Santa Cruz Sentinel, CA
September 20, 2006

Family recipes mined for Armenian cookbook

By Terri Morgan
Sentinel correspondent
Hungry for some more Russian-style dishes but don’t
have time, energy or inclination to drive up to San
Francisco and your favorite Russian restaurant? The
Ladies Society of St. Andrew Armenian Church of
Cupertino has just what you need. "New Armenian
Kitchen" is loaded with recipes that capture the
flavor of Armenia, Russia and other countries that
made up the former Soviet Union.

The idea for the cookbook was cooked up back in 1999
by an Aptos woman. Veronica Sarkissian, a longtime
member of the church, was one of many volunteers who
helped put together fundraising dinners at St. Andrew.
Tired of regularly cooking – and cleaning up – for a
crowd, she started looking around for a longer-lasting
and less labor-intensive fundraising project. She put
together a cookbook committee, and, with the help of
10 other volunteers, convinced members of their
congregation to contribute their favorite family
recipes for the cookbook.

"Some recipes are more Russian, while some are more
Armenian," Sarkissian said. "The cookbook includes a
compilation of recipes from about 100 people,
including several family recipes passed down" through
the generations.

"Those familiar with Armenian cooking know that
Armenians have adopted food recipes from neighboring
countries and cultures and from wherever they have
emigrated – primarily the Middle East," Sarkissian
wrote in the cookbook’s preface. "These recipes
represent many regional influences."

The cookbook was also designed for modern households,
she noted. Some of the recipes include shortcuts, like
using canned tomato sauce, Crisco shortening, or soup
from cans or mixes.

The cookbook includes a wide range of recipes, from
appetizers through desserts, including cucumber and
other salads, borsch and other soups, chicken Kiev and
other main courses, and beer bread and other baked
goods. It also includes a wealth of information about
Armenia, which is located between Turkey, Azerbaijan,
Georgia and Iran. The pages are peppered with Armenian
proverbs, and a mealtime prayer is printed – in both
Armenian and English – opposite the table of contents.

Contact Terri Morgan at
svreeken@santacruzsentinel.com.

If You Buy

WHAT: ‘New Armenian Kitchen.’

WHERE: St. Andrew Ladies Society, 11370 S. Stelling
Road, Cupertino, CA 95014, or on Amazon.com.

price: The new edition of the cookbook retails for
$16.95. However, the online bookstore still has some
older editions available for less.

Armenian recipes

Recipes from "The New Armenian Kitchen."

BABA GHANNOUJ

Recipe from Apri Haleblian

1 lg. eggplant

1 lemon, squeezed

2 cloves garlic

3 Tbsps. tahine

Salt, to taste

1 Tbsp. olive oil

Cut holes into the eggplant, broil it until done (it
shrivels), prick with a fork, it should be soft
inside. Peel the eggplant, remove the pulp. Add lemon
juice, garlic (mashed), tahine and salt and blend
well. Put in a bowl. Add olive oil on top, decorate
with parsley leaves. Chill and serve as an appetizer.
Tastes good with pocket bread.

CHICKPEA PILAF

>>From Veronica Sarkissian

1 cup rice (long grain)

½ cup vermicelli, broken up

¼ cup butter

2 cups chicken broth

1-15 oz. can chickpeas (drained and rinsed)

Brown vermicelli in butter. Add rice, warmed broth and
chickpeas. Cover and cook on medium-low heat for about
20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed, stirring
occasionally. Fluff with fork and serve.

POTATO CANDY

>>From Lucille M. Kuririan

1 sm. potato, peeled

1 pkg. powdered sugar

1 pkg. coconut

½ tsp. vanilla

2 squares unsweetened chocolate, melted

Boil a very small potato until it is tender. Mash well
and add powdered sugar until it is thick enough to
spread in an 8-by-8-inch pan. Add coconut and vanilla.
Pat down. Cover with melted chocolate. Cool and cut
into squares.

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