Test Kitchen. You can substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth to make it vegetarian. But you really need the cheese, so this cannot be made into a vegan recipe.

2 lb. butternut squash

2 tbsp. olive oil

2 small brown onions

1 cup water

4 cups fat free low salt chicken broth

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/4 tsp. fresh ground nutmeg

2 cloves garlic

2 cups arborrio rice

1 1/2 cups dry vermouth

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

2 Tbsp. fresh chopped sage

3 + 1 Tbsp. butter

1 Tbsp. heavy cream (optional)

Peel squash, remove and SAVE the seeds/pulp. Chop up the peeled squash into 1/2″ pieces. Add 2 Tbsp. olive oil to a large saute pan at med/high heat. Once hot, add squash in one even layer and don’t move it for 5 minutes. If there is extra squash, save it for another recipe.  Stir squash for an additional 5 minutes and remove from pan and save.

Add seeds and pulp to the pan. Cook 4 minutes. Deglaze the pan with 1 cup water, scraping up all the brown bits. Transfer , seeds and all, to a stock  pot with 4 cups chicken broth. Simmer 10-15 minutes, then strain and return liquid to stock pot. Keep the liquid hot, but not quite at a simmer.

Add 3 Tbsp. butter, chopped onions, salt, pepper and nutmeg to saute pan over medium/high heat. Once onions are soft, add garlic. Immediately add rice and stir until the rice is toasted/translucent. Add vermouth and stir until completely absorbed.

Now comes the fun part! Add 2/3 cup of the hot broth to the rice and stir until it’s all absorbed. Keep doing this over and over again until you’ve used up all the liquid or the risotto is al dente and creamy. You may need less liquid or even a little more. Just keep tasting a grain or two of the rice for doneness.

To finish it, add back the cooked squash, parmesan cheese, fresh chopped sage and 1 Tbsp. butter. Sometimes, if I have it around, I add a tablespoon of heavy cream right at the end. Now go make it and eat it!

Boorma

Boorma is Armenian paklava that is rolled instead of layered. When you bite into it, you will initially get a crunch from the layers of phyllo dough and then you get a burst of butter and just a bit of syrup. This is one of my favorites.

1 package #4 phyllo dough

1 lb. (4 sticks) butter, clarified and kept very hot on the stove

For the filling:

3 cups very finely ground walnuts

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

For the syrup:

2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups water

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

You will also need a dowel approximately a foot long and 1 inch in diameter and a wet towel.

To make the filling, just combine the walnuts, sugar and cinnamon.

To make the syrup, boil the sugar and water for 10 minutes. Then add the lemon juice. The lemon juice keeps the sugar from re-crystalizing and gives it flavor too.

Preheat your oven to 350 F

Here comes the tricky part – actually making the boorma. It takes trial and error and it can be frustrating but the end result is so very much worth it!

Defrost your phyllo dough in the refrigerator overnight and take it out a few hours before you need it. Open it up, unfold it gently and lay it flat on a cutting board or smooth work surface. Cover with a wet towel briefly.

Remove the towel and sprinkle a LITTLE of the filling over the phyllo dough leaving a gap at the top like this: 

 

 

 

 

 

Next, take the dowel and roll just ONE layer of phyllo dough onto it very slowly and gently. Some of the walnuts may poke through and tear the dough but just keep rolling. It’ll be fine. Roll all the way up:

 

 

 

 

 

Now comes the very, very tricky part. Take your fingers and put them kind of up and under the ends of the roll and scrunch it to make a wrinkly log like this:

 

 

 

 

 

Grab with your hand, holding it together and place on a sheet pan (pan must have sides – see below). You should be able to fit two to a row:

 

 

 

 

 

Be sure to put the damp towel over the phyllo dough before you add the filling each time so it doesn’t get dry. If the phone rings or something distracts you, get that towel over the phyllo dough or it will dry out and be impossible to work with.

