From Georgia, with love...

 

    Southern Brooklyn is a gold mine for deliciousness from Central Asian countries and the Caucasus area.
I love exotic cuisines, so the idea of sampling foods I have never even heard of, was so appealing to me.

 I filled my belly with Plovs, Khachipuries, Shishlik and everything else in between. I ate them at restaurants and at friends’ homes. Some dishes I loved, some …well… not so much! Some dishes were very similar to things we ate at home like; stuffed cabbage and Shirazi salad. Other dishes were so good, that I dreamed about them. A particular dish that engraved it’s unusually delicious memory in to the core of my heart was: Badrijani Nigvzit.

    That’s a mouthful, I know! But, this elegant appetizer taught me that life isn’t all about hummus and that walnut paste can do miracles. You see, Badrijani Nigvzit is made from a paste of walnuts, spices and other ingredients, spread over the cooked eggplant, and served. How simple is that?! The filling is a great alternative to hummus and can be served as a dip with pita chips, lavash and other Middle Eastern and south Asian breads.

   I first had the dish at a Georgian/ Armenian restaurant in Sheapshead Bay. I was so ravenous and all I cared for were the blintzes and cold cuts. A friend happened to grab some of the glorious BN and had me try it. It was love at first bite! For years I wondered how I could possibly make it myself until recently. I have played around with a few recipes I found online and came up with a simple filling which, you can add or modify to according to you taste.

For the Filling:

1 cup of WALNUTS (approximately)

1 cup of white sweet onions, chopped

3 finely chopped cloves of garlic

1 Tbsp of Coriander seeds

1 pinch of saffron (to diffuse on warm water)

3 Tbsp of water, warm (for saffron)*

½ cup of wine vinegar

¼ cup of Lime juice

4 tbsp of Canola oil or any neutral oil of your choice

Handful or Cilantro and Parsley

½ tsp of Fenugreek powder (available at South Asian supermarkets)*

 Black pepper, salt and cayenne to taste

*optional

Rolls:

1 large eggplant or 2 small/medium eggplant

Oil to sauté/fry

Parsley and Pomegranate seeds for garnishing

Prep:

1.       Slice eggplants into long strips (not too thin). Do not peel.  Wash, pat dry and salt them for taste. In a medium skillet, add enough oil to fry eggplants on each side in medium heat. Be careful that it is not too much oil. The eggplant should not be covered in oil. Place eggplants on paper towel sheets to absorb any excess oil. Set aside for them to cool.

2.       In the same skillet, add 4 tbsp of oil and caramelize onions and garlic in medium heat. Add Coriander seeds, spices, and continue sautéing for about 2 minutes. Transfer to food processor/Bullet or any other power blending kitchen too.  Add, cilantro, parsley, saffron water, vinegar, lime juice, walnuts and fenugreek powder. Grind to a paste.

3.       Lay the eggplant strips on wax paper. Add desired amount of filling to the far corner of a strip and roll. Garnish with Pomegranate seeds and chopped parsley.

This dish will not last at dinner parties and will be devoured by your vegan/vegetarian and carnivore friends alike. I can’t wait to serve it next time I have guests!

Enjoy! I sure did ;-D