7. March 2009 by Azat.

I enjoy making different meals with fish and one of my favorite fish to cook is fresh trout.  Many times trout is not very fresh in the stores but if you can find good fresh trout(for me Fish King or Whole Foods usually is the source to find them at) you can make a great meal.  I have three very simple trout recopies that I will share over time but tonight wanted to write about grilled trout.  I also make an oven baked trout and a very unique one baked inside coarse salt dome

Ingredients
2 trout with heads cut (8−10 oz.)
1/4 cup olive oil
8-10 sprigs of tarragon
1 lemon
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt - to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper - to taste

Cooking Instructions
Clean the trout and cut the head off and wash it well.(your local fish monger will do this for you)  If it has a fishy smell put it in a bowl and squeeze 1 lemon juice on it and let it sit for 30 minutes…

Cut lemon in half.  Slice one half of the lemon into 1/8 inch thick slices.  You should get about 6-8 half circle slices.

Add salt and pepper to the fish.  Be generous as some of it will burn off on the grill.  Make sure to put it inside the belly as well.  Stuff the belly with 4-5 sprigs of the tarragon and 3-4 slices of the lemon.

Cook the trout on a charcoal grill for 3 to 4 minutes on each side over fairly slow heat.  Not fire.  Brushing occasionally with lemon and olive oil mixture

Serve with your favorite vegetables on the side and a nice bottle of Sauvignon Blanc or maybe a nice light Chardonnay.

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8. February 2009 by Azat.

Tabouleh

Serves: 6
Preparation Time: 1 hour
Difficulty: Average

Ingredients:
• 1/2 cups fine bulghour(cracked wheat you can buy from most middle eastern/Armenian food stores)
• 3 lge. bunch parsley, minced fine
• 1 bunch scallions, minced fine
• 3 tomatoes, skinned and peeled, if desired chopped fine
• 1 small bunch mint
• 1/2 tsp. ground red pepper
• 1/3 cup olive oil (pure or substitute)
• 1/3 cup lemon juice salt to taste

Cooking Instructions:
Soak bulghour in the diced tomato for an hour. Squeeze out the water with hands and mix with other ingredients except oil, lemon juice and salt.

Mix with olive oil, lemon juice and salt, using proportions agreeable to your taste.

It is important that vegetables be minced very fine. Serve in a bowl or dish surrounded with Romaine leaves or fresh tender grape leaves. The leaves are used to scoop up the salad. Prepare the mixture early enough so flavors blend.

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2. February 2009 by Azat.

Dolma - Vegetarian(sarma)
Serves: 15
Preparation Time: 1 hour
Difficulty: Difficult

Ingredients:
•1 cup rice
•½ cup pure olive oil
•2 large onions chopped
•4 cloves of garlic chopped
•1 tbsp. salt
•½ tsp. black pepper
•¼ tsp. red pepper
•½ cup diced green peppers
•½ cup fresh lemon juice
•½ cup chopped fresh parsley
•½ cup chopped fresh dill
•½ cup chopped fresh mint
•6 large tomatoes ground the in the food processor

Cooking Instructions:
In a large pan put the olive oil, onions and the garlic. Fry the onions until they are about to get translucent. Add the green peepers. Mix well, then stir in salt, black and red pepper. When the onions are translucent and the green peepers are just starting to get soft add the rice. Mix and let it cook for about 5-10 minutes. Add chopped parsley, mint and the dill. Add 6 tomatoes and lemon juice. Cook on low heat for approximately 20 minutes. Make sure to mix while it is cooking such that the rice does not stick to the bottom.

If using fresh grape leaves make sure to cook them in salt water for about 10 minutes to make them soft, but you may already find precooked grape leaves from your local grocery store. Using a tablespoon fill each grape leave with approximately 1 tablespoon each(some more some less, you will get the hang of it after your first 4-5 tries). Put the mixture 1 inch from the top edge of the dull side of the leave and first bring the back side on top of the mixture then bringing the two sides in and then rolling the whole thing. Make it a firm role.

Place the stuffed grape leaves in a pan for now. When done, get a new pan and place half the unused grape leaves on the bottom of the pan such that the entire bottom is covered. Now place the stuffed grape leaves in a circular fashion and layer them until all are in the pan and cover all the dolmas with the remaining unused grape leaved. Add a ¼ of water and ¼ of lemon juice to the pan and under slow heat let it simmer for about 15-30 minutes until all the water has evaporated. let it cool for 30 minutes prior to serving(you can serve this entirely cold as well)

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24. January 2009 by Azat.

Im going to give you a very easy recipe this time and my next blog entry will be on a great wine to serve wit this recipe called Conundrum. I will at some point list and write about some Armenian cognacs/brandy as well. This time I just put a link to one called Nairi which is a beautiful 20 year old gem for a very bargain price.

Armenian Tortellini 
Calories Per Serving: 0
Preparation Time: 15
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:
1 Pack Tortellini (I get fresh kind. 1 pack per 2 people from Trader Joe)
4 oz Crumbled Gorgonzola
2-3 oz Heavy cream
Crushed roasted nuts of choice
Few springs of parsley.
Salt and pepper too taste
Cooking Instructions:
Cook the tortellini in boiling water for 6-8 minutes. While the tortellini is cooking heat up the cream. Now the part to make the tortellini an Armenian food. Add a tablespoon of Armenian cognac. Add the diced parsley and salt and pepper to the cream.
Serving Suggestions:
When the tortellini is cooked plate it 10-12 per person. Add the crumbled Gorgonzola on top of the tortellini, Add the crushed nuts and add 3-4 heaping table spoons of the cream. Let the pasta sit for couple of minutes for everything to semi melt and bond together.
Additional Comments:
Very very easy to make.  You dont have to use cognac or brandy, you can use bourbon as well.

This is an image of the ad from Nairi Cognac

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