Georgian | Charlotte's VVeb

Easy & Quick Georgian Red Pepper Sauce Recipe

09/09/201023/10/2016 by Charlotte J

Recently I made some Georgian shashlyk and as you may have spied from the final photograph I served this with my take on the traditional Georgian red pepper sauce. It doesn’t have to be served with shashlyk as it would go well with any grilled meat dish. It’s really easy, all you need is a food processor or blender!

Ingredients

6 red peppers (bell or pointed)

2 red chilli peppers

3 medium sized tomatoes (or a selection of smaller ones)

3 garlic cloves, peeled

1 tsp fenugreek seeds, ground

1 tsp coriander seeds, ground

Bunch of fresh coriander

Instructions

Peppers in the UK never taste quite as nice as peppers abroad so in order to get a bit of extra flavour I put mine in a foil dish in a low-heated oven (about 150 degrees centigrade) and warmed them for 15 minutes

Cut the peppers, removing the middles, into chunks and place in food processor (or into a pot if you are going to use a hand-held blender) with all the other ingredients except the fresh coriander

Blend but try to keep the mixture quite thick

Stir then chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes

Chop the fresh coriander and stir into the sauce

Season to taste and serve

To check out my shashlyk recipe go to Georgian shashlyk

Related Images:

My Easy, Cheap, Georgian Beef & Chicken Shashlyk Recipes

06/09/201023/10/2016 by Charlotte J

Whenever I discuss what I do for a living, most people say in amazement, “Surely the cuisine of the region is no more exciting than meat and carbohydrates?” I spend hours explaining just how varied the food is across Central and Eastern Europe. When I talk about former USSR countries, such as Georgia, people are truly shocked how fabulous the traditional dishes are. However, there is nothing wrong with some basic meat recipes such as shashlyk skewers of meat. These are popular, in some form, in many countries, Turkey for one, but for me, they will always remind me of a wonderful meal in Ket in St Petersburg. Shashlyk can be served with a variety of sauces but they key is to get the meat tender and charred. Here’s my easy, cheap, recipe, inspired by the people of Georgia…

Ingredients

500g cubed meat (this can be chicken, beef – though make sure it is not stewing steak or it’ll be tough as old boots – or pork)

2 large white onions cut in quarters

4 bay leaves

1 tsp black peppercorns

Pinch of salt

100ml white wine vinegar

50ml Georgian white wine

150ml cold water

Instructions

Put the all the ingredients into a large bowl and leave to marinate for at least 3 hours

Rinse meat under tap to take away any harsh acidic taste of vinegar

Put meat on skewers (metal work best but as you can see from the photographs, wood will work too, just ensure they have been thoroughly soaked in water to prevent them burning)

Either put on a barbecue/hot coals to seal the outside of the meat for a minute on each side

Heat a griddle pan until it’s steaming, add a teaspoon of rapeseed oil (or vegetable oil but NOT olive oil) and seal the meat for a minute each side

Place in a hot oven (at about 180 degrees Centigrade) and cook for 5 to 10 minutes or until cooked through but still tender

Serve on a plate with a sauce of your choice, buckwheat kasha and salad

Related Images:

Georgian Khachupuri Recipe with Sulguni Cheese

13/05/201022/10/2016 by Charlotte J

I first tried Khachupuri at Mimino, a Georgian restaurant in Kensington. There are many different types of Khachupuri:

Imeritian (Imeruli) circular khachapuri
Adjarian (Acharuli/Adjaruli) khachapuri, an open boat shape, topped with a raw egg and a pat of butter before serving
Mingrelian (Megruli) khachapuri, similar to Imeritian but with extra cheese on the top
Abkhazian (Achma) khachapuri, with multiple layers
Ossetian (Ossuri) khachapuri, with a potato and cheese filling
Svanuri khachapuri
Rachuli khachapuri
Phenovani khachapuri

My favourite is the most simple, simply dough, filled with the cheese, topped with another layer of dough and then baked in the oven. I opted for a combination of smoked and unsmoked Sulguni cheese from the Russian Kalinka shop on Queensway in London.

Ingredients

250ml sour cream

150g melted butter

1 egg lightly whisked

400g plain flour

(this can vary depending on the flour, best to put in small amounts at one time and wait until it comes together)

Pinch of salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

For the filling:

100g smoked and 100g unsmoked sulguni cheeses, grated

1 egg whisked

2 tbsp sour cream

2 cloves of garlic crushed

1 egg yolk for glazing

Instructions

Mix sour cream and melted butter

Add salt and baking soda

Whisk in the egg

Add the sifted flour slowly

Knead until the dough comes together and is maleable

Divide the dough into two and roll out

For the filling:

Grate the cheese, mix with egg, sour cream and garlic

Place one length of dough on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper

Put the cheese filling on the dough, leaving about 1 cm from the edges

Place second sheet of dough over the top of cheese filling

Use a fork to press edges down, then make a few holes in the top layer of dough to allow steam to escape

Brush with beaten egg yolk to glaze dough

Place in oven for 20 minutes at about 180 degrees Celsius until golden brown

Serve warm with salad garnish as starter or snack

Related Images:

St Petersburg Restaurant Recommendations

05/08/200918/10/2016 by Charlotte J

There are three restaurants I recommend to anyone visiting St Petersburg. The first is Yolki Palki (Nevsky Prospekt 88, metro Mayakovskaya), a typically kitsch restaurant (now a chain), where the waiting staff are dressed up in costumes and the walls are adorned with everything from fake vines to the heads of animals. OK, this place might sound like your worse nightmare but it’s good fun and produces some reasonable quality food which is also relatively reasonably priced, a rarity in this chic and cosmopolitan city. Yolki Palki will give you a taste of provincial Russian cooking and does not adhere to the airs and graces many restaurants attempting to emulate a European vibe will. The Kalinky pancakes with stuffed meat, or alternatively with salmon, make for great hearty dishes, perfect after a days sightseeing. Even more of a rarity in Russian and Eastern Europe as a whole, is that this restaurant actually offers some great vegetarian options.