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The Hirshon Georgian Bean Dip – ლობიო

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The Hirshon Georgian Bean Dip - ლობიო

Lobio Image Used Under Creative Commons License From bestgeorgian.com

My Citizens, the undimmed culinary lighthouse that is TFD is proud to share yet another recipe from the culinary dynamo that is the proud country of Georgia! :)

Lobio (Georgian: ლობიო) is a traditional Georgian dish of various kinds of prepared beans (cooked or stewed), typically containing coriander, walnuts, garlic and onion. There are many varieties of lobio, both hot and cold.

The dish is said to have (unsurprisingly) originated in Georgia. The dish most likely predates any division of the lands into countries. As with many Georgian dishes, lobio is spicy, but not necessarily hot.

While there are many ways of making lobio, the most common of which is a cold dish called lobio nigozit, typically made with dark red kidney beans which are cooked and then mashed with garlic, onions, walnuts, coriander, marigold petals, chili pepper and vinegar, and then allowed to marinate overnight. A hot version is usually made with white beans.

In other hot varieties lobio may contain meat. Beans would be put in the pot with water and spices and allowed to sit overnight. The following day, the pot would be placed over a fire or, if available, in a small exposed oven, and the beans slowly cooked. At the appropriate stages, meat and other vegetables would be added to cook. The cooked lobio would then be served in the clay pot, along with a flat cornbread.

Lobio, in its traditional format, progressed to become a standard recipe the ingredients of which varied depending on the area in which it was cooked. Traditionally and best made in a clay pot, I love using these small ones for individual servings.

My version adapts from many of the classic styles of Lobio to make a knockout version of the dish that will be guaranteed to put a smile on the faces of your lucky guests at your next lunch, dinner, or gathering! :) Sources for the more unusual spices such as Pennyroyal, smoked chili flakes, Georgian blue fenugreek and Svanetian salt may be found on the Internet.

Battle on – The Generalissimo

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The Hirshon Georgian Bean Dip – ლობიო

Ingredients

  • 400 grams of dried red kidney beans
  • 100 grams of marinated mixed sweet and hot peppers, minced
  • 20 grams of fresh parsley
  • 1 large tomato
  • 1 onion
  • 30 grams fresh cilantro
  • A large pinch of ground Georgian marigold petals (preferred) or saffron
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 3 bay leaves
  • a pinch of freshly-ground coriander seeds
  • 3 ½ tbsp. walnut oil (preferred) or other oil
  • salt to taste
  • ½ heaped tbsp. lobio spices
  • ***
  • Ingredients for lobio spices:
  • ½ whole small head of garlic
  • ½ tbsp. of dried coriander
  • ¼ tsp of crushed dill seeds
  • ¼ tsp of dried Pennyroyal (also called squaw mint, mosquito plant and pudding grass), buy it from Daphnis and Chloe here or use regular mint if unavailable
  • ½ teaspoon ground Georgian blue fenugreek or use regular freshly-ground fenugreek seeds
  • ½ heaped tsp of dried Summer Savory
  • ½ heaped tsp of coarse red pepper flakes (TFD prefers smoked pepper flakes from Daphnis and Chloe)
  • Salt to taste, preferably Svanetian salt

Instructions

  1. For the Lobio spices - combine all in a food processor until finely ground
  2. Soak beans in cold water for two hours prior to cooking. Drain water and add beans, bay leaves and salt to a deep pot containing 1.5 liters of water. Cook on a medium heat until the beans are tender.
  3. Chop the fresh coriander, tomatoes and onions.
  4. Add fresh and dried coriander, Blue Fenugreek, garlic, black pepper and a pinch of salt to a mortar.
  5. Grind the ingredients with a pestle.
  6. Fry the chopped onions in a pan with hot oil.
  7. Drain the water from the cooked kidney beans but keep 200 milliliters in a separate jug to use later. Use the back of a wooden spoon to mash the beans on the side of the pot. Add the ingredients that were crushed in a mortar, together with fried onions and the oil they were fried in.
  8. Combine all remaining ingredients until completely mixed, add the 200 milliliters of bean water (saved when draining the beans).
  9. Transfer the ingredients to a pot and cook on a medium heat for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. We baked ours in individual clay pots in the oven.
  10. Serve hot.
https://www.thefooddictator.com/hirshon-georgian-bean-dip-%e1%83%9a%e1%83%9d%e1%83%91%e1%83%98%e1%83%9d/

