Georgia About

Satsivi (Georgian: საცივი) is a thick paste made from walnuts and served cold (‘Tsivi’ means ‘cold’ in Georgian). It is used in a variety of meat (usually chicken and turkey), fish and vegetable dishes. In this recipe we show how to make satsivi with a delicious combination of vegetables.

Ingredients: 1 large eggplant, 1 large red pepper, 1 small cauliflower, 200 grams of green beans, 400 grams of walnuts, 6 cloves of garlic, 30 grams of fresh green coriander (for garnish), 1 hot green pepper (for garnish), 1 tsp of dried blue fenugreek, 1 tsp of dried marigold, 1 tsp of dried coriander, 1 tsp dried hot red pepper, salt (amount dependent upon personal preference), 1 tbs of vinegar and 6 tbs of oil.

Preparation: Slice the eggplant, red pepper and onions and add to an oven dish with 6 tbs of oil. Cook on 180 C for 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and add to a mixing bowl.

Wash and prepare the cauliflower. Add to a deep pot of salted water and boil for 20 minutes. Drain using a colander and add to the bowl containing the eggplant, peppers and onions.

Wash and remove the ends from the green beans. Add to a pan of salted water and boil until the beans are soft. Use a colander to drain the water from the beans.

Add the beans to the bowl containing the eggplant, peppers, onions and cauliflower.

Preparation (walnut paste): In the traditional recipe, new walnuts are crushed and then the walnut oil extracted by hand. The extracted oil (usually about 2 tsp) is poured onto the dish before serving. This adds additional flavor. The process of extracting the oil is long and strenuous. We did this when preparing the dish but it is not absolutely essential and the process described below omits this step.

Grind the walnuts and garlic together (we used a meat grinder) and add to a mixing bowl. Add 1 tsp of dried blue fenugreek, 1 tsp of dried marigold, 1 tsp of dried coriander, 1 tsp dried hot red pepper, and salt (amount dependent upon personal preference)

Mix thoroughly.

Add 1 tbs of vinegar and then gradually add boiled, cooled water, mixing as the water is added.

Keep adding a little water until the paste has a consistency like the one in the picture below.

Serving: Pour the walnut paste onto the vegetables and allow to stand for at least half an hour before serving. We garnished ours with fresh green coriander, sliced hot green pepper and pomegranate seeds.

Enjoy your Satsivi with Vegetables!

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