Sunday dinner with friends.

Can’t let go of the Georgian thoughts, so here they are — lamb and chicken kabobs, lobio, and satsebeli. Plus, Ossetian cheese bread khabidzhin, Greek turlou. Also, Japanese potato salad because potatoes are my everything, especially with those pickled cucumbers.

#food #cooking #dinnerwithfriends #sundaynight #georgianfood #atmytable #foodiverse #cookingathome #foodphotography

Once, I took my family on a trip to Russia. Ten days, ten cities — we covered a lot of ground.

Day nine caught us in Saint Petersburg where we appropriately arrived on a 5 AM train like true Muscovites. IYKYK.

By 2 PM, we covered a monastery, three cathedrals, two museums, a few castles, a ballet school, two parks, a memorial field, a bunch of bridges, all four channels, the entire Nevsky Prospect from Alexander to Peter, and crossed over to Vassilievsky Island. On foot. All of it.

Seeing beds, my three companions passed out. What did I do? I went downstairs to a Georgian restaurant. What did I have? Lamb lyulyua kebob with Satsebeli sauce. Waitstaff watched with admiration how I cleaned up a shareable platter on one breath.

Here’s more remembrance of things past and another successful recreation:

LAMB LYULYUA KEBABS:
— 2 lb ground lamb with a serious amount of fat (20% at least);
— 1 large onion, grated;
— 3 garlic cloves, chopped;
— 1/3 cup of cold water;
— 1 tsp salt;
— 1 tsp black pepper;
— 1 tsp baking soda;
— 1 tsp hot paprika;
— 1 tsp cayenne;
— 1 tsp khmeli-suneli;
— 1 tsp utzkho-suneli;
— handful of cilantro, chopped;
— handful of parsley leaves, chopped ;
— handful of mint, chopped;
— 1 tsp cumin seeds;
— 1 tsp coriander seeds;
— 1 tsp fenugreek seeds;
— 1 tsp fennel seeds;
— 1 tsp dill seeds.

Toast all the seeds on a dry pan and crush in a mortar. Do not pulverize, you want some crunch.

Combine other ingredients besides lamb and whiz them with an immersion blender. You want it liquidy. Mix in the seeds. Mix in lamb.

In a stand mixer with paddle attachment, on a low speed, beat the mixture to emulsify fat and liquid — no less than 2 minutes, no more than 3. Overdo and the fat will separate.

Make sausage shapes or stick the mix onto flat (! — important) skewers. Refrigerate for an hour or better overnight.

Grill on a mangal type fire, i.e. when meat is suspended and doesn’t touch the grate.

#food #cooking #grill #kabobs #georgianfood #mangal

Answering a question about Georgian sauce Satsebeli from my previous post.

This sauce is a relative of another Georgian condiment — Adjika. If Adjika is hot peppers and spices, Satsebeli is a mix of tomatoes, red pepper, cilantro, garlic, and spices.

Like with any traditional recipe, every family has its own which is the best.

During my many summers in Georgia I got to like Satsebeli more than any other food I have ever tried. As a matter of fact, I can eat this sauce with a spoon without anything else.

For years in the US, I was looking for my favorite kind. Tried multiple commercial brands, dozens of recipes from books, YouTube, blogs. None came close.

Not sure how I came up with this one but it is The One. For me.

The sauce doesn’t have to be hot at all — this is absolutely personal. I add a heaping teaspoon of chopped Thai Dragon peppers because this is how we like it.

Some people add vinegar — it didn’t work for me.

Do not use fresh tomatoes. Those from your garden, char under the broiler, peel, and seed.

I stopped adding water — the sauce is so good when seriously thick.

Svanetian salt can be replaced with plain kosher one. Utzkho-suneli can be replaced with another teaspoon of khmeli-suneli. But if you don’t have khmeli-suneli make something else.

SATSEBELI SAUCE
— 15 oz jar fire roasted tomatoes, drained,
— 6 oz jar of tomato paste,
— 1 red pepper, charred under the broiler, peeled, and seeded,
— 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped,
— fresh Thai dragon peppers, or any hot peppers you like (optional),
— a handful of cilantro — leaves and stems,
— 1 tsp svanetian salt,
— 1 tsp khmeli-suneli,
— 1 tsp utzkho-suneli,
— water (optional)

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and whizz them with an immersion blender or in food processor to a smooth paste. Add water to the consistency you like. Some people like it watery, I like it thick like sour cream so a big glob could safely travel from the bowl to the mouth.

#food #cooking #georgianfood

Sunday night and Georgia is on my mind. Not the one Ray Charles was singing about.

Lamb lyulya kebab with satsebeli sauce, the best sauce in the world.

Not sure what initiated what. Did I make the sauce because I always crave grilled ground lamb? Or did I make kebabs because I needed a vehicle for the sauce?

Ossetian Khabizdzhin — potato and cheese pie — to round things up and because it is so good for breakfast!

#food #cooking #backyardbbq #georgianfood #lyulyuakebab #cheesebread #cookingathome #cookingtherapy #fooddiary

As many versions as there are of French ratatouille, Italian caponata, or Greek tourlou, that many there are of Georgian ajapsandali.

Georgians cook vegetables together with roots, and add enormous amount of herbs usually in two stages: when cooking and once finished.

The dish is equally good hot, warm, or cold. It can stand on its own or make a fantastic side.

This version based on the recipe from Tasting Georgia by Carla Capalbo included approximately:
— 1 lb potatoes
— 1/2 lb carrots
— 1,5 lb eggplant
— 1 lb tomatoes
— 1/2 lb cubanelle peppers
— 1 lb onions
— 1 head of garlic
— summer savory
— thyme
— basil
— cilantro
— parsley
— dill
— fresh green chili to taste
— salt and pepper to taste
— neutral oil and butter

The vegetables are cut in large chunks, only garlic is very roughly chopped, and added to the pan in stages. First — the roots. In about 15 minutes — the eggplant. In about 10 more — the rest.

The herbs Georgians throw in as they live — by handfuls, with a swing. “Keep the change,”— if you remember the movie. 🐄🚁🇬🇪

#food #vegetables #georgianfood #adjapsandali #homemade #cookingathome #lovetocook #inmykitchen

Today all day it felt like something Georgian. Shkmeruli to be exact. So I peeled and smashed a nice pile of garlic — a head and a half about.

As I was reaching for that garlic, I noticed a few potatoes asking to be used and thought of Odjakhuri. Peeled those. Added carrots for the illusion of plenty.

When everything was coming together nicely in the oven, my daughter’s cat knocked over a bouquet of parsley, cilantro, and dill on the counter spilling water all over. Chakhokhbili came to mind and I chopped them all. Besides the cat (swipe).

Some khmeli-suneli, paprika, cayenne, and here’s the final result. Not bad. Not bad.

#food #cooking #homemadefood #lovetocook #georgianfood #missinggeorgia #roastedchicken #cookingtherapy