You should fill up 1 1/2 – 2 sheet pans this way. Once they’re all lined up, make sure the clarified butter is extremely hot but not boiling. Take a large spoon and drizzle the boorma generously with the hot butter. It should sizzle audibly. Make sure to get every part of it with butter, including the ends.

Carefully transfer to a 350 F oven and bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. The timing really depends on your oven. Watch it closely because it goes from golden to burnt very quickly!

Take it out of the oven and get a big metal bowl, pot or pan with high sides. Carefully tilt the sheet pan and drain all of the excess butter. Please note, you can re-use this butter for the next sheet pan.

Let the boorma cool completely, then drizzle with just a little syrup to taste. My family likes just a tiny touch of syrup, but other people like a lot. I suggest starting out with just a little bit, tasting and then adding more if it’s not sweet enough.

Tava

Tava is a mostly vegetable dish with a little lamb for flavor. Normally, I say you can substitute beef or turkey, but in this recipe you really can’t. It just comes out bland if you do, so use ground lamb!

1 lb. ground lamb

2 Japanese (small) eggplant

1 lb. frozen or fresh green beans

1 lb. frozen or fresh okra (can be left out)

2 lbs. squash (I use zucchini or Mexican)

1 green bell pepper

1 medium white onion

about 20 baby carrots

4 large fresh very ripe tomatoes or 1 large can diced tomatoes

lemon juice to taste, plus extra for soaking okra in

salt and pepper to taste

This recipe is all about preparation. Once you have everything cut up and prepared, it’s pretty easy.

Cut the eggplant into large (about 3″) half moons and place in a separate bowl. Heavily salt it and let it sit while you prepare the other vegetables.

Cut the okra into bite sized pieces, place in a bowl and add enough lemon juice to coat it all. This will keep it from getting slimy when you cook it.

Cut the squash into large (about 3″) half moons, slice the onion, medium dice the bell pepper, chop the tomatoes into large (about 3″) chunks.

Brown the lamb in a large pot. Next, add the onions, bell pepper and carrots and saute until onions are starting to become translucent. Add the green beans. Drain and rinse the salt off the eggplant and add it. Add the okra WITH the lemon juice (do not drain). Finally, add the squash and tomatoes. This is where you want to add your salt/pepper/lemon juice to taste.

Stir and stir and break up the tomatoes as much as possible. Enough liquid should come out of the tomatoes and other veggies to almost completely cover them. Once that liquid is simmering, cover and let simmer 30 minutes.

We serve it with rice pilaf. It would also be good with bread for soaking up the juice.

Strawberry Ice Cream

This evening, my husband Ed and I looked at each other with a look you get to know after about a year of marriage. Oh we wanted it bad. We had: the look of ice cream.
Then I realized we had heavy cream so we could make our own. But we didn’t want plain old vanilla. Ed suggested we use the frozen strawberries that have been sitting in our freezer and presto, ice cream!

 

Put the following in your food processor:

2 tbsp. lemon juice

1 cup frozen strawberries

3/4 cup milk

3/4 cup sugar

Blend until completely smooth

Then add 1 3/4 cup heavy cream and blend just until mixed

Strain through a fine mesh strainer into your ice cream maker and freeze according to its directions.

There, wasn’t that easy? Now when your husband gets that look in his eye, you’ll know exactly what to do.

Dolma

Dolma is just like Sarma, only you stuff veggies instead of grape leaves. This time, my Grandma and I used tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini and bell peppers but you can really use any vegetable you like that is suitable for stuffing. As always, you can substitute ground beef or turkey if you don’t like lamb.

4 lbs. ground lamb

2 large white onions

1/4 cup finely chopped parsley

1 cup rice (mahatma is good)

8 oz. tomato sauce

12 oz. tomato paste

1 tsp. pepper

1 1/2 Tbsp. garlic salt

Lemon juice

Veggies for stuffing

 

Mix everything but the lemon juice and the veggies together just like you would meatloaf. Hollow out the veggies, then put a sprinkle of salt, pepper and a drop of lemon juice in the bottom of each one. Stuff with meat mixture and put in a large heavy pot.

