At the request of several readers, I have been searching for specific recipes. If, after reading the following requests, you find you have any of the recipes mentioned – or something similar, please email them to me at robyn@thearmeniankitchen.com. Please note that the spellings of these recipe names are not necessarily exact.
RECIPE REQUESTS:
1. Lucine Kasbarian is looking for “Siserov Kufteh”.
2. Pam Moroukian is trying to find “khaveech”, made in a frying pan, and it is creamy; and “soovazogh”, a type of pancake. (Sorry, folks, that’s all the description I have.)
In her message to me, Pam wrote:
“Hi Robyn,
So glad I have found your site.
I am in search of a couple of lost recipes for which I only have the names:
khaveech (something creamy in a fry pan) and soovazogh (type of pancake).
Most likely some old Sepastatsi recipe that my grandmother brought with her. My aunts cannot recall how they were made. The gleem in her eyes when she talks about them is worth the journey.
Have you come across anything that sounds like them?
Would you have any suggestions for the search.”
Robyn’s Note: I found a recipe for “khavitz” a type of halva made with flour, butter, sugar and cream and sent it to Pam. She said this might just be what she’s looking for. Now all she needs is the soovazogh.
3. Linda Torgrimson is on the search for “tutu”, a recipe made with lamb, cabbage and lemon.
Linda wrote:
“Dear Robyn
I am trying to find a recipe for tutu (don’t remember the spelling). My mom used to make it, and I made it many years ago, but I can’t remember how. I think it had lamb and cabbage and lemon. Slightly tart. Nothing comes up in a search. I don’t even see it on your site. It was delicious and I want to start making it again. Can you help me?”
Robyn’s Note: I sent Linda a recipe form Sonia Uvezian’s , “The Cuisine of Armenia”, called ‘Lamb and Cabbage Stew’. It didn’t quite fit the bill since Uvezian’s recipe called for tomatoes, dill, and no lemon. However, Linda said she is willing to improvize.
4. Leon Kaye of Los Angeles, California wrote:
“My grandmother was a genocide survivor, and passed away in 1990. She was from Sepastia, the region near the town of Sivas. Growing up, when we visited her home in Fresno, she made amazing foods.
But what I miss the most is her gatah (or kahtah?) . . . they were NOT like the doughy lumps you find at middle eastern or Armenian stores. They were so flaky. . . all I remember is that the dough would be a long long loaf, the length or so of a dining table . . .then she would slice them and bake them . . . they were like little semi-circles of goodness.
These were golden brown and crispy on the outside, and flaky like a croissant on the inside–though comparing them to a croissant would be an insult, because these were above and beyond any croissant you can find today . . .
She stopped making them in the early 80s, when her health took a turn, so we’re talking 25-30 years since we’ve enjoyed them. I can find just about anything else she has made, but the gatah is something I have never seen. And it’s not the braided chorag . . . “
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OK, folks. That’s the request list for now. We’ll gladly post recipes that fit these descriptions as quickly as we receive them.
Thanks for your help!
Robyn and Doug
Hi Robyn,
"Soovazogh" sounds like "Dzevadzegh", which just means omelet in Armenian. Beyond that, it is not clear what kind of omelet it would be.
"Tutu" sounds like a recipe I saw in one of the Hamazkayin cookbooks that used pickled cabbage. I will look for it, though I am not sure that is what Linda is looking for.
Siserov kuftah I am totally not sure about. If it is an actual kuftah with chick peas in the dough, it could be topik. If it is meat kuftah with chick peas in the sauce, there are several recipes that take a kuftah (meatball) and then augment it with rice, or bulgur, or vermicelli.
Anyway, I will look for the pickled cabbage stew recipe.
Thanks Ara! Your help is much appreciated.
Pam is looking for a pancake (soovazogh) recipe rather than an omelet, so I'm not sure about that one. I, too, thought of Topig for the siserov kufteh; maybe I can get clarification on that recipe.
The search continues for the rest…
Here is a recipe for "Kalmi Aboor" or "Tutu Aboor" from the Hamazkayin cookbooks, Volume 5 (Taron):
Ingredients:
Pickled cabbage, with its pickling brine
Dzedzadz (shelled or pelted wheat; use barley if you cannot find dzedzadz)
Beef shank or chuck roast
A little onion
Salt
Chop the cabbage. Cube the meat into 1 inch chunks. Mix everything together and cook. Top with fried onions.
[This is the recipe exactly as written in the cookbook. You can deduce the approximate amounts fairly easily. Also, I personally would saute the meat first in vegetable oil, then add the onions, then everything else and simmer, covered, for about 30-45 minutes]
Pickled cabbage is available in the Armenian markets in LA. They usually flavor the brine with fresh tarragon and coriander seeds. If you don't have pickled cabbage, you can approximate the taste by using fresh cabbage and adding lemon juice or vinegar.
P.S. Sometimes they sell pickled cabbage in commercial jars (as opposed to the homemade kind that I was referring to above). In that case, they usually color the pickle by adding beets. For this dish, I would personally use the homemade kind, which has all the spices.
I love this exchange of history, memories and recipes….What you're doing here is so very worthwhile.
I checked my Armenian cookbook and they have Dzevadzegh listed as French Toast. The recipe is a pretty standard French Toast recipe, except that it's dusted with a cinnamon sugar mixture after it's fried. I wonder if that's what she's looking for?
The Armenian pastry stores in LA sell gata, which is a sweet bread. It looks like this: http://kermanig.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=33%C2%A0. Some recipes are here: http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/2411/armenian-sweet-bread-gata-recipe-help. There's also keteh, which is listed in my cookbook as "Armenian Easter bread", but there aren't pictures, so I can't tell if it's the same thing as gata.
You guys are GREAT! Thank you all for participating in this search.
To SK: Could you email me the French Toast recipe so I can post it for Pam? (robyn@thearmeninkitchen.com) Perhaps she'll be able to tell if this is the correct recipe. I'll check out the gata links you've included, too.
What my mother called soovazogh, was basically very eggy French toast. I know this was posted 9 years ago, but maybe it’ll help someone.