The Hirshon Georgian Poultry, Herb and Tomato Stew – ჩახოხბილი

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The Hirshon Georgian Poultry, Herb and Tomato Stew - ჩახოხბილი

Chakhokhbili Image Used Under Creative Commons License From eatwithepleasure.com

Citizens, few recipe postings bring greater delight to your all-knowing Dictator of culinary nirvana than those from the magnificent country of Georgia! There is perhaps no greater cuisine on the planet as healthful, delicious and varied as those from this cradle of humanity (Georgian history goes back tens of thousands of years!).

This recipe helps to epitomize Summer for me, with its reliance on the finest and freshest tomatoes – think of it as chicken fricassée raised to a whole new level of flavor and you wouldn’t be far off! I call this recipe “poultry” as opposed to “chicken” because I prefer to use game such as duck or pheasant in it, as the original version was made!

As noted on the excellent food blog eatwithpleasure.com:

Chakhokhbili is a lot easier to make than it is to pronounce. (The “kh” sounds like the “h” in a Russian-accented “hello,” or the “ch” in the German “ich.”) While you can certainly find this dish on restaurant menus in Georgia, it is equally likely to show up on weeknight dinner tables at home because it comes together quickly and is the kind of thing you can make a big batch of and then easily reheat the leftovers for another meal (or two or three, if there’s only one of you).

The dish’s name comes from the Georgian word for pheasant (khokhobi), and if you happen to have a pheasant on hand, you can substitute it for the chicken in the recipe. You could also use turkey, duck, or Cornish game hen. In Georgia today, chicken is the most common bird used for this recipe.

My Georgian host mother Shushana used to serve chakhokhbili with the slightly salty, pully bread she’d pick up at the bakery across the street from our apartment building.

My version uses TFD’s preferred herb set for this recipe, plus a bit of clarified butter mixed with grapeseed oil to really allow high-temperature browning with buttery flavor and savor! If at all possible, try and use real Georgian garlic for this and all Georgian recipes – my favorite varietal can be bought here and elsewhere if you search by Google. Try one of the other hundreds of Georgian garlic varietals if mine is unavailable – they are ALL exceptional!

Battle on – The Generalissimo

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The Hirshon Georgian Poultry, Herb and Tomato Stew – ჩახოხბილი

Ingredients

  • A 5 lb. chicken, trimmed of fat and skin and cut into parts (or 2 lbs. chicken thighs or chicken drumsticks. I wouldn’t recommend only breast meat, because it tends to get dry.) TFD prefers to use 2 pounds of boneless duck breasts or pheasant pieces on the bone
  • 3 Tbsp. grapeseed oil + 1 Tbsp. ghee (preferred) or butter
  • ½ tsp. kosher salt
  • ¼ tsp. ground black pepper
  • ⅛ tsp. ground cayenne pepper
  • 2 medium yellow onions, cut in half and then into ½ in. slices
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced – if you can find Georgian garlic varietals to use, so much the better! Georgia has hundreds of types of garlic, more than any other nation on Earth in fact! :D
  • 4 large ripe heirloom tomatoes, cored and diced—you can blanch and peel them first if you like, but I don’t bother)
  • ½ Tbsp. red wine vinegar
  • ½ cup cilantro, finely chopped
  • ¼ cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
  • ¼ cup tarragon, finely chopped
  • ¼ cup celery leaves, finely chopped
  • ¼ cup basil, finely chopped
  • 3 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill

