The cuisine of every nation has its own characteristics. As a rule, they are due to a set of products that can be grown in a given area. Georgia is a fertile country. In the hot southern sun, any, even the most heat-loving vegetables, grow well. Therefore, there are so many of them in different dishes. Peppers, tomatoes, beans, onions, garlic are prepared in Georgia. But the palm, of course, belongs to the eggplant. They are loved there, and they cook with pleasure no less than in our south. The number of dishes that include these vegetables is large. They also make blanks for the winter.
Very tasty marinated eggplant, canned slices with tomatoes. But most often caviar is prepared from them.
Classic eggplant Georgian caviar
Georgian eggplant caviar has standard, time-tested ingredients. These are necessarily peppers, tomatoes, onions, garlic, herbs, various spices. A feature of Georgian cuisine is a large number of herbs and spices. Not a single meal is complete without a dish with various herbs, and any meal is generously seasoned with pepper and other spices. And this is understandable. In a hot climate, any dish can quickly deteriorate. And garlic and pepper slow down this process.
For 6 medium sized eggplants you will need:
- tomatoes, carrots, hot and sweet peppers – 2 pcs.;
- garlic – 6 cloves;
- parsley – a large bunch;
- lean oils – 150 ml;
- various spices: hot ground pepper, coriander, fenugreek;
- salt is added to taste;
This caviar cooks quickly. Eggplants are peeled, cut into slices, put in a pan, poured with oil, sprinkled with salt, fried for 15 minutes.
Onions and carrots are finely chopped, fried together in one pan with the addition of oil for only 5 minutes. Fire should be medium. Chopped tomatoes are added there, salted, seasoned with spices. Without further frying, grind the vegetables in a puree.
Fried eggplant, sweet pepper, garlic are scrolled through a meat grinder.
All vegetables are mixed, seasoned with finely chopped parsley, heated on fire for another 4-5 minutes. This dish is served hot. Chopped hot peppers are used as decoration.
For winter harvesting, the vegetable mixture should be heated for about 30 minutes over low heat, adding finely chopped hot peppers.
To better store caviar, you can add 1 teaspoon of 9% vinegar to the vegetable mixture.
Caviar is packaged in sterilized jars immediately after preparation. Boiled lids are used for rolling. Banks should be wrapped for a day.
According to the following recipe, caviar is prepared from baked peppers and eggplant, which allows you to reduce the amount of vegetable oil and make the dish more tender. A large number of tomatoes makes the taste of caviar saturated, and the color bright.
Georgian eggplant caviar with onions and baked vegetables
Of the spices in the recipe, there are only salt and black pepper. But each housewife can expand their assortment according to her taste, giving the dish a real “Georgian” taste.
For 5 kg of small eggplant you will need:
- tomatoes – 5 kg;
- carrots, red bell peppers, onions – 2 kg each;
- lean oils – 200 ml;
- garlic – 2 heads;
- hot pepper – 2 pcs.;
- salt and ground pepper.
With spices, salt, garlic and hot pepper, this caviar is seasoned to the taste and desire of the hostess. You can also add chopped greens to the caviar. Parsley and basil pair best with eggplant.
Bake sweet peppers and eggplant in the oven. The baking temperature is about 200 degrees. And the time depends on the degree of ripeness of vegetables.
In the meantime, three carrots, cut onions, pass tomatoes through a meat grinder. In a large frying pan, fry the onion first, then add the carrots, fry again, add the tomato.
We clean the baked and slightly cooled vegetables, remove the seeds from the pepper, scroll through a meat grinder.
We combine all the vegetables and simmer for about 40 minutes. 5-10 minutes before readiness, add spices, salt, chopped garlic and hot pepper, chopped greens.
Ready caviar should be laid out in pre-prepared jars and hermetically sealed. Be sure to sterilize jars and lids.
The following recipe is not intended for winter preparations. Such caviar is served immediately to the table. It has an unusual for us, but quite familiar to Georgian cuisine component – walnuts.
They go well with eggplant and make this dish uniquely delicious. You can buy the balsamic sauce that completes it, or you can make your own. Eggplant for this dish should be small and very thin.
For 15 eggplants you will need:
- peeled walnuts – 250 g;
- onion – 2 pcs .;
- pepperoni or žguchego feather – 1 pc.;
- garlic – 3-4 cloves;
- peppercorns and salt – to taste;
- vegetable oil – how much vegetables will require;
- balsamic sauce – to taste.
Bake in the oven at 180 degrees eggplant until soft.
While the eggplant is baking, grind the walnuts with a blender until fine crumbs.
Finely chop the onion and saute a little in oil, add the nuts and fry for another 5-7 minutes.
We clean the warm eggplants from the skin and chop with a blender. Add eggplant puree to onions with nuts and fry for 7-10 minutes.
Finely chop garlic, piperoni or hot peppers, grind or crush peppercorns. Add all this to the caviar and simmer for a few more minutes.
At the very end, season to taste with balsamic sauce. This caviar is best served cold. It is good both as an independent dish and as a spread on toast.
It is not so easy to get to Georgia these days. Therefore, it may not work out to try delicious Georgian dishes where they are always prepared. But to arrange a “day of Georgian cuisine” at home is quite within the power of every housewife. Satsivi, lobio, khachapuri, kharcho – the list can be long. But Georgian eggplant caviar is a must-cook.