Recipes Armenian Bean and Walnut Pâté Be the first to rate & review! Ana Sortun learned this recipe from a friend in Armenia named Armen Mehrabyan, an exporter who supplies her restaurant Oleana with great teas and with spice blends for fish. You can mold the pâté in a terrine or bowl lined with plastic wrap if you prefer a different shape. Plus: More Appetizer Recipes and Tips By Ana Sortun Ana Sortun F&W Star Chef » See All F&W Chef Superstars Restaurants: Oleana, Sofra (Cambridge, MA) Education: La Varenne Cooking School, Paris What are you known for? Using spices and eastern Mediterranean flavors. Favorite cookbooks of all time. All of Greg Malouf’s books, for his creative view on Middle Eastern food, his ability put a personal, modern touch on something so traditional. What’s one technique everyone should know? How to mince garlic using the back of a knife. I don’t mean smashing it—I mean literally slicing it with the opposite, dull edge of the blade. It minces the garlic finely without juicing it up too much. Best-bang-for-the-buck food trip? Turkey, particularly Istanbul or Gaziantep. Istanbul’s not so cheap but the street food is—I love to get the tripe sandwiches and fried mussels in the market. Gazientep is inexpensive. It’s the food capital of Turkey. I love the restaurant Imam Cagdas. If you could invent a restaurant for an imaginary project, what would it be? Some type of cool community center with classes and a bunch of different cafés. There are several where I’m from in Seattle, but none out here in Boston. What is your current food obsession? Sprouted things, like lentils and grains. I’ve been experimenting with some sprouting projects. I soak the beans or grains, then spread them out on a big sheet tray and cover them with a wet towel. We’ve been putting the sprouts in salads mostly, with storage—crop vegetables like shaved carrots, cabbage or turnips. Describe a meal that tells your story as a chef. I first went to Turkey about 15 years ago, invited by some friends. I didn’t know anything about the country. We went to Gaziantep, where they arranged a potluck lunch. Thirty-five women each brought a different recipe they cherished. That’s where I first tasted the spice combinations we now use—unusual ones like sumac and dried spearmint and different red peppers, or cumin combined with cinnamon. Nothing was heavily spiced, but their bright flavors were like nothing I had never imagined before. Salads, vegetables cooked in yogurt, tiny bulgur meatballs braised with eggplant and tomato—the style of food and the flavors inspired me to start studying what I make now. What do you eat straight out of the fridge, standing up? Oh, my god, what don’t I eat straight out of the fridge standing up? I don’t think I can narrow it down to one thing. Best new store-bought ingredient? Kalamata olives from Paul Hatziiliades of Extra Virgin Foods. He’s bringing some great stuff in from Greece (extravirginfoods.com). I’ve always hated kalamatas since they’re usually mushy and overbrined, but his are the most exquisite ones I’ve ever had in my life. They come from a small estate. Favorite online shop?Ritrovo.com. They have some beautiful things from Italy; we use their Controne peppers at Sofra, our bakery. It’s a dried pepper somewhat like Urfa or Aleppo pepper, but with more heat. Theirs is made by one man, who sorts the peppers by hand and dries them in the sun. Favorite app? ChefsFeed, for eating out when I’m traveling. I used it when I was in Seattle a couple of weeks ago. They’ve done an amazing job. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on June 17, 2016 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: © Maura McEvoy Yield: 8 Ingredients 1 cup dried red kidney beans (6 ounces)—picked over, soaked overnight and drained, or 2 1/2 cups canned red kidney beans, rinsed and drained 1/2 small white onion, minced 1 bay leaf 6 cups water 3/4 cup walnuts (3 ounces) 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened 1/4 teaspoon minced garlic 1 tablespoon minced dill 1 tablespoon minced basil 1 tablespoon minced flat-leaf parsley Salt and freshly ground pepper Armenian string cheese and baguette slices or torn pita, for serving Directions In a medium saucepan, combine the dried beans, onion and bay leaf. Add the water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to moderate and simmer until the beans are tender, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours. Drain the beans in a colander and discard the bay leaf. Let cool completely. Preheat the oven to 350°. Spread the walnuts in a pie plate and bake for about 7 minutes, or until lightly toasted. Transfer the walnuts to a food processor and let them cool completely. Add the cooked dried or drained canned kidney beans, butter and garlic and pulse until smooth. Add the dill, basil and parsley, season with salt and pepper and pulse the bean pâté just until blended. Scrape the bean pâté onto a long sheet of plastic wrap and pat it into a 12-by-2-inch log. Wrap and refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour. Slice the pâté 1/2 inch thick and serve with the string cheese and bread. Make Ahead The pâté can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Rate it Print