Today Was A Good Day

[Andy M.]

My younger daughter is developing her interest in food and we had discussed getting together to cook something - sort of a cooking lesson/opportunity to make something new.

She chose to make lamejun, an Armenian flatbread with a highly seasoned meat topping. I've never made it but have wanted to as I really like it and it's expensive to buy at the Armenian markets.

Today was the day. We worked together to make the dough and the topping and took turns rolling out thin circles of dough and spreading the topping. Then into the oven to bake. We spent about five hours working together to bake and package about 4 dozen.

Two things stand out aside from the fact that I had a great time with my daughter. The topping was delicious and neither one of us can roll a piece of dough into any shape vaguely resembling a circle.

Here are some of the misshapen beauties waiting to got into the oven and one roughly round one after baking.

 

[FrankZ]

That looks.. ummm.. YUM!

 

[Dawgluver]

Looks great! What was the meat topping? And when you say "package", did you freeze it?

 

[pacanis]

That dough looks like what I have been trying to make for pizza, Andy, very thin.
Tasty looking. I'll have to Google it.

 

[Andy M.]

Thanks, guys. I had a recipe from the top rated Armenian cookbook - hard to screw it up too much.

 

[pacanis]

I just found an online recipe with lots of pics. If I can find the pomegranate molasses, I'm going to give this a go... downsized of course.

 

[Andy M.]

I just found an online recipe with lots of pics. If I can find the pomegranate molasses, I'm going to give this a go... downsized of course.

Pomegranate molasses? Could you post the link?

 

[4meandthem]

That looks great! I have that a few times in Armenian restaurants in central California (Fresno) but I can't seem to find any good Armenian restaurants in the south Bay area.

What was the cookbook?

 

[PrincessFiona60]

They have a natural shape, amoeba is a shape...they look delish and homemade!

 

[Snip 13]

Yum yum! I want some lol!

 

[pacanis]

Pomegranate molasses? Could you post the link?

Here you go

Someone had asked how to make lamejun and this was the recipe posted for them. If you read down the comments, which I did not do last night, you can see that pomegranate molasses can be made or you can sub lemon salt...

 

[Andy M.]

That recipe is different from the one I used. It would have quite a different flavor. I'll post the recipe for you.

 

[pacanis]

Super. I'll be looking for it.

 

[Andy M.]

...What was the cookbook?

Rose Baboian's Armenian-American Cookbook.

Around here it's considered the 'go to' cookbook for authentic Armenian foods. Rose offered multiple versions of recipes as she understood not everyone made things the same way.

I have a copy but haven't used it much as I have Mom's and sister's recipes.

I used Rose's lamejun recipe because I didn't care for my Mom's (sorry, Ma) and my sister considers this one the best. Now, so do I.

 

[pacanis]

What did you think of the one that I found? Did it lean more towards your mother's, or was it completely different?
From what I found (quickly) last night, it seems like a regional dish.

 

[Andy M.]

What did you think of the one that I found? Did it lean more towards your mother's, or was it completely different?
From what I found (quickly) last night, it seems like a regional dish.

It's fairly different. Probably because it's an Arabic version of the dish. I always keep in mind that the borders we have today define countries didn't exist back when these foods were created. Nomadic tribes traveled throughout the entire area carrying recipes and new foods with them. So lamejun in Mom's area of Armenia is different from the recipe from the North or South or Turkey or the Arabian peninsula.

I don't have Mom's recipe but it was similar to the one I used. I just don't see the sweetness of the molasses or the fruit flavor as working based on my taste memories of the food. I'm not saying that recipe is no good, just different from what I know.

 

[Littlechef]

Andy - the lamejun look delicious and very good. I've never heard of it until now but it looks like something I would like to try. I'll be looking for the recipe.

How wonderful of your daughter to want to have a cooking session with and she picked something that is dear to you. You've made a great memory together.

 

[Andy M.]

...How wonderful of your daughter to want to have a cooking session with and she picked something that is dear to you. You've made a great memory together.

You hit the nail on the head! That was the best part of yesterday.

 

[buckytom]

looks really good, andy. congrats to your daughter as well.



you raised a smart girl, keeping the old man happy like that.

 

[Andy M.]

looks really good, andy. congrats to your daughter as well.



you raised a smart girl, keeping the old man happy like that.

She is a smart one. She also has my sense of humor.