Keghkeh

Keghkeh is an Armenian cookie that is more on the savory side, most often eaten with Armenian coffee or tea. It's pretty much a staple in Armenian households. When I was little I always looked forward to dipping my Keghkeh into my grandmother's coffee every morning. Delicious! 

Keghkeh can be made different ways. Some make it with white wine, others with cream cheese, but this recipe is my favorite way....with freshly squeezed orange juice! It adds the perfect touch of sweetness.

Ingredients:

Recipe makes about 45 cookies

• 4-6 Oranges
• 3 1/2 Cups Flour
• 1 Cup Mazola Corn Oil 
• 1 Tablespoon black sesame seeds
• 2 Tablespoons white sesame seeds
• 2 Tablespoons Sugar
• 1 Teaspoon Salt
• 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
• 1 Teaspoon Mahlab (can be found at local middle eastern market)
• 1 Egg

Prepare the Dough:

• Freshly squeeze 1 1/4 Cup of orange juice and add it to a small bowl
• Add 1 Cup of the Mazola Corn Oil to the small bowl and mix

• In a separate large bowl add 3 1/2 Cups flour, 2 Tablespoons sugar, 1 Teaspoon salt, 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder, 1 Teaspoon Mahlab, and 1 Tablespoon black sesame seeds
• Mix all the dry ingredient together
• Add the oil and orange juice mixture to your dry ingredients and start mixing
• You will need to knead the dough for a while until it all comes together. It should feel a little sticky 

Assemble the Cookies:

• Take a piece of the dough to fit in the palm of your hand
• Start rolling the dough on your work surface to create a long strip
• Braid the dough (if you find that your dough is cracking then add more orange juice to the dough and knead some more)

• Spray 2 baking sheets with non-stick cooking spray and assemble the cookies on the sheet
• Whisk 1 egg in a small bowl and brush the mixture lightly on each of the cookies
• Sprinkle white sesame seeds onto the cookies and press down a little so that they stick
• Bake the cookies in a 350 degree oven until golden brown. You can either cook on convection or on the middle rack of your oven.

Sou Boureg

The best way to describe Sou Boureg is like an Armenian cheese lasagna. Traditional Italian lasagna is served as a main course where as Sou Boureg is served as a side dish. It is quite the delicacy - layers of thin dough and melted cheese with a crispy top...YUM! My grandmother makes this only for special occasions as it is quite a lot of work. She rolls out each of the 12 layers of dough herself and boils each one! Everyone I know goes crazy for this dish and I know you will to!

Ingredients:

• 6 Eggs
• 4 Cups of Flour
• 2 Cups of Grated Jack Cheese
• 3 Cups of Grated Queso Blanco Cheese (Recommend Karoun Brand from Arabic Market)
• 1 Stick of Butter
• Corn Oil
• Salt
• 2 Tablespoons Chopped Parsley

Prepare the Cheese Mixture:

• Grate 2 Cups of Jack Cheese and add it to a mixing bowl
• Grate 3 Cups of Queso Cheese and add it to the bowl
• Add 2 Tablespoons of Chopped Parsley to the bowl

Prepare the Dough:

• You will need a round pan big enough and short enough for you to be able to knead the dough in. 
• Crack 6 Eggs into the pan and whisk
• Add 1/2 Tablespoon of Salt to the pan
• Add 4 Cups of Flour to the pan and whisk to start bringing the ingredients together
• Knead the dough with your hands for a good amount of time until it all comes together

Separate the Dough:

• Separate the dough into 12 pieces and form them into a ball (if the dough sticks to your hands then add flour). Place each ball onto a flour dusted surface so they don't stick
• Cover the dough balls with a moist towel and let it rest for 1 hour

Roll out the Dough:

• After the dough as rested for an hour it's time to roll out each piece
• Check out the video below to see my grandma's technique - she recommends using a thin rolling pin
• Flour your work surface and using a rolling pin start to roll out the first ball of dough (add flour as necessary so it doesn't stick to the rolling pin)
• The dough sheet should be thin enough so that you can see-through and the same diameter as the round pan you will be cooking it in - ours was a 15.5 inch diameter
• Continue the same process with the rest of the balls of dough. Make sure to cover the layers with a towel each time you finish one so that the dough doesn't dry out

Boil Sheets of Dough & Assembly:

• You will need 4 things for the next steps:
• Bring a big pot of salted water to a boil (Grandma uses a big turkey roasting pan to fit the sheet of dough)
•  Add some water and ice cubes to a large flat round pan
• 2 Towels
• Melt 1 stick of Butter in a bowl and mix with 3 Tablespoons of Mazola Corn Oil
• Spray the bottom of the final round pan that you will be assembling the Sou Boureg in with non-stick cooking spray. We used a pan that was 15.5 inches in diameter

• Cut all your dough sheets in half (this will make it easier to boil each sheet)
• Take one half sheet of the dough and place into the pot of boiling water for about 7-8 seconds and then directly into the iced water pan
• Remove the dough from the iced water and remove any excess water with your hand
• Place onto one of the towels and dry off the top of the dough sheet with the second towel
• Add the half sheet to the bottom of the pan to start assembling
• Repeat this process with the second half to complete the circle
• Once the circle is complete, brush some of the oil and butter mixture and then continue onto your second circle. You are going to repeat this process with brushing the oil and butter mixture in between until you have 4 circle layers added to the pan
• Add half of your cheese mixture until it covers the whole circle
• You then repeat the process of boiling and adding 4 more circles (don't forget to brush in between) and topping it with the rest of the cheese
• Lastly, again you will repeat the same process and add your final 4 circles of dough
• Brush the top again with the oil and butter mixture to complete the assembly
• Before you cook Grandma recommends cutting the Sou Boureg in squares before cooking as it will be difficult once cooked. 
• You then cook the Sou Boureg in a 375 degree oven in the middle rack until it is golden brown