CSA Recipe | Georgian Evening | Beet Pkhali & Khachapuri

We have been receiving an abundance of beets lately in our CSA boxes, so I thought, what a good way to use the beets by having a Georgian inspired evening!

Now I love Georgian food. I will be honest to not having too much prior experience with it. My husband introduced me to this cuisine two years ago after he spent some time working in Russia and discovered how delicious it is. I love walnuts, beets, parsley, coriander, pomegranate, and most of the items used in the Georgian kitchen. He explained Georgia as a melting pot of Eurasia incorporating a mix of different influences. It has a fresh ingredient focus with lots of herbs, which are my favorite, as well as being very healthy and clean.

So if you are looking for a new way to eat your beets, look no further. May I introduce you to the Pkhali.

Pkhali

A traditional dish that is made from various vegetables and walnuts to form a paste.

Ingredients:

1 bunch of beets

1 1/2 cup walnuts

2 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar or a squeezed lemon

bunch of cilantro

bunch of parsley

Pinch or two of Celtic Sea Salt

Dash ground coriander seeds

fresh ground black pepper

Boil the beets until tender

Set aside, let cool, & peel

In food processor add garlic, walnuts, parsley, & cilantro

Grate beets with a box grater

Mix beets with spices and walnut herb mix.

Form in little balls & refrigerate Optional serve/garnish with pomegranate seeds and or pomegranate molassis or pistachios or parsley leaves.

Adapted from Anna Voloshyna

So not wanting to waste the tops of the beets I continued researching and found a way to make:

Beet Green Pkhali

Ingredients:

1 bunch left over beet greens

1/3 cup walnuts

1 clove garlic

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 bunch cilantro

1 bunch parsley

1 lemon juiced

Celtic Sea Salt

Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Blanch beet greens 30 seconds, place in ice water, and squeeze dry.

In food processor add walnuts, garlic, oil, lemon juice, cilantro, parsley, salt, and pepper. Pulse. Add beet greens until a paste forms. Add extra salt if needed.

Scoop out and form into balls, refrigerate. Garnish as desired.

Adapted from Jeanette’s Healthy Living

Now that we have used up our beets, time for the heavy part, the Khachapuri. A boat-shaped bread filled with melted gooey cheese. I will admit, this was my first time making these dishes, I was mostly experimenting. It was hard to find a good recipe for the Khachapuri, but this is what I did.

Khachapuri: Georgian Cheese Bread

makes 2

Dough

1 3/4 whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon active dry yeat

1/2 teaspoon honey

1/2 cup water, room temperature

1/4 cup milk warmed slightly

1 1/2 teaspoon olive oil

1 egg for egg wash

Filling

2 cups mozzarella (or smoky string cheese or traditional sulguni)

half a container of mascarpone cheese

8oz feta (I didn’t use feta didn’t have any on hand)

Splash of brine from feta (or yogurt or milk)

I added random cheeses we had in the house, in Wisconsin, there are always 5 different kinds of cheese on hand. I think I added asiago as well and some random melty cheese

2 egg yolks

2 tablespoons butter, room temp

red pepper flakes, I used cayenne or chipotle

Dough

preheat oven to 500F with a pizza stone or metal baking sheet for at least an hour.

Combine flour, yeast, salt, and honey in a bowl. Make a well in the middle. Add water, milk, and olive oil. Mix flour into the liquid. Form a ball.

Flour work surface. Knead dough until smooth around 5 min.

Lightly oil a bowl, and place dough in the bowl. Cover in a warm place until doubled in size, around 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Punch down to divide the dough in half. Form rounds. Keep covered and let rest for 20 min while you prepare the filling.

Filling

Combine cheeses and whole egg. Add splash of brine/milk/yogurt/mascarpone so the cheese forms a paste.

Forming the khachapuri

On a lightly floured parchment paper, roll one piece of dough to a 10” to 12” oval about 1/8 in thick. Approximately. Spread half of the cheese mixture over the dough leaving 1/2 in border around.

Roll one of the long sides of the dough towards the center so it curls up on the cheese slightly. Repeat on the opposite side. Pinch and roll the two narrow ends together and twist to seal, forming the boat shape. Top with extra grated mozzarella. Brush dough with egg wash.

Transfer bread to the hot tray/stone in the oven. Cook until cheese is hot and bubbling, and the dough is golden brown. 9-10 min. Remove from oven. Make a well for the egg yolk. Pour in yolk with a little bit of white into the well. Place back in oven for 2 min until cheese bubbles. (I overcooked the yolk in this step)

Remove from oven, and add a tablespoon of butter.

Serve hot, and mix it all up upon serving. Use the bread from the sides to dip in and enjoy!

Adapted from wild green sardines.

There you go! Some assorted recipes I found to get you acquainted and started on your Georgian cuisine journey. There are many more dishes but this was filling and a great way to use our CSA. I love finding new ways to eat classic vegetables and this worked perfectly and is a great way to wow others with a new food experience.