In Anoush Bakmazian’s home, blinchig is always a crowd pleaser. This traditional cuisine begins with a crepe, and can be stuffed with a variety of fillings. The fillings and style of crepe vary place to place. The recipe is found across the Caucasus, and in some varieties in Russia.
In Armenia, getting recipes from your aunt, your tantig, is an institution. The secret is, however, that all of your mother and grandmother’s friends are tantig. Tantig Anoush shared with us two recipes for blinchig, a sweet ricotta version, and a savory beef one. Watch the video below.
Anoush’s Blinchig Tips
Making crepe batter in the right consistency is the hardest part of the blinching. Making good crepes requires some practice - and Anoush has had that practice. With her milk, eggs, and flour mixed she stares at the batter for a while and thinks.
“We’ll add more flour.” she finally says. “Because the milk is too runny.”
The exact ratio of flour to milk in a crepe will be different depending on a host of factors from temperature to humidity to altitude.
Anoush adds another half cup, and continues to stir. “I think that’s enough,” she says. She lifts the whisk out of the batter and a dribble of batter follows the wisk. The batter should be runny, but still hold together somewhat.
She adds baking powder at the end to help the crepes be more fluffy, then the oil, and sets the batter aside.
“The traditional style is the meat,” says Anoush about the fillings she will prepare. “I will also do filling with ricotta cheese.” She tells us you can also do the cheese filling with cottage cheese.
Anoush’s recipes are very simple. Her meat filling is just beef and onion, seasoned with parsley. The ricotta filling is ricotta and sugar, to make a sweeter blinchig.
She tells us you need to mix the sugar into the ricotta very thoroughly. The mixture should end up smooth.
Anoush washes her pan and makes a test crepe for us. The first one always takes a long time. “You have to make sure the skillet is really hot.” she says. “You shouldn’t have to cook crepes for long. We should just wait for a minute.”
With the pan heated, she brushes it with oil and ladles in a scoop of batter. It immediately sizzles. She tilts and turns the pan to get batter to cover the bottom of the pan.
“You only need oil every other time.” she says, starting on the second.
“Now we make blichig.” Anoush tells us, her crepes and filling laid out on the table. She takes a crepe, scoops two heaping scoops of beef into it, and rolls it and sets it aside. She does the same for another crepe and ricotta. Then another, alternating fillings.
Her crepes filled, she heats oil in a pan again and fries them once more, the ricotta and beef filled versions mixed together.
She serves together on a big tray. Finding a sweet or savory blinchig will be a surprise later.
Dietary Notes
Nut free, Peanut free, Vegetarian
Ingredients
Crepe
4 cups (1 L) milk
3 eggs
½ teaspoon (2.5 mL) salt
1 ½ cups (360 mL) flour
¼ teaspoon (1.25 mL) baking powder
2 tablespoons (30 mL) oil
Filling
16 oz (470 mL) ricotta cheese
½ cup (120 mL) sugar
Steps
Beat 3 eggs in a mixing bowl and add 4 cups (1 L) milk and ½ teaspoon (2.5 mL) salt. Stir to combine.
Whisk in the flour in two halves, beating the mixture constantly until the flour is fully incorporated. Add an additional ¼ cup (60 mL) or ⅓ cup (80 mL) flour if the batter is too runny.
Mix in baking powder and oil and set the batter aside.
In a different mixing bowl, combine 16 oz (470 mL) ricotta and ½ cup (120 mL) sugar, and set aside.
In a saucepan, heat oil or butter on medium-high heat.
Using a ladle, scoop one spoonful of the crepe batter into the frying pan. Lift the frying pan and tilt it so that the batter flows around the bottom of the pan, and the entire surface is covered with batter. Then, return the pan to the heat.
Cook for 1 minute, or until the bottom of the crepe is brown. Flip the crepe and cook for another minute. Repeat this process until you’re out of batter.
Prepare the blinchig by taking one crepe, spooning in 1-2 heaping scoops of ricotta filling, and rolling the crepe closed. Repeat this step for each crepe.
Heat oil in a saucepan and place your blinchig in the pan with the open-side down. Fry each blinchg for 1-2 minutes on each side and serve.
Dietary Notes
Nut free, Peanut free
Ingredients
Crepe
4 cups (1 L) milk
3 eggs
½ teaspoon (2.5 mL) salt
1 ½ cups (360 mL) flour
¼ teaspoon (1.25 mL) baking powder
2 tablespoons (30 mL) oil
Filling
2 lb (0.9 kg) ground beef (cooked)
2 medium onions, chopped
Salt and pepper to season
¼ bunch parsley
Steps
Beat 3 eggs in a mixing bowl and add 4 cups (1 L) milk and ½ teaspoon (2.5 mL) salt. Stir to combine.
Whisk in the flour in two halves, beating the mixture constantly until the flour is fully incorporated. Add an additional ¼ cup (60 mL) or ⅓ cup (80 mL) flour if the batter is too runny.
Mix in baking powder and oil and set the batter aside.
In a large saucepan, fry onions in oil until just beginning to brown.
Add the beef to the onions and mix. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Since the beef is pre-cooked, cook the beef and onions together only until the beef is heated.
Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the parsley, and set aside.
In a separate saucepan, heat oil or butter on medium-high heat.
Using a ladle, scoop one spoonful of the crepe batter into the frying pan. Lift the frying pan and tilt it so that the batter flows around the bottom of the pan, and the entire surface is covered with batter. Then, return the pan to the heat.
Cook for 1 minute, or until the bottom of the crepe is brown. Flip the crepe and cook for another minute. Repeat this process until you’re out of batter.
Prepare the blinchig by taking one crepe, spooning in 1-2 heaping scoops of beef, and rolling the crepe closed. Repeat this step for each crepe.
Heat oil in the same saucepan you cooked the beef. Then, place your blinchig in the pan with the open-side down. Fry each blinchg for 1-2 minutes on each side and serve.
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