For an Armenian Feast, Try Adana Restaurant in Glendale

One of my favorite restaurants isn't close to where we live.

Adana is forty-five minutes away in Glendale.

The light and airy dining room suggests a banquet hall in an elegant European boutique hotel. There are white tablecloths on all the tables, pastel landscape murals on the walls and delicate wrought iron framing the windows facing busy San Fernando Road. 

I would enjoy the food at Adana at any price, but with large entrees costing from $6.50 to $10.95, there's a special pleasure in being served an affordable, well-prepared meal. 

Even though there are 15 kababs on the menu, I mostly stick with the dark meat chicken kabob, the lamb chops and baby back ribs. A friend who joins me on the trek likes the lamb chops kabob. They are all delicious.

Waiting for our entrees, we have an Armenian coffee, share a large plate of tabouli and catch up about family, work and movies.

Serge, the waiter, or Edward Khechemyan, the owner and chef, brings a basket of lavash or pita (I prefer lavash) and a dish of sweet butter.

We eat the tabouli and lavash with relish. The freshly chopped Italian parsley, tossed with bits of tomato, scallions, olive oil and lemon juice, has a touch of heat. We talk as we eat and sip the strong coffee.

Armenia is sandwiched between Turkey and countries previously aligned with the Soviet Union. Their national dishes borrow from neighboring cuisines, with the strongest influence coming from the Middle East.

The dishes arrive beautifully platted.  The pieces of deboned chicken meat are lined up like pillows resting on a bed of rice. My buddy's lamb chops come with the same generous helping of rice as my grilled chicken. The lamb doesn't look like a kabob. The fat chops give off a fragrant, aromatic sweetness that is intoxicating.

We had both selected the same side dishes: homemade hummus and a brightly colored Persian salad of roughly chopped ripe tomatoes, red onions, Italian parsley and unpeeled Iranian cucumbers.

My friend attacks the lamb chops. Holding the bare bone in his hand, he alternates bites of succulent, sweet meat with fork fulls of rice flavored with scoops of humus and the tomato-cucumber salad.

I eat with more deliberation, savoring each bite by spreading butter and hummus on a piece of lavash, adding a spoonfull of rice, Persian salad and slices of the moist, dark chicken meat to create a bite sized packet of aromatic flavors and complimentary textures. I construct the next packet—and the next—until I have eaten every last piece of chicken and grain of rice.

Working in a closet-sized kitchen, Khechemyan could cut corners but won't. Even though the prices are little more than you would pay at a fast food restaurant, the food is prepared-to-order using the freshest ingredients. He insists on working with quality food and the proof is in each bite. Khechemyan and his fellow chef, Sonik Nazaryan, are masters of layering flavors.

For a small restaurant, the menu has a good variety of dishes, including familiar American classics, including Philly cheese steak sandwiches, hamburgers and chicken breast sandwiches to name a few. Adana also offers many salads, thick, spicy lentil and barley soups and traditional Armenian stews. Finally, there are many popular Middle Eastern appetizers such as domeh, hummus, yogurt and cucumber dip. 

The combination of textues and flavors is such a pleasure. Any foodie in search of umami has to make the trek to Adana. That's what's at work here. All your taste buds are in play—salty, sour, sweet and bitter. 


My friend and I finish our meal with a second cup of Armenian coffee. We are completely satisfied and happy. Even though Adana is far from home, I go back as often as I can. It's that good.

Chile Chocolate Tart

I recently received a random package from Marx Foods.  The package itself wasn't unexpected, but the contents surely was!

Dried chilies, dried black trumpet mushrooms, dried marrow beans and coconut sugar filled my box...  two of which I needed to use to create a recipe for the Random Recipe Challenge!  My first thoughts involved mushrooms and beans, but then I recalled a treat I've made at least four times in the past month and still haven't shared with you ;)

I morphed the chocolate avocado pudding I've been making into this mexican chocolate tart, incorporating both types of dried chilies as well as coconut sugar.  I'd highly recommend giving this chocolate pudding a try if you haven't already, with or without the crust, and with or without the chilies!

Chile Chocolate Tart

For a completely no-bake version, you could make a nut & date-based crust!  The choice is yours on how spicy to make this-  1 or 2 New Mexico chilies add more flavor than heat, while 1 Japones chile will kick things up a bit ;)

For the crust:
1/4c Trader Joe's ginger cats crumbs (or any other gingersnaps)
1/2c pecan halves
3/4c rolled oats
1/2c white whole wheat flour
pinch salt
1/4c canola oil
3T maple syrup

For the filling:
2 ripe avocadoes
1/2c nut butter
1/4c coconut sugar
1/4c agave nectar (or more coconut sugar)
4-6T cocoa powder (depends on how intense you want it, I used 5)
1/8t sea salt
2T vanilla extract (or the seeds from one vanilla bean)
1-2 dried chilies (I used 1 New Mexico chile & 1 Japones chile)
1t ground cinnamon
1/4c strong brewed coffee or water

Preheat oven to 375deg.

