THE FOOD SNOOPBY MASHA GUTKIN
San Francisco Bay Guardian
Oct 12 2005
SOME OF BEULAH’S friends call her “Grandma,” “because at Grandma’s
house, you get to have anything you want, like chocolate, pot, and
booze.” (Quote from an anonymous, chocolate-smeared guest.) I’d like,
though, to call her “Den-Ma.” Sounds like “Grandma,” and this title
more nearly captures the heart of Beulah’s role: consummate hostess,
purveyor of decadence, provider of almost miraculously endless bottles
of easy-down rioja for a motley crew comprising students, memoirists,
filmmakers, archivists, and at least one newly minted American pro dom.
Beulah’s equally adept at serving straight-up Bailey’s in lieu of
coffee to the unexpected morning visitor (Jo-Jo, a flaming queen
in town for Fashion Week and a last hurrah pre-rehab) as she is at
talking Mandelshtam while simultaneously smoking and sauteing for a
dinner group of 10 assembled round her multitasking coffee table. Her
shower’s also blessed with perfect water pressure, another sign that
she’s a favorite with the gods of hospitality.
Beulah grew up in Yerevan, Armenia, followed by Glendale, Calif. The
other night she made a lamb stew from the mother country. Now,
depending on whom you ask, this stew belongs to a number of Caucasian
(as in the mountain range, the Caucasus) peoples. In Georgian it’s
called chanakhi and can also feature rice. Called chanakh in Armenian,
this stew shares its moniker with a feta-like cheese.
Beulah’s grandmother speculates that the shared name likely refers
to the type of clay pot, also known as chanakh, in which both stew
and cheese are made.
Traditionally, chanakh is slow-baked in its namesake pot, with a
layer of lavash (flat bread) at the top, in a tonir – a traditional
Armenian (also Turkish, also Iranian) pit oven. Beulah, lacking a
tonir, eschews the oven entirely for her version. In keeping with
Beulah’s role as the Benevolent BoHostess, she’s found the perfect
(albeit carnivore-centric) meal. This satiating stew’s a meal-in-one,
and its long, untended cooking time allows for leisurely anticipatory
intoxication for guests and host alike.
Stovetop chanakh/chanakhi (serves four to six)
You will need a cast-iron or otherwise thick pot that holds four quarts
and has a lid. Beulah cooks chanakh while chain-smoking illegally
imported duty-free cigarettes from Switzerland. You may skip this step.
2 1/2 to 3 lbs. lamb (any cut that has some bone and fat, such as
shoulder chop)
4 medium-size potatoes (peeled if the skin is rough) sliced into
1/4-inch rounds
2 medium sweet and/or hot peppers, seeded and chopped into chunks
2 medium onions, roughly diced
1 large eggplant, peeled in stripes (i.e., some of the skin left on),
cut into 1/2-inch cubes, salted and sweated
1/5 bunch purple basil (green basil may be substituted)
1/3 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
1/3 lb. trimmed string beans or whole, tender, young okra
2 to 3 large cloves garlic, roughly diced
2 to 3 (peeled) tomatoes, chopped into chunks
1/2 Tbs. butter
Salt and pepper
Salt the lamb to taste (but generously), add pepper (go light if
you’re including hot peppers), and let it rest for 5 minutes. Heat
the butter and brown the lamb on high heat. This takes about 10 to
15 minutes and may be done in batches for optimum browning. When the
lamb is browned, set it aside. You should have a nice reservoir of
juices from the browned lamb remaining in the pot.
Turn down the heat to medium-low, and toss in the onions. Saute them
till they’re at least translucent. Add the tomatoes, and let them
simmer. In a few minutes, move the onion-tomato mix to the side of
the pot, and layer a third of the browned lamb on the pot bottom.
Then progressively arrange single layers of the other ingredients
(e.g., potato, topped by eggplant, then tomato, peppers, green beans,
lamb again, etc.). Try to include some of the onion-tomato mix in the
successive layers. NB: Sprinkle cilantro, basil, and garlic between
each layer.
Cover the pot. Keep the heat medium-low. In a half hour or so, use a
long-handled spoon to make a couple of little wells in the stew to help
the flavors meld. When possible – likely around 45 minutes to an hour
into the cooking time – use a spoon or spatula to gently press down on
the top of the stew so that all the layers are submerged in the stew’s
juices. Once all the ingredients are submerged, let the stew simmer
gently for about another 15 minutes. Take a component-comprehensive
taste. If everything is tender and luscious, the chanakh is set to
be served. Garnish it with fresh herbs, such as a twig of purple
basil and a sprinkling of chopped cilantro. If you have lavash on
hand, serve it alongside. Some enjoy chanakh with a side of Greek
(a.k.a. Armenian) salad.