NJ SPICE

On the other end of the convenience spectrum, here is my crockpot loaded up with the makings of a batch of herisah.  It’s going to cook at least 8 hours. This is an Armenian dish, a favorite in my family. It is made with whole skinned (i.e. “shelled”) wheat kernels, and, in this case turkey thighs.  It is slooooow food.

Some families make it with lamb, but my family has traditionally made it with chicken, preferably a stewing hen.  A week or so ago, I got the idea of using turkey thighs from The Armenian Kitchen, a very nice website I recently discovered.

I had the wheat, so I visited the Amish Market in Kingston for turkey thighs.  You pre-soak the wheat overnight, then cook it with the poultry, salt, and peppercorns all day in the crockpot.  My grandmother used to bake it overnight in an oven, then beat it with a bat!  (When she was older, the menfolk did the beating. And the lifting.)  The larger bones that didn’t melt helped to whip the wheat into a soft, almost fluffy, mush, infused with the taste of the poultry. It is served in a wide bowl with browned butter.  Oh heaven!