To make the crust add dry ingredients to a food processor and pulse until the nuts and oats are pulverized, the mixture resembling coarse sand.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil and maple syrup.  Add dry ingredients to the bowl and mix until well combined.  Transfer crust to a tart pan or pie plate and press into dish.  Bake for 20min, then set aside to cool.

Grind the chilies in a spice/coffee grinder and pick out any large pieces left behind, you want as close to a powder consistency as you can get.  Add all ingredients for the filling to a blender or food processor and blend until well combined.  Add a little extra water if you need to thin it out any more, you're looking for a thick, but spreadable consistency.  Add filling to the cooled crust and   Refrigerate 1-2hrs or overnight before serving (this will help it firm up and make it easier to cut).

Disclaimer:  The coconut sugar and dried chilies used in the creation of this recipe were free samples provided by Marx Foods.

I'm also submitting this to Ricki's Wellness Weekend and Go Ahead Honey's October Event!

Three Minute Gazpacho

Made a trip to Andy's and got some beautiful little cucumbers I've never seen before. They had a bumpy, leathery skin and firm flesh, almost like a zucchini, but small, inoffensive seeds. About half the size of a salad cucumber, they tasted great and were much less watery than the waxy green dildos normally available. I sat down to watch a baseball game and ponder what to do with them. When Heather summoned me and claimed to be near death from hunger, it gave me a perfect opportunity to try my hand at a gazpacho, provided I could complete the task in three minutes*, the length of a commercial break.**

I peeled two stout little fellows, cut them into segments and put them in the carafe of the blender. Their tiny, feeble little pips saved me the trouble of de-seeding them, a task that may have taken several seconds. To the cucumbers I added a smashed clove of garlic, a small purple heirloom tomato, half a small sweet onion, a cigar-butt-sized hunk of ginger and the flesh of both a fresh jalapeno and a little red cherry pepper, all cut into pieces. The peppers came from the alley. Way to go alley. I pulsed the vegetables for a bit to break them up, then added salt, pepper, Sriracha, olive and sesame oil, the juice of a lime and a glug of spicy V8.

Before juicing the lime I grated the zest and reserved it for later. Grating the zest off a lime has the same effect as massaging the pulp, which makes the lime give up more of its juice. If you're not using zest for anything you can just roll the lime on the countertop and crush it a little. Also, get one of those little lime squeezer things from the Mexican supermercado. They cost a buck or two and are super efficient at getting lime juice out of limes. Liquefying raw vegetables works best if there are smallish pieces in a wet medium rather than trying to turn big hunks directly into liquid. That usually just results in the blade whirring past the bigger pieces while punishing the puree, resulting in unpalatable chunks surrounded by overworked paste, so it's worth it to do the puree in two stages, first to coarsely chop the pieces, then with a little added liquid to make it smooth.

Another trick for pulsing larger batches, especially in a food processor rather than a blender, is to add some crushed ice with the vegetables at the beginning of the process. The ice pieces act as auxiliary blades to help break up the vegetables while preventing the soup from getting hot from the friction of the blade and motor. Keeping the vegetables cool is critical in a gazpacho, otherwise the cells break down and the soup separates into ugly layers of water and fibrous matter. Gazpacho needs to retain some hint of its constituent ingredients in the body of the soup, otherwise it's just salty Jamba Juice. I didn't bother with ice this time because it was a small batch and I was determined not to spend too long on it.

I finished processing the soup and poured it into a bowl on top of some finely-sliced scallions and the reserved lime zest. There was very little foam, but I skimmed off what there was and tasted the soup. It was bright and complex and satisfying, and the oil made the flavors linger a little on the palate while providing body. I was happy with it as it was, but in future iterations I may try adding a little fish sauce to see if that makes the flavors hang around even more. Tasting the gazpacho gave me the idea that this would be really good as a savory sorbet, so I need to get some into Tim Mydhuiette's hands before everything goes out of season.

The alley bounty provided me with an assortment of peppers to dice for garnish, so I made a tiny brunoise of green jalapeno, orange serrano and red cherry pepper and sprinkled them on the gazpacho along with some chopped tarragon from the alley. I finished the garnish with a little dollop of Greek Yogurt and a sprig of mint.

And I made it back in time to see the Yankees dump one.

(vg) (v) without yogurt

** Overheard re: Bishop and actress.
** We have TiVo but I like a challenge.

Savory Cheesecake!

By now you've had some time to make tomato jam, right?  Or is that this weekends' plan?  :)  Perhaps you're going to a gathering and need something to bring?   Perfect!  You'll be making a savory cheesecake with tomato jam.  I made it for a get together at Elina's and couldn't get enough, it's such a great vehicle for tomato jam!

Savory Cheesecake with Tomato Jam
Recipe by Shannon

I'm sure you could halve the recipe and bake it in a smaller 4" springform, but I didn't have one so I scaled up!

