Richard Hagopian’s Preserved Grape Leaves
The leaves preserved using this recipe were served throughout the year at Hagopian’s Deli, where you could buy marinated chops and staples like bulgur, or sit down for a full-fledged lunch.
Mary Shirejian’s Lentil Soup from Fresno’s old Peach Tree restaurant. Photo by Julianne Burk.
Mary Shirejian’s Best-Selling Lentil Soup
My obsession with Armenian food stems from my Aunt Mary and Uncle Jack Sherijian’s restaurant, The Peach Tree. I loved going there as a child and (like to many Fresnans at the time) always started with the lentil soup.
Mary passed away in December of 2021. During our last meeting, I reminded her about her popular soup. She was grateful to remember “the good times” and all the people who visited her restaurant, week after week, for her delicious food. She was too ill to remember her soup recipe at that time, but I was fortunate to get a copy from another niece. I reworked it to update fuzzy details, such as “a bag of lentils” so you can simply enjoy it – after a pleasant hour of cooking, that is!
Mary Shirejian’s Best-Selling Lentil Soup
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Yield:
6 servings
Prep time:
15min
Cook time:
55min
Total time:
1h10
INGREDIENTS
| 1.5 | cup of brown lentils, rinsed | |
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| 1/2 | cube of salted butter | |
| 1 | onion, chopped | |
| 2-3 | cloves of garlic, chopped | |
| 2 | celery stalks chopped | |
| 2 | medium carrots chopped | |
| 32 | oz. low-sodium beef broth | |
| 14.5 | oz. crushed tomato | |
| 2 | tsp Lawry’s seasoned salt | |
| 1 | tsp cumin | |
| 1/4 | tsp allspice | |
| Pepper to taste | ||
| 2 | handfuls of medium-wide egg noodles |
TOOLS
- Large frying pan
- Soup pot
INSTRUCTIONS
| 1. | In large pan add lentils to 5 cups of water. |
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| 2. | Bring to boil and simmer, cooking until lentils are soft. (For me, that’s 15 min, for others it might be 20 min, depending on how strong your burner is.) |
| 3. | Meanwhile, in a fry pan with butter, sauté vegetables until they are soft. |
| 4. | Add seasonings and mix to incorporate the flavors. |
| 5. | Add vegetable mixture to cooked lentils along with the beef broth, crushed tomatoes and bring to boil. |
| 6. | Simmer for about 30 minutes. |
| 7. | Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. |
| 8. | Add noodles (if using) and cook approximately 10 minutes until soft. |
| 9. | Check seasoning again before serving, as the noodles will soak up some of the salt. |
NOTES
| 1. | This was Mary’s personal recipe; the version she served as the restaurant did not contain egg noodles. That said, I rather like the noodles: they transform it from a starter to a main course. Feel free to omit them if you prefer the traditional preparation. |
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