On VE Day this year our neighbourhood planned an open-air party with drinks and nibbles with each household in their front garden. Social distancing was strictly observed. For the occasion, I made this “eetch”, inspired by the recipe in “The 40 Days of Lent: Selected Armenian Recipes” by Alice Antreassian (New York: Ashod Press, 1985).
Ingredients
1 cup fine bulgur wheat, rinsed in cold water and drained
½ tsp sugar
4 tbsp tomato paste
1½ cups boiling water
½ tsp salt
½ tsp chilli powder
1 tbsp sumac
6 tbsp olive oil
1 cup finely chopped red and green pepper
1 cup finely chopped medium red onion
½ cup finely chopped flat leaf parsley
½ cup finely chopped spring onions
juice of 2 lemons
Use gem lettuce leaves, cherry tomatoes and olives for garnish.
Directions
1. Mix sugar and tomato paste in the boiling water and together with salt, chilli powder and sumac add to the bulgur in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly.
2. Fry half the onion in 4 tbsp olive oil until golden, but not brown. Add half the green and red peppers and continue frying on low fire until the peppers are cooked. Add the contents of the frying pan to the bulgu mix and blend.
3. Add the remaining red and green peppers, onion, parsley, spring onions and the lemon juice to the bulgur bowl and mix well. Adjust the seasoning at this stage.
4. Shape the bulgur mix like a dome in the centre of a circular dish, garnish it with cherry tomatoes and olives and arrange the lettuce leaves all around the dome.
By Naïri Stepan-Sarkissian