Georgia on my Mind

Spurred on by a gift from Jenise of Adjika, a peppery spice base, I have been investigating Georgian (middle east, not deep South) cooking, and have increased my stocks of fenugreek and tamarind paste.

Does anyone have experience with Georgian cooking or have any favourite recipes? We've tried the adjika in ground meat and it is really interesting, even to SWMBO who is a heat wuss (she asks the local Indian take-out of they have anything lower than mild level of heat)

Coincidentally, just as I am getting interesting in Georgian cooking, Michael Symon's new show, Throwdown, did a Georgian episode.

I have made a khachapuri. I am interested in satsivi but have not made one.

I adore Georgian cuisine and my go to books are Darra Goldstein’s The Georgian Feast; Anya von Bremzen’s Please to the Table. The Time-Life cookbook series Russian Cooking was authored by the Georgian George Papashvili and his American wife Helen. You will find some Georgian recipes in Paula Wolfert’s Cooking of the Eastern Mediterranean. I have a number of other books about the cuisines of the former Soviet Republics that include some Georgian dishes but Dara’s book is the best and is a great read about Georgian culture.

Also see the November 25th Saveur blog The Walnut Whisperer’s of Georgia. It reminded me of my first taste of Satsivi sauce and a spread made walnuts, cilantro, fenugreek rolled into cooked eggplant slices. I was hooked.
https://www.saveur.com/food/the-walnut- ... f-georgia/

[Jenise]

Christina, I did finally get to one of the Europa stores I told you about to look for Adjika in a jar (I gave Bill the Trader Joe's spice you recommended), and did find it. I was surprised that it was the consistency of loose crushed canned tomatoes, like the kind of Mexican salsa you use a lot of vs. a hot sauce, and for that reason I passed on it. I did, however, find Russian couscous, Lithuanian noodles, white raspberries in a jar from the Ukraine and all kinds of other curious pickled things, some of which I declined only because the expiration dates were well past.

I am by no means an expert on Georgian cuisine but I would say good decision Jenise. The Ajika that I have purchased in Georgian delis in New York has never been saucy. Never quite the same from different shops in the proportions of ingredients it has always been a thick paste.
Another typical Georgian spice mix that is also addictive is Khmeli-suneli. Again there are as many varieties as cooks but the essential is coriander, blue fenugreek, marjoram, dill, savory, bay, mint. One feature of Georgian cuisine is the ample use of herbs, especially tarragon, cilantro, dill, oregano, parsley, basil. https://app.ckbk.com/reference/theg7591 ... eli-suneli
Svaneti salt is the third essential in the Georgian section of my pantry https://georgianrecipes.net/2013/09/05/svanetian-salt/

I would be skeptical of the jarred items as well if it weren't for my Russian speaking friend and chef who is my companion when I make a run to the markets that carry a dizzying array of pickled things. She is an intrepid preserver and her cellar is a kaleidoscope of jars of everything from asparagus to zucchini and includes sunchokes and rhubarb.

[Jenise]

Dinner last night was a rice-and-cauliflower dish which I dusted with Adjika as a finishing salt. Muy bueno!

[Jenise]

Favorite use so far: heavily sprinkled over baked garnet yams (baked whole, cut open, buttered then Adjika). Kind of patatas bravas-like, but more faceted.