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Top Georgian New Year Dishes

Friday, December 31
Churchkhela
(Walnut Roll)
This dish is a long string of nuts that have been dipped repeatedly in a concentrated fresh grape juice to form a confection.
Makes 2 strands
40 walnuts halves or whole hazelnuts
1 1/2 quarts of white grape juice
3/4 cup of sugar
1 cup of flour
Confectioners' sugar

Thread a needle with a 30-inches of heavy-duty thread. Knot the ends together. With the flat side of the nuts facing up, thread 20 walnut halves onto the thread, then thread the remaining walnut halves flat side down.

Cut the thread from the needle and knot the ends. Then push half of the walnuts to that end of the thread, leaving about 6 inches of thread in between the 2 portions of nuts. Pick up the thread from the top. You will have 2 separate strands of walnut halves hanging flat side up.

In a large skillet combine the grape juice and sugar. Heat to just below the boiling point. Place flour in a bowl and very gradually stir in the heated juice, whisking constantly so that no lumps form. When about half of the juice has been added to the flour, pour the remaining flour mixture into the skillet and bring to a boil, stirring. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has thickened slightly.

Meanwhile, find a board about 4 inches wide and suspend it between two chairs. Place newspaper on the floor underneath to catch the drips.

Pick up the walnuts by the middle of the thread and slowly dip them into the juice mixture, using a spoon to coat the topsides, if necessary. Slowly pull them up from the juice and carefully drape the thread over the prepared board so that the walnut strands hang down over the newspaper.

Allow the nuts to dry for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the coating is slightly tacky. Then return the nuts to the juice, which has been kept warm, and repeat the dipping process. Allow to dry again for 20 minutes or so. The drier the coating, the better the next layer will adhere.

Repeat the dipping process, 8 to 10 times, or until the nuts are completely coated. Leave to dry for 3 to 4 days, until the strands are no longer sticky to the touch. When dry, pull out the strings and dust it with confectioner's sugar.

To serve, cut the delicacy into rounds.

Gozinaki
ingredients:
honey – 1 kg.
nuts – 1 kg.

Slice nuts, boil honey for a long time and during boiling stir it consistently every now and then. Take the foam away from the boiling honey.

Add sliced nuts to the boiling honey and boil until nuts are rousted, then pour it on the watered board. Thin the mass and cut it into pieces as you like.

Satsivi
ingredients:
Turkey – 1
onion – 400 gr.
coriander – 1 spoonful
dry blue fenugreek – 1 spoonful
garlic – 1
pepper – 1
saffron – 30 ones
Nut – 400-500 gr.
vinegar – 1,5 cup
salt – to taste

Put fat, well cleaned turkey in a big, pot pour in water, covering the turkey. Boil for 30 minutes and roast it with salt in an oven.

Fry chopped onions a little in its broth, and boil for 15 minutes, add pounded blue fenugreek, nut, garlic and pepper. Boil for 20 minutes. The prepared juice should be refined by a sieve then put cut turkey pieces in it.

Roasted Piglet in a Bakery
ingredients:
A big piglet – 1
stuffing – 700-800 gr.
Salt – with taste

When having a feast, Georgians roast a piglet in the bakery; piglet is taken to bakery already prepared. Since the old times roasted piglet has been put on a table in whole, the roasted piglet should be decorated with lettuce leaves, with different sized pieces of turnip and with radish. Everything should be arranged tastefully.

The piglet’s head should be taken to the table separately on a round dish. First of all you should put greens on a plate, then place piglet’s head with turned up snout, put a radish or some other greens into the piglet’s mouth, it should be accompanied with tkemali or tomato sauce.