Squeeze the stuff you scooped out of the veggies into the empty spaces between the vegetables. Pour about 1/4 cup lemon juice over everything evenly. Then put 1/2-1 cup of water (depending on the size of your pot) in the bottom of the pot. Put a plate on top of everything to weigh it down. Cover and place on the stove, bring to a boil then turn down to low and let simmer for 1 hour.

Serve hot with some of the juice from the bottom of the pot over the top. We like to eat dolma with madzoon (plain yogurt). Give it a try!

Armenian Halva

Don’t confuse Armenian Halva (made with cream of wheat) with Jewish Halva which is more like a candy. We eat halva for dessert or sometimes breakfast.

The ingredients you use for halva are very important. You must use clarified butter or the cream of wheat won’t puff up. Here is how you clarify butter. It is very important that ALL the water is gone from the butter. You also are going to use something we call bakmaz. It is concentrated grape syrup. You can get it at Armenian stores or sometimes at Jons. Here’s what the jar looks like:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also, you need to use the original 10 minute kind of cream of wheat:

 

 

 

 

 

1 large box of Original 10 minute Cream of Wheat

1 lb. melted, clarified butter

4 cups water

3 cups sugar

1/2 cup bakmaz

Bring water and sugar to a boil, stirring constantly. Add bakmaz and boil for 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Keep at a simmer.

Add the melted clarified butter to the cream of wheat in a big heavy pot. Cook over medium high heat for 10 minutes, stirring constantly. It’s important to keep stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan so it does not burn.

Now add the almost boiling syrup you made to the cream of wheat mixture a little at a time. Stand back because it will sizzle and splatter when you add it. Mix it up and keep adding until it looks moist enough and tastes sweet enough. Keep tasting it until it’s as sweet as you like it. You may not use all of the syrup. The syrup may be kept in the refrigerator if you have some left over.

Serve hot for dessert or breakfast. Let me know if you try this one. I grew up on it, so it doesn’t seem strange to me but it may be a bit of an acquired taste for someone who didn’t grow up on it!

Taboule

This recipe is adapted from a recipe for Kessab Style Taboule in one of my grandmother’s Armenian recipe books. I’ve added red wine vinegar, more lemon juice and substituted red onions for green. I think it gives it a better flavor. This recipe is also vegan!

3 bunches parsley, chopped finely

1 bunch mint, chopped finely

juice of 4 lemons

salt to taste

1 cup #1 bulgur (the finest grained one)

1 package grape tomatoes

1 large hot house cucumber or 6 small Persian cucumbers

1 red onion, finely diced

1/2 cup olive oil

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

1 1/2 cups warm water

 

Mix bulgur with water and set aside to soak. Cut stems off parsley and mint, wash and dry thoroughly. Chop very finely once it is completely dry.

In large bowl, combine parsley, mint, red onion, tomatoes, cucumbers (chopped into small bite-sized pieces), bulgur. Add olive oil, vinegar and lemon juice and mix well. If your lemons are small or not very juicy, you may need to add more lemon juice. Just taste it and see. Salt to taste. Mix and serve chilled.

It lasts 4-6 days in the refrigerator and it is actually better the 2nd day!

Lulu Kebab

Lulu kebab is ground lamb with spices. The traditional way to cook it is by forming it into logs around a skewer. However, this is pretty tricky so my family just broils or BBQs them off a skewer. You can even make them into patties like hamburgers. I’ve substituted ground beef and ground turkey for the lamb before and it comes out yummy.

 

1 lb. ground lamb

1 cup finely chopped onion

4 Tbsp. minced parsley

1/2 tsp. pepper

2 tsp. garlic salt

1 tsp. cumin

pinch oregano

1 cup bread crumbs

1 egg

2 Tbsp. tomato paste

 

Mix everything together with your hands just like you would meatloaf. Form into approximately 6 inch long logs. You can either BBQ them or place them on a sheet pan and broil them for 15 minutes, turning halfway through.

Optional: pour a can (with juice) of chopped tomatoes over the top of the lulu kebab before the last 5 minutes of cooking.

