Azerbaijan is in the middle of things, food-wise. It's the shatter zone between Persian and Turkic traditions because it's the route by which Central Asian nomads invaded the Middle East. Although there is no definitive answer, it seems to be where baklava was invented, by combining the steppe idea of layered breads with the Persian tradition of nut-stuffed pastries.

The original baklava was not what we think of as baklava, though. It didn't involve phyllo; it was made from layers of noodle paste, so it strikes us as a sort of chewy cookie. It's still being made in Azerbaijan, by the way, sometimes even with rice flour; imagine a cookie composed of seven macrobiotic rice wafers alternating with six layers of ground walnuts. (An idea with promise, but not what you'd call the highest achievement of the Azerbaijani kitchen.)

Azerbaijan is also part of the Caucasus region. This makes for an interesting culinary mix. You can find unusual versions of Turkish stuffed vegetables (dolma), the Persian fesenjan flavoring (walnuts and pomegranate) applied to unexpected ingredients … and multiple fresh herbs being combined in dishes, which is particularly Caucasian.

Cucumbers: Not just for salads

When we think of stuffing cucumbers, it's likely to be with something like cream cheese, because to us the cucumber is a salad vegetable. But botanically speaking, it's a member of the squash family, and you certainly can cook it. In the 18th century, Europeans quite often did. In fact, it's very charming when cooked, like a mild, sweet squash that lacks the bitter note of, say, zucchini. The texture is pleasingly plush, and the color is a poetic jade green.

So the Azerbaijanis stuff it with qiyma, the pan-Turkic preparation of minced meat fried in loose bits, rather than as patties or meatballs. This is one dish where I don't see much point in seeking out lamb for the stuffing, because beef goes perfectly well with cucumber.

For good measure, I include beets with the fesenjan flavoring. They're like sweet-sour beets with more stuff going on. You have to use Middle Eastern pomegranate molasses (sold under names such as dibs rumman, rob-e anar and nar eksisi), a sweet-sour product made from boiled-down pomegranate juice; very flavorful, very versatile. You'll probably have to find a Middle Eastern market or go online to get some.

(If you're interested in how to pronounce these names, they are respectively "khiyahr dolmasuh" and "chooghoondoordahn fisijahn." Somebody must want to know.)

Meaty cucumbers

The step of adding the fried onions to the meat before frying everything together is not necessary, but it helps to keep the little bits of ground meat from sticking together in frying. In the absence of fresh herbs, use herbs that keep their aroma when dried such as dill, tarragon and mint.

I suggest peeling the cucumbers because in most American markets they're waxed to preserve freshness. Also, the cukes cook better when peeled. If you don't have a long Middle Eastern zucchini corer, you may have to use some combination of an apple corer, an iced tea spoon and maybe the handle of a wooden spoon to hollow out a cucumber.

Xiyar Dolması

Serves 4 to 8 (appetizer servings)

Ingredients

Directions

1. Put the oil and onion in a large frying pan and fry over medium heat, stirring often, until the onion is softened and starting to turn golden.
2. Transfer the fried onion to a mixing bowl, add the meat and stir with a mixing spoon. When cool enough, knead everything together. Return the meat and onion to the frying pan and fry, stirring often, until the meat is browned and has shrunk noticeably, 10 minutes. Transfer to a strainer and allow the oil to drain. Stir in the herbs and add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Peel the cucumbers and trim the ends. Hollow them out and discard the seeds. Stuff the cucumbers with the fried meat and put them in a pan large enough to accommodate them in one layer. Add water to reach halfway up, adding ¼ teaspoon salt.
4. Bring to the boil, reduce to medium low, cover the pan and cook until the cucumbers are soft and smell squash-like, about 20 minutes. Halfway through, turn the cucumbers over with tongs so that they cook evenly.
5. Serve cold dressed with yogurt.

Walnut-Pomegranate Beets (Çuğundurdan Fisican)

Yes, this recipe calls for mayonnaise. It comes from a book titled "Azərbaycan Kulinariyası," so do not doubt. On the other hand, the original recipe calls for six cloves of garlic, which is a bit much if the garlic in season has large cloves, so I suggest a more cautious amount, but you can adjust to taste. Azerbaijani pomegranate molasses is typically far more sour than the kind sold in this country, so you should add some lemon juice.

Ingredients

Directions

1. Mince the walnuts as fine as you can.
2. Leave the beets in their peels, along with about ½ inch of the stalks, and cook by boiling, steaming or baking (steaming produces the best result for this recipe) until a sharp knife can easily penetrate to the center, about 30-40 minutes. Allow to cool.
3. When the beets are cool enough to handle, scrape off the peel, trim the stalks and scrawny roots and dice the beets. Transfer to a food processor along with the walnuts and mayonnaise and process to a fairly smooth purée, pausing and scraping down the sides from time to time.
4. Add the pomegranate molasses purée for 10 seconds more. Transfer to a bowl and stir in garlic, salt, lemon juice and perhaps some more pomegranate molasses, all to taste.
5. Serve as a dip.

Charles Perry is a former rock 'n' roll journalist turned food historian who worked for the Los Angeles Times' award-winning Food section, where he twice was a finalist for the James Beard award.

Photo: Xiyar Dolması. Credit: Charles Perry

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great photo and article...

sarahkhan , July 07, 2011