ARMENIAN TRADITION CELEBRATE THE FLAVORS OF CUISINE'S HERITAGE.

Byline: Natalie Haughton Food Editor

Armenian cooking, a cuisine that blends Mediterranean flavors with Persian, Turkish and Russian accents, stirs up fond childhood memories for Carla Simonian of Woodland Hills for foods like shish kebabs, sarmas (stuffed grape leaves), dolmas (stuffed vegetables), basterma (air-dried beef), boeregs (filo cheese triangles), lavosh, lahmajoun (Armenian pizza), pilafs and kadayif (filo dessert).

Whenever her family gathered, there were abundant tables of food. Now she's sharing her culinary heritage with her daughters.

``I think my cooking was influenced by a tight family background and always being around Armenian food,'' says Simonian, who taught herself to cook Armenian food with the help of books and advice from her aunts, grandmother, cousins and mother-in-law.

Food traditions are important to Armenian families.

In a recently released cookbook, ``The Armenian Table'' (St. Martin's Press; $29.95), Victoria Jenanyan Wise of Oakland shares her heritage and treasured family recipes.

Wise recalls regularly visiting her father's relatives in Sacramento (her father was Armenian) ``who were the major family figures of my childhood in terms of food.'' For major celebratory occasions, the men always grilled the shish kebabs while the woman handled the other cooking tasks.

``Altogether, the cupboard holds a nutritious and fragrant mix, aromatic and colorful as a spice bazaar or open-air market,'' says Wise of Armenian cuisine.

Hallmarks include lamb, dried fruits (apricots, dates, raisins, figs, prunes), nuts (walnuts, pine nuts, almonds, pistachios), yogurt, string cheese, filo dough, butter, olive oil, bulgur, rice, lemon juice, cider vinegar, lots of vegetables (eggplant, green beans, tomatoes, fresh peppers, etc.), fresh herbs such as mint, dill and parsley, and spices and seasonings like cumin, paprika, cinnamon, Aleppo pepper and sumac.

``Most of the ingredients in Armenian food are very natural and healthy,'' says Simonian. ``We were eating yogurt years before it ever caught on here.''

While Armenian food has some similarities to other Middle Eastern cuisines, there are differences. Armenians typically don't use tahini or hummus.

Simonian, a Los Angeles native, recollects her grandfather (who raised her along with an aunt after her mother died) making a delicious hot yogurt soup and lots of stews (green beans with lamb and others with leeks). ``We had lots of vegetables (green beans, stuffed bell peppers, stuffed onions, squash and so on), only a small amount of meat and often just sliced cucumbers, tomatoes or radishes or olives instead of a green salad.''

Lavosh - a yeast dough Armenian cracker bread that softens when you dampen with a little water and let stand covered with a towel for 20 to 40 minutes - replaced bread. Available in bags of six in Middle Eastern markets, large dry lavosh rounds will keep for weeks at room temperature.

When friends and relatives gathered, a glorious, colorful maza (appetizer) platter - a mainstay of the Armenian table - with basterma (dried beef with a coating of chaiman, a paste made of fenugreek with paprika and other spices), string cheese, assorted black olives, tourshi (pickled vegetables like carrots, cabbage, cauliflower or green beans), eggplant dip, lavosh, boeregs and more was always served before dinner, says Simonian. It's a tradition she's kept alive when entertaining today, even when she serves nontraditional Armenian entrees like grilled steaks, chicken or chops.

Although neither Simonian nor Wise serves Armenian fare daily (it's reserved for special occasions and family gatherings), the flavors and scents permeate their everyday cooking.

Wise's informative cookbook, her 13th, contains more than 165 recipes, a mix of traditional signature favorites along with inspired, innovative and contemporary variations on the theme. For cooks, it's Armenian 101 and much more - a great way to learn about the cuisine. Wise made a concerted effort to make the recipes approachable and easy to execute.

Particularly interesting are her notes accompanying each recipe and her from-scratch renditions of yogurt, lavosh, mock basterma and lahmajoun.

Natalie Haughton, [phone]

natalie.haughton(at)dailynews.com

STUFFED GRAPE LEAVES (WITH MEAT)

(SARMAS)

1/3 cup uncooked long grain rice, rinsed

1 pound lean ground beef OR ground lamb (OR use 1/2 beef and 1/2 lamb)

1 firm tomato, chopped

2 medium onions, chopped

2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

2 tablespoons minced fresh basil OR 1 tablespoon dried basil

Salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper 

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce

1 (16-ounce) jar grape leaves

2 whole tomatoes from a can, crushed

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 cup water

To make meat mixture, combine rice, meat, chopped tomato, onions, parsley, basil, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder and tomato sauce, mixing until well blended.

Rinse grape leaves in warm water and squeeze dry. Cut stems off grape leaves and discard. Reserve 8 to 12 grape leaves to line cooking pot.

Using remaining leaves, place a leaf flat, shiny side down (veined-side up) on a flat surface. Put a spoonful of filling in center of leaf, fold in both sides and roll up leaf from the bottom to make a neat cylinder. Continue until remaining leaves are filled.

Line bottom of a 4-quart pot with the reserved grape leaves. Place stuffed grape leaves, seam sides down, in rows, packing together tightly and building up a layer or two.

Pour crushed tomatoes, 1/2 teaspoon salt, lemon juice and 1 cup water over grape leaves. Place an inverted plate on top of stuffed leaves to keep in place while cooking. Top plate with a medium size clean rock to keep plate down.

Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce heat and simmer gently, covered, 60 to 65 minutes, until rice is tender. (Or bake in a preheated 350-degree oven 1 hour). Do not uncover for 15 minutes, then serve hot.

