For the Dough:

  • 1 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour, or more as needed

  • 1 large egg

  • 1 ½ teaspoons olive oil

  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt

  • 2 tablespoons water, or as needed

For the Filling:

  • ½ pound ground beef

  • ¼ cup finely diced onion

  • 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 pinch cayenne pepper

For the Broth:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

  • 1 clove crushed garlic

  • ½ cup tomato sauce

  • 2 cups chicken or beef broth

  • salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

  • cayenne pepper to taste

Directions:
  1. Combine 3/4 of the flour, egg, olive oil, salt, and water in a bowl. Mix with a fork, just like when making a pasta dough, until ingredients just come together. Continue mixing everything with your hands into a shaggy dough. Turn out mixture onto a floured surface and keep kneading until dough is nice and smooth. Add additional flour as needed. Cover and allow dough to rest on the counter for 30 minutes.

  2. Combine ground beef, onion, parsley, smoked paprika, kosher salt, pepper, and Armenian cayenne in a bowl. Mix with a fork at first, then use your hands until filling is well combined. Cover and chill in the refrigerator.

  3. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees C (200 degrees C). Grease a cast-iron skillet with olive oil.

  4. Lightly flour a work surface and set the dough on top. Cut dough in half and roll out one half as thin as possible into a large rectangle. Cut dough first into strips, then into 20 small rectangles, about 1.5 x 1.75 inches each. Reserve dough scraps in case there is left over filling to make extra manti. Repeat with second half.

  5. Use a teaspoon to portion out the filling, about 1/2 to 1 teaspoon per manti, and set into the middle of each dough rectangle (you can also use your hands to portion out the filling as shown in the video).

  6. Moisten the outer, shorter edges of each rectangle with a little bit of water on your fingertips, pick up a rectangle, and trap the filling inside by pinching both ends of the dough together, creating the classic "little man in the boat" design. Press dumpling together so manti will sit up straight in the skillet, making sure the dough at the ends is as thin as it is around the filling.

  7. Set manti inside the prepared skillet in such a way that there is still a little room between the dumplings as the dough will expand to about twice its size during cooking.

  8. Bake in the preheated oven on the center rack for 40 minutes.

  9. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a pot over medium-high heat and cook garlic until fragrant, 20 to 30 seconds. Add tomato sauce and stir quickly. Add chicken broth and season with salt, pepper, and cayenne.

  10. Bring tomato broth to a simmer and turn off the heat.

  11. Ladle tomato broth over the manti and return to the oven for 15 more minutes.

    Ghapama (Pilaf)

    Ingredients:

    • 1 cup white rice (I've done this with both short and long grain, so the choice it up to you. You can even substitute brown or increase and decrease quantities, depending on the size of your pumpkin)
    • 1/2 cup raisins
    • 1/2 cup dried apricots
    • 1/2 cup walnuts
    • 1/2 a stick of butter [room temperature]
    • 6 tablespoons of honey (increase or decrease depending on taste) + 2 tablespoons to line the walls of the pumpkin
    • 1 teaspoon cinnamon (you can also add other spices you prefer, like cloves or ginger)

    Directions:

    1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

    2. Wash and carve circular or zig zag hole on top of the pumpkin, taking care to remain symmetrical as possible all the way around.

    3. Using a spoon, empty out the pulp, including seeds. Pro tip: Save the seeds to roast later.

    4. Cover the walls of the pumpkin with 2 tablespoons of honey, coating thoroughly.

    5. Boil the rice, taking care to cook it only half way so the rest of the baking occurs inside the pumpkin. Put in separate bowl.

    6. Cut up butter and add to rice.

    7. Pour the dry ingredients, including raisins, apricots, walnuts and cinnamon into another bowl.

    8. Pour the rice, along with melted butter into the dry ingredient mixture, taking care to mix well.

    9. Add your remaining 6 (or less depending on taste) tablespoons of honey to the rice, nut and fruit mixture.

    10. Fill your pumpkin with the mixture to the brim, packing in tightly.

    11. Coat the outside of your pumpkin with butter

    12. Put the top of the pumpkin back on and place your pumpkin on a lined baking dish.

    13. Cook for one hour at 350 degrees F [You’ll know it’s cooked when you touch the pumpkin and it’s soft, your finger leaves an imprint]

    14. Let cool before cutting which you can do by following the ridges of the pumpkin to produce a stunning dish but also making sure everyone gets an even slice.