Plaki from Van

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My mother’s aunt, Astghik Harutiunian was born in Van in 1896. She married an Armenian Revolutionary Federation activist Kapriel Nazarian and they had two daughters before 1915.

After the Defence of Van, the family ended up in Yerevan. Kapriel’s political affiliation made him an undesirable person after the Bolshevik takeover of Armenia, so the family left the country in 1921 intending to emigrate to the United States.

Making slow progress through Iran, Iraq and Lebanon, they boarded a ship in Beirut bound for Marseilles intending to continue from there their sea voyage to America. Once in Marseilles, Kapriel found a menial job in a factory and the family decided to stay in the city. This recipe is for the plaki that Astghik learned to make in Van.

It has come to me through my sister Seda, who was a student at Conservatoire de Marseille in the 1960s and saw Astghik make her plaki on many occasions.

Astghik Nazarian in her eighties in windswept Provence.


Soak the beans in cold water overnight. Boil in unsalted water and drain. Add enough boiling water to the beans just to cover them followed by the whole onion, tomato and carrots. Tie together the celery stalk and parsley bunch and add to the pot. Next, string together the cloves of garlic and immerse them in the water tying the ends of the string to the pot handle. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook on low heat until the beans are done. Discard the onion, garlic cloves and the bunch of parsley and celery stalk (alternatively these ingredients can be made into a paste and used in soups, etc.). Skin the tomato, chop it into small pieces and add to the beans followed by diced carrots. Remove from heat and allow to cool before adding the olive oil. Serve tepid or cold. 

Ingredients:

350 g dry white kidney beans

1 medium onion

1 large ripe tomato

1 celery stalk

2 medium carrots

1 small bunch of flat leaf parsley

3-4 cloves of garlic

1 tbsp olive oil

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By Gagik Stepan-Sarkissian

Bean and walnut pâté (Լոբով պաշտետ)

This dish always reminds me of New Year celebrations in Armenia, when every table had it and every hostess discussed the subtleties of their version – ‘I add onions to mine’, ‘I always use dill with it’, or ‘the best beans to use is Gorisi lobi (beans from Goris – a city in Armenia, famed for its beans)’.

The version I make is a very simple and easy. It’s a great starter and looks and tastes good with crackers and canapes.

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You will need:

  • 1 cup of dried red kidney beans (I often substitute or mix them with borlotti beans, or indeed with Goris beans, because they truly are the best)

  • Several cloves of garlic (depending on your personal preferences)

  • A handful of walnuts (the more the better)

  • Ground black and red pepper

  • Butter

  • Seeds of ¼ pomegranate

  • Dill or parsley (optional)

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Preparation:

Soak overnight and cook the beans until soft. Drain the beans and reserve a small amount of the cooking water

Puree them until smooth in the food processor with a bit of the cooking water, half a cup of walnuts (some people slightly toast them beforehand), garlic, salt, black and red pepper.

Some recipes mention dill and/or parsley then blended with the rest of the ingredients, but I like the richness and simplicity of these 3 main ingredients. Similarly, I’ve seen versions with raw or sautéed onions but I think it dilutes the taste of the beans and the walnuts.

My mother always adds some butter to the mix too, to make it richer and smoother, and before serving would cover in a few drops of olive oil to make the pate look shiny.

I serve it a bowl, although the pâté is thicker than a typical dip and has to be spread on a piece of bread or a cracker. A more sophisticated version, popular in Armenia, is to serve it layered with butter, like a cake or a roulade – absolutely delicious and very rich.

Add some pomegranate seeds on top to garnish and give it some contrasting taste.

And of course – my lazy version is to pour some beans straight from a can to a food processor, with walnuts and garlic salt, and within minutes you have a creamy, delicious pate, which can be moulded into a bowl or any other shape dish you prefer.


By Tato Ayvazyan