Sarma

Sarma are grape leaves stuffed with lamb, rice and spices. The method for making and cooking them is very similar to yalanchi.

50 fresh grape leaves

lemon juice for boiling grape leaves

1 1/2 lbs. ground lamb

1/2 cup white rice (mahatma is good)

1 bunch parsley finely chopped

2 onions finely chopped

8 oz tomato sauce

3/4 of a small can tomato paste

salt and pepper to taste

lemon juice to pour on top before cooking

 

Boil the grape leaves in very salty, lemony water until tender. Drain and set aside to cool.

Mix lamb, onions, parsley, tomato sauce, tomato paste, rice, salt and pepper just like you would meatloaf. Your hands work best here.

You’re ready to roll. Place the grape leaf vein side up and put a heaping Tbsp. of filling at the bottom of it:

Roll bottom of grape leaf over the filling once:

Now fold in the sides of the leaf:

Then roll up the rest of the way. Place sarma in a pot in rows and on top of each other. Cover completely with left over grape leaves. Add lemon juice and water about half way up the pan. Place a dinner plate on top of the sarma.

Bring liquid to a boil, then turn down heat and simmer covered 30-45 minutes.

Remove sarma from liquid and serve. My family eats it with a little plain yogurt as a kind of sauce for the sarma.

Braised Lamb Shanks with Potatoes and Carrots

This is not an Armenian recipe or even my Grandmother’s recipe, but I thought I’d share it on here anyway.

A note on using wine when cooking: Feel free to use “2 buck chuck” or any other cheap Cabernet Savignon here, I did. But do not under any circumstances use “cooking wine”. Cooking wine has lots of additives including a whole bunch of salt you don’t need.

3 large or 6 small lamb shanks

vegetable oil to coat pan

1 bottle cabernet savignon

1-2 boxes low sodium fat free beef broth

thyme chopped finely to taste

rosemary chopped finely to taste

zest of 1 orange

1 can low sodium diced tomatoes with juice

1 Tbsp. tomato paste

1 large onion, diced

4 stalks celery, diced

1 leek, diced

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1 bag baby carrots

6 small red potatoes

salt and pepper to taste

enough flour to dredge the lamb shanks in

enough flat leaf parsley, finely chopped for garnish

Put a pot big enough to hold the lamb shanks, potatoes and carrots on the stove. Spray with cooking spray or add a LITTLE oil and turn the heat to high. In the meantime, combine flour with a little salt and pepper. Dredge the lamb shanks in it and shake off excess. Sear the lamb shanks in the pot over HIGH heat. It will not burn, but it will smoke so make sure you have the fan on and the windows open. Sear on each side. It will stick at first but just leave it on until the meat releases from the pan. Remove meat from pan and set aside.

Spray the pan again or add a little oil. Turn heat down to medium. Add in onions, leeks, celery, orange zest, rosemary and thyme and saute until onions are soft and clear. Add tomato paste and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Add garlic and cook just a few seconds until you start to smell it.

Add entire bottle of wine. Cook until wine reduces a little and all the alcohol is cooked off. This could take a long time so be patient. Keep stirring and scraping up all the stuff that stuck to the bottom of the pan. This is known as “fond” and it is pure flavor.

Add the lamb back to the pan. Add enough beef broth to cover the shanks completely with liquid. Let the liquid come back up to a simmer, cover and cook over low heat for 2 hours.

Add in the potatoes and let cook covered on low for another 1 hour.

Add in the carrots and let cook UNcovered on medium for another 1/2 hour.

If there is still a lot of liquid, uncover, turn up to high and let it reduce until it starts to thicken. Taste for seasoning and add salt. Important: do NOT add salt until the very end. If you add it in the beginning, the sauce will reduce and it will get way too salty.

Yes, it took a long time but you are finally ready to eat and believe me, the time was worth it. Serve up in a bowl with some of the liquid and garnish with parsley. It will be the most tender flavorful lamb you’ve ever had and you just can’t rush it.