Westside Ararat Guild Luncheon

The afternoon could not have been more beautiful in Granada Hills and I have to admit to being delighted that so many Armenian women showed up to hear me talk about my family, my wild childhood and food at the Westside Ararat Guild luncheon. Not only did the event raise money for the Ararat Home but I managed to sell nearly 50 copies of Siren's Feast, An Edible Odyssey, while warning some of the older women about the content. And talk about food!!! The food, as usual, was truly divine, prepared by many of the women who attended, including myself. I rolled another 150 grape leaves for the occasion.

Cheese Beorag Recipe

CHEESE BEORAG

A tradition Armenian delicacy made with an old family twist. As an h’ors d’oeuvres it cannot be matched.

1 pound filo dough (if dough is frozen, thaw over night in the refrigerator)
½ cup butter, melted

Filling:

½ lb. feta cheese (I prefer French or Bulgarian as they are less salty)
½ lb. jack cheese, grated
1 bunch parsley, chopped very finely
½ tsp. black pepper
2 eggs, beaten

Custard:

1 cup milk
1 egg

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

In a mixing bowl, crumble feat cheese. Add grated jack cheese. Next add the eggs, parley and black pepper. Blend well and set aside.

Set up a workspace. Filo dough is paper-thin and dries out when exposed to air so it will be necessary to work quickly. Have enough room on counter top for dough, melted butter and baking dish. I use a clay baking dish approximately 10” x 14” x 2”. Glass and stainless steel are also good. Open filo dough and lay sheets of filo on a piece of wax paper or foil. Place two sheets of filo at a time in the baking dish. Using a pastry brush, brush dough with the melted butter. Continue layering the dough in this manner, two sheets at a time, brushing every two sheets with melted butter until half of the dough is used.

Next spread the cheese mixture evenly over the buttered dough. Then continue layering dough and brushing with butter until all the dough is used.

Place baking dish in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour to harden the butter. Using a sharp knife cut the unbaked beorag into serving-sized pieces (about 2 in. squares.) Blend milk and egg together and pour over the top so that the liquid goes down inside the cuts.

Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes, or until pastry rises and turns golden brown. Remove from oven and serve hot.

Serves 12 or more

A TRAVELING FEAST

Back to the Feast (September events)

Now that my slipped disc has slipped back into place, I'm back after a long absence and excited about the upcoming events for Siren's Feast. For anyone in Northern California, I'll be doing a book signing at Omnivore Books in San Francisco on Sept. 13.
Omnivore Books is a charming store in Noe Valley that not only has top-notch authors visiting but also a collection of antiquarian and collectible cookbooks. Please stop by.

Two days later, I'll be at the Allied Arts Guild in beautiful Menlo Park. That is on Tuesday, Sept. 15, from 1-2 pm.

Siren's Feast Recipe Index

SIREN’S FEAST RECIPE INDEX

Appetizers and Salads

Armenian Eggplant Salad – 14
Baba Ghanouj – 196-197
Carrot & Beet Salad – 54-55
Cheese Beorag – 306-307
Fattoush (Syrian Bread Salad) – 206
Muhammara (Lebanese Walnut Dip) – 197
Orange Salad – 49
Salade Des Lentilles Vertes – 118
Tabbouli – 198
Yalanchi Sarma (stuffed grape leaves) – 304-306
Yogurt – 261

Side Dishes

Armenian Rice Pilaf – 13-14
Bulghur Pilaf – 208
Couscous – 49
Daddy’s Fassoulia (green bean stew) – 21
Dal (spiced lentils) – 168
Kubisa (Moroccan greens) – 40
Midya Dolma (rice-stuffed mussels) – 328-329
Red Beans and Rice – 288
Preserved Lemons – 40
Vosp Kufta (red lentil patties) – 207

Soups and Sauces

Cilantro-Mint Chutney – 169
Gazpacho Andalusian – 113-114
Sweet Salad Dressing – 126

Main Courses

B’Steeya – 55-57
Baby Feast – 289-290
Nigerian Pepper Stew – 288-289
Shish Kebab – 13
Stuffed Baked Fish Fillets with Spicy Tomato Sauce – 51-52
Tortilla Espanola – 112-113
Vegetable Shai Korma – 154
Vegetable Tajine – 50
Vegetarian Curry – 167
Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie – 243-244
Vegetarian Stuffed Zucchini – 134-135

Breakfast

Keta (sweet Armenian breakfast rolls) – 23-25
Wiggle Worms (Armenian donuts) – 19

Desserts

Christmas Trifle – 275-276
Fresh Peach and Hazelnut Tart – 94
Kataif (Honeyed Shredded Dough Pastry) – 199-200
Paklava Rosettes – 329-330

Beverages

Chai – 155
Mango Lassi – 142
Moroccan Mint Tea – 37

Silicon Valley and Beyond

Siren's Feast hit the trail recently with a road trip to Northern California, reminding me why I live in California. The drive was beautiful, through fields of artichokes, past orchards of almond and cherry trees and on through Gilroy, the garlic capital. I couldn't wait to get to Silicon Valley, where the first of two Siren's Feast events took place, and start cooking, loaded with fresh walnuts, Vidalia onions and all the spices I procured on my last trip to Morocco. My hostess, Lisette Derouaux, spared no expense to introduce me to the dynamic ladies of Silicon Valley. I can't wait to return to Menlo Park.

Then it was on to Marin County to attend a Siren's Feast book club potluck and meet yet another group of fabulous women. My hostess, Karin Conn, publicist extraordinaire, has a divine circle of friends who love to read and eat and I am always thrilled to have people prepare my recipes. It was hard to leave, but another visit awaited me, further down the road.

I had a fantastic visit with my old Ibiza friends Simma and Jeffrey. I loved their vegetable garden and Simma has a beautiful line of jewelry. I always say, you can't make new old friends.

I received some great news yesterday. My culinary memoir Siren's Feast, An Edible Odyssey has just been named the Winner in the Autobiography/Memoir category of the 2009 Next Generation Indie Book Awards. It was also named Finalist for Best Cover Design in the Non-Fiction category. That is due to the beautiful work of Shawn "Blue" Bayer, artiste extraordinaire. I'm over the moon. Recognition is a good thing.