Armenian Pizza Party
You can make new friends; it’s harder to break old party habits. Salsa, chips, dips . . . enough, please.
More impressive is this buffet menu of party snacks from the Middle East.
The first, lahmajoon, is fondly called Armenian pizza. Although the recipe requires a lot of preparation, the cooked pies can be stacked between paper plates, separated with wax paper and put in the freezer. There is no need to defrost lahmajoon, and guests can start nibbling after the pies have baked about 3 minutes. Serve them as hors d’oeuvres or as part of a meal.
The second dish, luleh kebab, is made of ground beef, lamb and spices. It’s the least labor-intensive and can be made in about 30 minutes; it can also be prepared in advance, then frozen and heated swiftly.
My favorite recipe sometimes doesn’t make it to the party because my family loves to eat it for breakfast. It is a braided bread roll called choereg, which tastes wonderful with Armenian string cheese--or any cheese--and is also fine with a little jam. (One source for Armenian string cheese, 5117 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood, (213) 666-6296).
My mother-in-law showed me how to make some of these dishes, but the recipes given here are from “Armenian Cooking Today” by Alice Antreassian (St. Vartan Press, New York).
Menu
Choereg
Lahmajoon
Luleh Kebob
Armenian String Cheese
Leafy Green Salad
Game Plan
Morning: Prepare lahmajoon and choereg dough and set out to rise.
Early Afternoon: Prepare lahmajoon meat topping, assemble and bake lahmajoon. Roll dough for choereg into strips and braid. Roll out lahmajoon dough, top with meat and bake.
Midafternoon: Prepare luleh kebab.
Just Before Party: Make green salad. Set out kebabs, choereg and lahmajoon on platters with Armenian string cheese and assorted fresh herbs and olives.
STAPLES
Sugar
Flour
Ground cumin
Black caraway seeds
Sesame seeds
Ground fennel
Ground allspice
Salt
Black, red and white pepper
Tomato paste
Tomato sauce
Shortening
Butter
Milk
Garlic
Paprika
Cayenne pepper
Milk
Eggs
4 onions
2 envelopes yeast
1 (16-ounce) can Italian-style tomatoes
SHOPPING LIST
1 3/4 pounds lean ground beef
1 3/4 pound ground lamb
1 (4-ounce) package bread crumbs
1 bunch parsley
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1 bunch fresh mint
LAHMAJOON DOUGH
1 package yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup lukewarm water
3 1/2 cups flour plus extra if needed
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons melted shortening, oil or butter
MEAT TOPPING
1 (16-ounce) can Italian-style tomatoes, drained
1/2 pound ground lamb
1/2 pound ground beef
2 medium onions, minced
1/2 cup minced parsley
1 red bell pepper, minced
1/2 green bell pepper, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon crushed mint
1 clove garlic, mashed
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
These are delicious as a meal with salad rolled up inside.
LAHMAJOON DOUGH
Dissolve yeast and sugar in lukewarm water. Stir and let stand until yeast starts to foam, several minutes.
Combine 3 cups flour and salt in large bowl. Make well in center and add yeast mixture, melted shortening and remaining flour. Mix.
Knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Add more flour if needed. Lightly oil surface of dough. Place sheet of plastic wrap across bowl, secure tightly and place in warm, draft-free place until dough doubles in bulk, about 3 hours.
MEAT TOPPING
Crush tomatoes and mix with ground lamb and beef, onions, parsley, red and green bell pepper, tomato paste, flour, mint, garlic, salt, paprika and cayenne. Taste and adjust seasoning, and set aside.
ASSEMBLY
Punch down Lahmajoon Dough when doubled in bulk and shape into 14 balls. Place dough balls on tray and cover with plastic sheet or dish towel. Set aside 10 minutes.
On floured surface, roll each ball into circle about 6 inches in diameter. Sprinkling with flour as needed, roll into paper-thin circles, 8 to 10 inches in diameter. As they are finished, place sheets of dough on cookie tray greased or lined with parchment paper. Spread 2 to 3 tablespoons of meat mixture over entire surface of circle.
Bake at 450 degrees until bottoms are light brown and meat mixture is browned and sizzling, about 12 minutes.
Makes 14 lahmajoons, 6 slices each.
Each slice contains about:
348 calories; 101 mg sodium; 3 mg cholesterol; 1 gram fat; 5 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 0.08 gram fiber.
CHOEREG
2 teaspoons sugar
1 cup lukewarm milk
1 package yeast
3 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups melted butter
6 cups flour
2 teaspoons black caraway seeds
2 teaspoons ground fennel or more to taste
Sesame seeds
Dissolve 1 teaspoon sugar in lukewarm milk and sprinkle yeast over surface. Stir to dissolve and set aside until yeast begins to foam.
Combine 2 eggs, salt and remaining teaspoon sugar in large bowl. Add butter and yeast mixture. Stir with spoon to blend. Stir in flour, 2 cups at a time. Add caraway seeds and ground fennel.
When mixture forms dough, remove to floured work surface and knead until smooth, about 10 minutes. Return dough to bowl, cover and set aside in warm, draft-free area until doubled in bulk, about 2 hours.
Use 1/4-cup container to create equal-sized small balls of dough. You should get about 3 dozen balls.
Cut 1 dough ball into 3 equal pieces. Keep remaining dough covered. Roll out each piece 1/4 inch thick and 4 inches long. Pinch pieces together at top and braid (alternating right over center piece, left over center piece) until end of dough is reached. Pinch bottom of braid together to form roll.
Repeat process with remaining dough balls. Place rolls on baking tray as each is finished. When done braiding, let rolls rest 1 hour, covered with piece of cloth.
Beat remaining egg and brush tops of rolls. Sprinkle tops with sesame seeds. Bake at 375 degrees until top and bottom are golden brown, about 20 minutes.
Makes about 3 dozen rolls.
Each roll contains about:
149 calories; 153 mg sodium; 39 mg cholesterol; 8 grams fat; 15 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams protein; 0.09 gram fiber.
LULEH KEBAB
(Armenian Sausages)
1 1/4 pounds ground lamb
1 1/4 pounds ground beef
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 cup bread crumbs
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 cup minced parsley
1 tablespoon grated onion
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Freshly ground red pepper
Freshly ground white pepper
1 cup minced onion, optional
Ground allspice, optional
Mix ground lamb and beef, tomato paste, tomato sauce, bread crumbs, cumin, 1/4 cup parsley, grated onion, salt and black, red and white pepper to taste. Divide into 14 pieces. Dipping hands repeatedly in water, form meat pieces into sausage shapes, each about 4 inches long.
Place kebabs in shallow baking dish and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Transfer to heated platter. Remove fat from surface of pan juices and serve separately. Garnish with minced onion, remaining parsley and allspice.
Makes about 14 kebabs.
Each kebab, without garnish, contains about:
204 calories; 315 mg sodium; 45 mg cholesterol; 14 grams fat; 7 grams carbohydrates; 12 grams protein; 0.23 gram fiber.