Gozinaki (walnut and honey crunch) - გოზინაყი

Life is uncertain.  Eat dessert first.  ~Ernestine Ulmer

According to a long established Georgian tradition, Gozinaqi (Gozinaki) is a mandatory exclusive component of New Year's Eve/Christmas celebration.

walnuts  - 3 cups   (shredded)
honey - 1 cup 
sugar - 1-2 table spoon

Toast the walnuts lightly at 350F for 10-15 minutes, them chop the by hand with a sharp knife.
Put honey into a saucepan and simmer over low heat until bubbles begin to rise. Simmer for 3-4 minutes, then stir in sugar,  and continue for another 2-3 minutes before testing.

To check the readiness: put a drop of syrup into a half glass of cold water.  If the drop spreads out, cook another min or two. Total time should be about 8-10 mins.
Pour chopped nuts into the syrup, mix well so that all pieces are coated, and remove from heat.

Don't let the mixture burn!

Spread mixture out rapidly on a kitchen board that has been moistened well with cold water. Wet a rolling pin with water and roll out mass to a thickness of 1/2-inch, but not more.

Let this cool for 15 mins, then slice into 2-inch diamond-shaped pieces.  

Grandma's Apple Pancakes - Super Quick

1 large apple, 3 yogurts, 1 egg, baking soda (1/2 tea spoon), flour (5 table spoons)

1 egg  and  3 yogurts mix in a bowl. Add baking soda combined with a few drops of vinegar,  5 table spoons of flour, a pinch of salt and a few drops of vanilla. Consistency of  thick sour cream.

Slice an apple and dip a slice into the mix. Make sure the the pan is hot, add a little bit of vegetable oil and and place the pancakes on the pan.

Cook on medium, to give the apple inside a chance to bake.

pic.2

Remove when both sides are golden brown. Serve with the sour cream or any fruit jam, though if the yogurt wasn't plain,  nothing is required.

The Nepenthe* Eggplant (eggplant with walnuts)

Don't worry, it's not the eggplant mixed with the nepenthe plant, though the post-effect you experience after eating it is very similar :)
(*. Something that induces forgetfulness of sorrow or eases pain)

When my son was 12 years old, he asked me whether I have this recipe written down. By the worried look of his eyes, I figured that the idea behind this question is: what if something happens to me and he is left with no knowledge of cooking his favorite eggplant!

Keeping in mind, that the unexpected happens, I hurried to put this recipe as one of the first.
Again, as most of my other recipes, this one has been modified from it's classic parent-version to fit the lifestyle of constant time deficit. 

1  large eggplant, 1 cup of ground walnuts,1 medium size onion, cilantro, 2-3 cloves of garlic (minced), pomegranate seeds (optional, but attribute to the taste nicely), vinegar, red pepper, 1/3 ts of sappron (if available), 1/3 ts of coriander powder.

Slice the eggplant into circles and fry them in vegetable oil in a large pan. (If the circles are too large, cut them in half).  Once the eggplants are ready (golden brown), put them on a paper towel to remove the excess oil.

Cut an onion in half and slice it very thin.

Next step, preparing the mix:

Combine the ground walnuts in a bowl with the minced garlic, add coriander powder, sappron and vinegar. Add 1/2 cup of water and mix well. Add salt and red ground pepper according to your taste. Make sure that the mix has a consistency of sour cream (add more water if needed).

Put fried eggplants on a large plate, add a layer of  sliced onions, spread the mix on the top, and  add finely chopped cilantro and pomegranate seeds. 

Enjoy!

Nothing will benefit human health and increase the chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet (Albert Enstein)

Vegetable Ragout
2 eggplants, 4 green peppers, 4 tomatoes, 1 large onion, salt, pepper, cilantro, parsley

Slice eggplants into circles and fry them in vegetable oil till golden brown.
Chop one onion and sauté it in vegetable oil till golden.

 

Combine eggplants, onions in a pot and add tomatoes, green peppers, chopped cilantro, parsley, and hot green pepper (you may substitute it with black or red ground pepper according to your taste). Add 4-6 oz of water, salt and sauté on low. Ready in minutes!

Serve cold.

Suggestion: you may add a few potatoes (cut into large chunks), but then serve it hot.

I want there to be no peasant in my kingdom so poor that he cannot have a chicken in his pot every Sunday (Henry IV)

Chicken with Tomato Sauce (Chakhokhbili) For many, cooking this dish will be much easier than trying to pronounce it's original name, so let's not waste time.  It is one of the easiest, yet tastiest meals, if you are not a member of the "I hate cilantro" club.

I used 4 large boneless chicken breasts, which happened to be in the fridge, but feel free to substitute with a whole chicken or  with a pack of your favorite parts of it.
You'll need: 2 onions, 4-6 medium size tomatoes, cilantro, parsley, 3-4 cloves of garlic, tomato sauce, green young onions (optional). You can substitute fresh tomatoes with the ones from the can and use the juice instead of the tomato sauce (4-6 oz of juice)

Cut the chicken into pieces and put them into the pot. Chop the onions into small pieces and add them as well.  Then add cut tomatoes, finely chopped cilantro  and parsley, 2 soup spoons of oil, minced garlic , salt and pepper (red, black or fresh green) to your taste + 8 oz of water. Let it simmer until the meat is fully cooked.

The first law of dietetics seems to be: if it tastes good, it's bad for you (Isaac Asimov).

Khachapuri (cheese pie). 

Those of you, who are not afraid of the carbs will enjoy the easiness and the taste of this recipe very much.  You'll need 8 oz of mozzarella cheese and 8oz of feta cheese for one pie.  Pillsbury "Grands" (Homestyle Original, 8 big biscuits - makes 2 pies) will do just fine.

Combine two of the biscuits and roll them into a circle about 1/5 inch thick. Make the filling by crumbling the feta cheese and adding the shredded mozzarella. Put ready cheese filling on one circle, cover with another one, and twist them and press, rolling lightly. Brush the top with egg yolk (optional) and put in the oven on 360F.

Ready, when golden brown (approximately 20 min).

Bon appetit! :)