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appetizer

Recipes

Simple Armenian Dolma

September 4, 2018
Simple Armenian Dolma

Dolma, hummus, and few slices of cucumbers or carrots is my go-to meal after a long day’s work when I just don’t feel like cooking.  I used to like dolma but recently I’ve learned to love them.  Let’s just stay store-bought dolma pale in comparison to homemade ones.  They can be made in a variety of forms: vegetarian, with lamb, beef, different vegetables and spices.  The possible combinations and flavors are endless.

Here is an easily adaptable Simple Armenian Dolma recipe.

Adapted from “Treasured Armenian Recipes” published by the The Detroit Women’s Chapter of the Armenian General Benevolent Union

Simple Armenian Dolma

1 lb of lamb, beef, or 50/50 mixture

1/4 lb of washed rice

2 medium onions, chopped fine

a handful of fresh parsley or mint

1/4 cup of tomato sauce

Salt and pepper

Grape leaves

  1. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients, except the grape leaves, well by hand.
  2. If using fresh grape leaves, cut off the stems and blanch them in boiling water first.  But if you are using canned leaves, wash in hot water.
  3. Next, prep your pot.  Place some grape leaves on the bottom of a medium to large pot to prevent the dolma from sticking.
  4. Now the fun part.  Spread a leaf on a plate or cutting board, wrong side up and stem end towards you.  Put a teaspoon of filling near the stem end.  With your hands fold the sides and then roll up like a cigar.
  5. Place the rolled dolma in the pot.  Layer the dolma in two or three layers.
  6. To ensure stability, place a plate over the top and fill the pot with 2 cups of water.  You can add more tomato sauce for extra flavor.
  7. Pre-heat oven to 325°F, and cook for 1 1/2 hours.
  8. Serve warm.

Enjoy!

Recipes

Provencal tomatoes

June 19, 2018
Provencal Tomatoes

The best food sometimes is the simplest.  Provencal tomatoes are about as simple as it gets but boy are they good.  This is a great summer side dish requiring few ingredients: tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, and fresh herbs.

The secret to perfecting Provencal tomatoes, is to slowly fry them.  I mean sloooooowly.  This helps concentrate their flavor.  Make sure to use high quality tomatoes, the fresher the better, i.e., what you have growing in your garden or produce from your local farmer’s market.  Serve with a green salad, braised fennel, and for those without gluten sensitivity freshly baked bread.

Provencal Tomatoes

Adapted from Classic French Cooking by Elisabeth Luard

  • 3 large tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp of olive oil
  • 1 garlic cloves, peeled
  • a handful of parsley
  • Salt

Directions

  1. Cut the tomatoes in half and remove seeds.
  2. In a wide cast iron pan heat the olive oil at the lowest setting.
  3. Place the tomatoes cut side down, then fry the tomatoes at the lowest setting.
  4. In the meantime, finely mince the garlic and parsley with salt and reserve.
  5. After about 40 minutes, gently flip the tomatoes over and sprinkle with your garlic-parsley mixture. Splash with additional olive oil.
  6. Cook very gently another 30 minutes.

Variations

Try replacing the parsley with thyme, basil, or oregano.  Whatever looks fresh and tasty in your garden.

Serves 2

Recipes

Turmeric hummus

November 28, 2017
Turmeric Hummus

Turmeric is a highly anti-inflammatory food that’s attracted a lot of attention these past few years.  In a previous post, I discussed the merits of turmeric for the treatment of osteoarthritis.  You may remember, that you need to take 2 – 3 grams of turmeric daily to get the anti-inflammatory benefits of turmeric.  Most people supplement with capsules, but it doesn’t hurt to further supplement with the real thing.  Try this recipe for turmeric hummus.  It’s delicious, it’s healthy, and may improve joint wellness!

Turmeric Hummus

Ingredients

3/4 inch of turmeric root, sliced

1 15 oz. can cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed

zest of 1 lemon

juice of 1/2 lemon

3 cloves of garlic

2 tbsp of tahini

1/8 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/4 cup of olive oil

Directions

  1. In a food processor, blend the turmeric, chickpeas, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, tahini, black pepper, and cumin.  Blend until smooth.
  2. Slowly but surely add the olive oil as the hummus is mixing until you reach the desired consistency.
  3. Adjust seasoning.
  4. Serve with vegetables like carrots, celery, cucumbers or with pita bread, crackers, etc.
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Recipes

Creamy avocado dip

October 31, 2017
Creamy avocado dip

Every family seems to have a family member(s) who’s known for their special dish.  My grandmother is known for her ham.  My aunt Lucie is known for putting maple syrup in almost everything, “tout est meilleur avec du sirop d’érable!”  As for my mother, it’s her creamy avocado dip.  It isn’t the fanciest recipe but she never brings leftovers back when she brings it to gatherings.  It’s incredibly versatile, so you can dress it with whatever veggies or herbs you like.

Creamy avocado dip

1 cup cream cheese

1 cup sour cream

1 ripe avocado

dash of lemon juice

6 dill pickles, finely minced

1 cup of green olives, finely minced

2 green onions, minced

2 plum tomatoes, cubed

Directions

  1. In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese and avocado by hand.  Then mix in the cream cheese and a dash of lemon juice to prevent the avocado from browning.  Add more lemon juice to taste if you’d like the dip to have more of a “lemony” flavor.
  2. Place the dip in the middle of a plate or any other presentation dish.
  3. Finely mince the pickles and olives.  You can use a blender if you’d like to save some time, but it tastes better when done by hand.  Place these in a large bowl.
  4. Repeat with the green onions and cubed tomatoes.  Add these to the pickles and olives.  Mix.
  5. Pour the vegetable mix around the avocado dip.
  6. Serve with tortilla chips or with freshly sliced cucumbers for a healthier fare.

Note: You can also layer the vegetables as seen in the photo.

Enjoy!