8oz 1/3rd less cream cheese, RT
8oz ricotta, RT
7oz goat cheese, RT
6T chopped fresh basil
2T chopped fresh parsley
1/3t sea salt
freshly ground pepper, to taste
3 eggs, RT
tomato jam

Preheat oven to 330deg.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the three cheeses.  Add herbs, salt and pepper and mix until well combined.  Add eggs, one at a time and mix well after each addition.  Pour batter into a 9" springform pan sprayed with nonstick spray.

Bake at 330deg for 15min, then lower temperature to 300deg and bake for 30min.  Turn oven off and leave the cheesecake in the oven for 1hr.  Then remove and cool.  If making ahead of time, cover and refrigerate.  Remove from fridge an hour or two before serving.

To serve, top with tomato jam and provide crackers, pita chips, or your favorite dipper!


Have I sold you on tomato jam yet?  It's sweet and spicy, and has some texture...  more complex than ketchup (since Ricki asked).  I'll be making my third batch this weekend, and giving canning a shot...  wish me luck!

Top Ten Lies Heard On a First Date

+ Wow. That's fascinating!

+ Abstinence works for me.

+ Teacup chihuahua - my favourite dog.

+ I agree. Mini-breaks at romantic bed and breakfasts are FUN.

+ Tell me again about how you found your shoes.

+ I want to settle down too.

+ I've always wanted to learn all about fantasy football.

+ You're right: Love is everything.

+ Of course. I'm having a great time.

+ I'm wondering why I haven't met you before.






Bottoms Up, Honest Injuns.

Duxbury Beach Tri 2011

Location:  Duxbury, MA
Distance: Sprint (.5mi s, 13mi b, 3.1mi r)
Time:  9am start
Weather:  mid-70s(?) and  humid
Participants:  535

A couple of Saturdays ago I headed to Duxbury for my last tri of the year.  Only two weeks after my first Oly (instead of the planned month), I wasn't quite sure what to expect.  Recovery from Lobsterman was a little rough and I hadn't exactly been sleeping so well with the move/unpacking/adjusting to a new sleep schedule.  No time expectations here, just the goal to have fun and push based on how I was feeling.

View across the bay

I got there pretty early, so I had plenty of time to figure out where to go, set up my stuff, then trek back to the car for my inhaler, find my parents and some friends, get in the water and acclimate...  and gosh knows what else.  Luckily the weather cleared and we had a dry (albeit humid) race!

Swim
We had to walk the 1/2mi across the bay to the swim start (it was a point-to-point), and then run a fair bit to/through transition... not ideal for someone who has been dealing with alignment issues and normally wears orthotics.  The water in Duxbury Bay wasn't bad, my guess would be close to 68, comfortable in a wetsuit.  There were definitely some swells (I could feel myself bobbing a bit), but there was plenty of room to swim (no turns!).  I came out of the water in 11:46 and headed to transition.

Coming out of the water, I'm in the middle, front 

Bike
The bike starts and ends on Powder Point Bridge, where no passing is allowed.  Starting in the third wave, in the midst of plenty of people, both slower and faster, this can be a little frustrating.  In fact, the woman behind me was complaining about losing the lead she had out of the water.  But we're all in the same boat, and there's not much you can do except loosen up your legs and get ready to work!

Heading out on the bike (towards the right)

Winding through historic Duxbury, the bike course has some rolling hills, but no major climbs.  My legs weren't complaining and it was a nice ride.  Towards the end I started playing a game of cat and mouse with three other women in my AG, and while I may have come in behind them at 41:18 (18.9mph), I kept them in my sights as we came back into transition!

Run
The run was pretty flat and I felt good throughout, keeping a decent pace (from what I could tell) and picking people off!  I was smiling to myself as I debated whether I like passing men or women in my AG more :)  Those three women from the bike?  Caught them and never looked back!  Ended up with a 25:04 run (8:05min/mi).

Off and running!

Overall time:  1hr 24min 15sec  (6/21 in my AG)

Final Thoughts:  Although it wasn't my fastest sprint tri, I enjoyed the race and was reminded of how much I love triathlon.  I could stand to work on my transitions (a couple more races in a wetsuit and a second pair of orthotics should help), but I was definitely happy at the end of the day.  Duxbury was definitely a great end to the season as well, and maybe next year men and women can get the same color tee ;)


What will next year bring??  That's a good question!

Party Time Insanity

At a recent Saturday night party...

Wombat: You said you hadn't been out much in three years.

Meredith: Yeah. Bad divorce. I only felt like being alone.

Wombat: Shit. That must have sent you nuts. Just staying at home, that is.

Meredith: Oh, for sure.

Wombat (jocularly): On a scale of one to ten, how crazy are you, Meredith?

Meredith (matter-of-factly): I'd say...around fifty-six or -seven.

Wombat (with fading smile) : * crickets *

...



Bottoms Up, Fellow Crazies.