From Carla Simonian.

GARLIC AND YOGURT SAUCE

2 cloves garlic

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups plain yogurt

Mash garlic and salt together with a spoon until pureed. Add yogurt and stir until smooth. Place in a jar or container. Refrigerate 2 to 3 hours before serving. Serve with stuffed grapes or other dishes. Makes 2 cups.

From Carla Simonian.

ARMENIAN CHOPPED VEGETABLE SALAD

2 large ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped into 1/2-inch chunks

1 green bell pepper, coarsely chopped into 1/4-inch chunks

1 large pickling cucumber OR small regular cucumber, partially peeled in stripes and coarsely chopped into 1/2-inch chunks

1/2 head iceberg lettuce, cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips

1/3 cup chopped red onions

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-lead parsley

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Fresh minced garlic OR garlic powder, to taste

Paprika and Greek seasoning, to taste

A drizzling of olive oil to taste

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and toss to mix. Serve immediately or set aside at room temperature for up to 20 minutes. Makes 4 servings.

Adapted from ``The Armenian Table,'' by Victoria Jenanyan Wise.

CHEESE BOEREGS

3 cups shredded Jack cheese

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

Pinch salt

2 eggs, beaten (for cheese mixture)

1 (1-pound 6-ounce) package puff pastry (containing 10 (5x5-inch) squares; available in Middle Eastern markets)

1 egg, beaten (to brush top of boeregs)

Mix together cheeses, parsley, pinch salt and 2 eggs until well blended. Cut each puff pastry square in half diagonally to make 2 triangles. Fill each triangle with a heaping tablespoon of cheese mixture. Fold dough over filling; press down to seal edges of dough. Brush tops with 1 beaten egg.

Place on a baking sheet lined with nonstick foil. Bake in a preheated 375-degree oven 20 to 25 minutes, until puffed and golden. Makes 20 boeregs.

From Carla Simonian.

KADAYIF

1 pound kadayif dough, room temperature (finely shredded filo dough; available at Middle Eastern markets)

1/2 pound sweet butter, melted

1 pint half-and-half

1/2 cup whipping cream

5 tablespoons cornstarch 

7 tablespoons powdered sugar

Syrup

Pull apart kadayif dough and fluff with your hands. Mix dough with melted butter. Spread 1/2 of dough evenly in a lightly buttered 9x12-inch baking pan. Press lightly to make a crust.

For filling, combine half-and-half, whipping cream, cornstarch and powdered sugar in a pan on top of stove top. Place over medium -low heat. Cook, stirring constantly with a wire whisk, until thickened and creamy, about 3 minutes.

Spread hot filling evenly over kadayif dough crust. Cover evenly with remaining dough, pressing in lightly.

Place baking pan on lowest rack of a preheated 450-degree oven. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until golden. (If not golden, move to top rack and bake 5 to 10 minutes longer). Drizzle a little cold Syrup evenly over kadayif as soon as it is removed from the oven. Cool slightly, cut into squares and serve warm topped with a drizzling of Syrup. Or refrigerate and serve cold (or reheat and serve slightly warm), drizzled with more syrup. Makes about 12 servings.

SYRUP: In a saucepan, combine 1 cup water and 2 cups sugar. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, mix and boil 5 to 10 minutes. Cool. Syrup recipe can be doubled if you want extra.

NOTE: Kadayif can be assembled the night before, refrigerated and baked the next day, an hour before serving.

From Carla Simonian.

ROSE'S PICKLED CARROTS

(TOURSHI)

5 pounds carrots, peeled

5 to 6 garlic cloves, halved

3 to 4 canned whole jalapeno peppers, halved and seeds removed

3 tablespoons jalapeno juice (from can)

6 cups water

2 cups white vinegar

6 tablespoons salt

Place peeled carrots in a jar that has a tight lid along with garlic, jalapeno peppers and jalapeno juice. In a pot, combine water, vinegar and salt. Heat to boiling. Pour hot liquid over carrots. Close jar tightly with lid. Let stand 2 days at room temperature. Then refrigerate until serving. Will keep in refrigerate several weeks. Serve as an appetizer on a maza platter.

From a friend of Carla Simonian.

RAGOUT OF LAMB OR PORK WITH DRIED APRICOTS AND WHOLE GARLIC CLOVES

1 1/4 pounds boneless lamb stew meat OR country-style boneless pork ribs, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup brandy

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

3/4 teaspoon Aleppo pepper

3 cups water

24 dried apricot halves

12 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 cup cilantro leaves, for serving

In a bowl, toss meat with salt. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. In batches, to avoid crowding the pieces, brown meat all over, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate and continue until all pieces are browned. After last batch, return all meat and collected juices to pot and add brandy. Stir in cumin, pepper and water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer, cover, and cook 1 hour, until meat is almost tender.

Skim liquid, then stir in apricots and garlic. Continue simmering, covered, 30 minutes, until meat is fork-tender. Stir in lemon juice, sprinkle cilantro over top, and serve immediately. Makes 6 servings.

From ``The Armenian Table,'' by Victoria Jenanyan Wise.

CAPTION(S):

5 photos

Photo:

(1 -- cover -- color) Carla Simonian of Woodland Hills presents a maza platter, a mainstay of The Armenian table

(2 -- color) STUFFED GRAPE LEAVES (WITH MEAT)

(3 -- color) CHEESE BOEREGS

(4 -- color) KADAYIF

(5 -- color) ARMENIAN CHOPPED VEGETABLE SALAD

Photos by John Lazar/Staff Photographer