Feasting at an Armenian Fair

"Don't say rice pilaf," the woman behind me warned. "That's like saying rice rice."

Okay then. I scratched out the word rice from the recipe I was writing down and left only "pilaf."

We were attending a cooking demonstration at Saturday's Armenian Food Fair & Fest at Holy Cross Armenian Apostolic Cathedral in Montebello.

The topic was pilaf--rice simmered in broth along with fine vermicelli browned in butter. Simple to make, rich and delicious.

The teacher was Ara Balayan of Montebello-based Catering by Herach & Ara. Balayan cooked the pilaf on a burner, but a large quantity can be put in the oven, which gives "more control and a finer product," he said. Balayan should know, because he caters events for up to 6,000. 

Beyond the demo booth was a tented dining area that could seat hundreds. People had come to eat, and church members had worked tirelessly to show how genuine Armenian food should taste.

Although I bought two dinners, one with lamb kebabs and another with ground meat lule kebabs, and a box of pastries, I couldn't sample it all.

The demo booth offered tastes of Armenian cheeses and sarma (stuffed grape leaves). And Balayan set out rice flour cookies scented with rosewater and sprinkled with poppyseeds.

Long skewers of kebabs cooked over coals. These were transported to an assembly area where they were packed into dinners along with pilaf, Persian cucumbers, pink pickled radish slices, tomatoes and lavosh, which is unleavened flat bread.

Nearby, a pastry booth offered savory pastries and sweets with names that were new to me, such as sheker lokoom and nazook, along with baklava and  slim sugar-dusted pastry rolls called finger cookies.

Non-stop entertainment included Armenian music, folk dances and a class in Armenian line dancing.

Booths sold edible bouquets, toys, silver jewelry, purses, Armenian logo T-shirts, balsamic vinegars and offered hookahs (water pipes) for rent. And guests were invited to tour the cathedral.

The Holy Cross community began in 1907 with a handful of Armenians living in Los Angeles. By 1922, the group had increased to about 3,000 and established its first church at 420 E. 20th Street in Los Angeles.

As growth continued, the original Holy Cross Church was sold and constuction started on the present cathedral, which dates from 1981.

I know all this because I read the introduction to the "Holy Cross Cathedral Ladies' Aid Cookbook," which was sold at the festival.

The Holy Cross Ladies Aid dates from 1917, and vintage photos illustrate the book, which is a valuable source of homestyle Armenian recipes including, of course, pilaf and kebabs.

Following Chef Balayan's advice, I went to the Montebello Ranch Market, where I found spices for seasoning kebabs, Aleppo pepper, which is called for in the cookbook, and the fine broken vermicelli that goes into the pilaf, which I made almost as soon as I got home.

There'll be another food fair next year, so here is the address of the cathedral, as well as addresses for Ara Balayan's catering company, the kebab purveyors and the Montebello Ranch Market. The recipes follow.   

Holy Cross Armenian Apostolic Cathedral, 900 W. Lincoln Ave., Montebello, CA 90640. Tel: (323) 727-1113.

Catering by Herach & Ara, 1460 S. Greenwood Ave., Montebello, CA 90640. Tel: (800) 810-0272.

Golden Skewer, 2212 W. Beverly Blvd., Montebello, CA  90640. Tel: (323) 727-2952.

Montebello Ranch Market, 1801 W. Whittier Blvd., Montebello, CA 90640. Tel: (323) 728-2615.

ARA BALAYAN'S PILAF

1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup very fine vermicelli, broken in small pieces
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup parboiled rice
Salt to taste

Heat the butter in a small skillet. Add the vermicelli and fry until golden brown. Meanwhile, bring the broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the browned vermicelli, the rice and salt to taste and stir.

Cover and cook over medium heat until the broth is absorbed, about 15 minutes, stirring to blend the ingredients toward the end of the cooking time.

Makes 3 to 4 servings.

ARMENIAN PILAF FOR A PARTY

6 to 8 tablespoons butter
1 cup very fine vermicelli, broken in small pieces
8 cups (2 quarts) chicken broth
4 cups parboiled rice
Salt to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Heat the butter in a medium skillet. Add the vermicelli and fry until golden brown.

Meanwhile, bring the broth to a boil. Add the vermicelli, the rice and salt and stir.

Turn the rice mixture  into a large baking pan. Cover tightly with foil. Place in the oven and bake 30 minutes.

Uncover and stir until evenly mixed. Cover again tightly with foil. Continue to bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until the broth is completely absorbed.

Makes 15 to 20 servings.

Comments

[Jessica]

I ve got to try this. Thanks for posting this. You do have a really good blog.

You should post this recipe on the bizymoms Montebello community. http://www.bizymoms.com/montebello/index.php

[Barbara]

You are right, Lois. Armenian pilaf is so good I made it again and will post the new version.

And thanks for the restaurant tip.

[Lois Hartman]

Whatever you call it, Armenian pilaff is the best! There's also one other Armenian restaurant in Montebello that was the first: The House of Kabab at 2110 W. Whittier Blvd, Montebello. They have great food and Mr. Onnik is a gracious host.

[Barbara]

Barbara, thanks so much for clarifying the pilaf issue. And for providing added cooking advice. It is valuable to hear this from an expert.

[Barbara Harutunian]

1)With all due respect to Mr. Balayan, if the rice is parboiled then you need a little less liquid. Ratio is two cups liquid to one cup rice. 2)Most Armenians, while saying one half chicken broth, one half water, use all chicken broth for a really rich taste. 3) To say 'pilaf'assumes 'rice pilaf", however, we also have 'bulgour pilaf' which is the cracked wheat instead of rice and made the same way. So, it is not incorrect to say "rice pilaf" to qualify which pilaf you mean.