As I was flipping though the Armenian cookbooks, I found many side dishes I wanted to try. I decided to pair these three together.
I chose to make eggplant dolmas because I love eggplant, but there were also recipes for tomato, zucchini, and squash dolmas. I cut down greatly on the amount of beef because I was also making the chicken. This dish really showcases the eggplant! The stuffing was delicious with the red wine, I would also toss this with pasta for another meal option.
The lemon-chicken is a very basic grilled chicken dish, very light and fresh. The lemon really tenderizes the chicken, and the balsamic vinegar adds a bit of sweetness.
The cheese borek is a very traditional dish. It is comparable to Greek Spanikopita. There were a few versions of the borek with many different fillings. I don’t like flat leaf parsley, so I added some spinach to give it color and flavor.
The three recipes were taken directly from cookbooks; however I omitted some of the directions when they became lengthy.
I chose to make eggplant dolmas because I love eggplant, but there were also recipes for tomato, zucchini, and squash dolmas. I cut down greatly on the amount of beef because I was also making the chicken. This dish really showcases the eggplant! The stuffing was delicious with the red wine, I would also toss this with pasta for another meal option.
The lemon-chicken is a very basic grilled chicken dish, very light and fresh. The lemon really tenderizes the chicken, and the balsamic vinegar adds a bit of sweetness.
The cheese borek is a very traditional dish. It is comparable to Greek Spanikopita. There were a few versions of the borek with many different fillings. I don’t like flat leaf parsley, so I added some spinach to give it color and flavor.
The three recipes were taken directly from cookbooks; however I omitted some of the directions when they became lengthy.
Eggplant Dolmas, Grilled Lemon Chicken and Cheese Borek
Eggplant Dolmas:
1 large eggplant
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
½ cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
½ lb. lean ground beef (I used 2 oz.)
2 tbsp. tomato paste
½ tsp. ground allspice
1 ½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. ground black pepper
½ cup red wine
¾ cup water
Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise. Scoop out the center of each half, leaving ½ inch of the pulp intact. Set the shell aside. Coarsely chop the pulp and set it aside separately.
Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Place the shells, cut sides down, in the pan and cook until well wilted and golden, about 10 minutes. Turn the shells over and continue cooking until browned on the skin side, about 1 minute more. Transfer cut sides up, to a baking dish large enough to hold them in one tight layer and set aside.
To make filling, add the onion, garlic and walnuts to the same pain and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, until the onion wilts. Add the meat and cook, stirring to break up the chunks, until the meat is browned about 2 minutes. Stir in the eggplant pulp, tomato paste, allspice, salt, pepper and wine and bring to a boil. Cover, decrease heat to maintain a simmer, and cook for 20 minutes, until the juices are deep, reddish-brown and bubbling. Stir in the water, cover again and continue to cook for 10 minutes more. Remove from the heat and set aside.
When ready to cook, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Fill the eggplant shells with the meat mixture and pour enough water around, not into, the shells to reach ¼ inch up the sides of the dish. Place in the oven and bake for 1 hour, until the shells are tender and filling is bubbling in the center.
1 large eggplant
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
½ cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
½ lb. lean ground beef (I used 2 oz.)
2 tbsp. tomato paste
½ tsp. ground allspice
1 ½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. ground black pepper
½ cup red wine
¾ cup water
Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise. Scoop out the center of each half, leaving ½ inch of the pulp intact. Set the shell aside. Coarsely chop the pulp and set it aside separately.
Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Place the shells, cut sides down, in the pan and cook until well wilted and golden, about 10 minutes. Turn the shells over and continue cooking until browned on the skin side, about 1 minute more. Transfer cut sides up, to a baking dish large enough to hold them in one tight layer and set aside.
To make filling, add the onion, garlic and walnuts to the same pain and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, until the onion wilts. Add the meat and cook, stirring to break up the chunks, until the meat is browned about 2 minutes. Stir in the eggplant pulp, tomato paste, allspice, salt, pepper and wine and bring to a boil. Cover, decrease heat to maintain a simmer, and cook for 20 minutes, until the juices are deep, reddish-brown and bubbling. Stir in the water, cover again and continue to cook for 10 minutes more. Remove from the heat and set aside.
When ready to cook, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Fill the eggplant shells with the meat mixture and pour enough water around, not into, the shells to reach ¼ inch up the sides of the dish. Place in the oven and bake for 1 hour, until the shells are tender and filling is bubbling in the center.
The Armenian Table, Victoria Fenanyan Wise. St. Martin’s Press, New York, NY. 2004.
Grilled Lemon Chicken:
2 pounds skinless chicken thighs (I used 1/2 lb. tenders)
The Marinade:
Juice of 3 lemons
3 tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar
1 tbsp. dried mint
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. dried oregano
½ thyme
½ tsp. black pepper
½ tsp. cayenne pepper
Place the chicken in a large baking dish.
Combine the marinade ingredients in a separate bowl, mixing well. Pour over the chicken, cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Flip the chicken half way through.
Grill chicken over medium-high turning as needed, for about 12-15 minutes.
Simply Armenian, Barbara Ghazarian. Mayreni Publishing: Monterey, California, 2004.
Cheese (and Spinach) Borek:
The Filing:
1 lb. Muenster cheese, shredded
1 cup small curd cottage cheese
1 tsp. baking powder
1 bunch flat leaf parsley, chopped (I subbed 1 cup spinach)
2 large eggs, beaten
The Shell:
1 package phyllo dough
1 stick of butter (I used 2 tbsp. and nonstick spray)
Combine the two cheeses, baking powder, parsley, and eggs in a large mixing bowl.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Remove the phyllo dough from it’s packaging. Cover immediately with a moist towel.
Brush the bottom of the baking tray with butter. Lay 1 sheet down, brush with butter, and lay a second. Continue until there are 10 layers.
Spread the cheese mixture over the phyllo and layer 10 more sheets. Brush the top with butter and bake for 45 minutes, until golden brown.
Simply Armenian, Barbara Ghazarian. Mayreni Publishing: Monterey, California, 2004.
1 comment:
This all looks SO yummy. I love Armenian food. One of my best friends is Armenian and her mom makes the BEST borek. Mmm.
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