Instructions

  1. If you’re starting with a whole bird, cut it into parts, removing fat and skin as you go: separate the wings, the thighs, the drumsticks, and the breast, then cut the breast into 2-inch chunks.
  2. Heat butter or oil in a cast iron skillet until it begins to sizzle. (You can use any heavy-bottomed pan with high sides, but avoid nonstick pans, which keep things from browning properly.) Add the poultry pieces, salt, pepper, and cayenne, stirring to coat. Brown the poultry lightly on all sides.
  3. Remove the poultry pieces from the skillet and add the onions. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic until it turns fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes with their juice, the vinegar, and half the herbs, stirring to combine.
  4. Bring the stew to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and add the poultry back to the pan. Stir in the rest of the herbs and cover the pan. Simmer until poultry is cooked through, about 15-20 minutes. Serve with additional herbs sprinkled on top, with crusty bread, pita bread or naan, or over basmati rice.
https://www.thefooddictator.com/hirshon-georgian-poultry-herb-tomato-stew-%e1%83%a9%e1%83%90%e1%83%ae%e1%83%9d%e1%83%ae%e1%83%91%e1%83%98%e1%83%9a%e1%83%98/

The Hirshon Georgian Beet And Walnut Puree – ჭარხლის ფხალი

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The Hirshon Georgian Beet And Walnut Puree - ჭარხლის ფხალი

Beet Pkhali Image Used Under Creative Commons License From kargigogo.com

Citizens, your beloved and intractable leader – I, the mighty TFD! – have decided to once again grace you with a recipe from perhaps my favorite cuisine on the planet! Yes, I speak of the proud country of Georgia, whose amazing recipes, gorgeous countryside and people of legendary hospitality make this a truly special place on our lonely planet!

I have already given you a recipe for spinach pkhali, which will forever change how you view that particular vegetable. Today, I give you the variant made from beets, with a healthful amount of walnuts, garlic, herbs and spices thrown in for good measure!

Pkhali (Georgian: ფხალი) is a traditional Georgian dish of chopped and minced vegetables, such as cabbage, eggplant, spinach, beans, or beets that are combined with ground walnuts, vinegar, onions, garlic, and herbs.

Charkhlis Pkhali Georgian: ჭარხლის ფხალი) (pronounced as CHARK-lees puh-KAHL-ee) is typically served alongside other dishes as a salad or side— on kargigogo.com (my go-to source for Georgian spices!), they recommend scooping some up with your bread or khachapuri, use it as a relish with spicy roast chicken, or just gobble it up with a spoon. Some serve it as a dip with crackers, spread it on crostini with a few pickled red onions and extra cilantro, and formed it into balls to serve as passed appetizers.

It’s best made several hours ahead of time to give the garlic time to mellow and the flavors meld.

Citizens, this is a colorful, healthful and absolutely delicious recipe that I hope you will take the time to try – I promise you, it will become a favorite in your household to all!

Battle on – The Generalissimo

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The Hirshon Georgian Beet And Walnut Puree – ჭარხლის ფხალი

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. red beets (3-4 medium), washed but not peeled
  • 1 tablespoon walnut oil (preferred) or other mild-tasting oil
  • 1 cup walnuts
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ cup chopped cilantro, or more to taste
  • ½ cup chopped parsley
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • ½ tsp pennyroyal mint (preferred) or use dried spearmint if unavailable
  • ½ tsp dried summer savory
  • ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
  • ½ tsp ground coriander seed
  • 2 tsp red wine vinegar, or more to taste

Instructions

  1. Wrap the beets in foil and bake them for an hour or so at 375° F. until tender. Allow them to cool, then roughly chop them.
  2. While waiting on the beets, grind the walnuts, garlic, walnut oil and salt together in a food processor. Add the cilantro, pennyroyal, cayenne, parsley, pepper, summer savory, and coriander, and continue grinding to make a fine paste.
  3. Add the beets, puree with the ground walnut mixture. Add vinegar, stir until well combined, then adjust vinegar as needed to make the dish slightly tart.
  4. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, and bring to room temperature before serving.
https://www.thefooddictator.com/hirshon-georgian-beet-walnut-puree-%e1%83%ad%e1%83%90%e1%83%a0%e1%83%ae%e1%83%9a%e1%83%98%e1%83%a1-%e1%83%a4%e1%83%ae%e1%83%90%e1%83%9a%e1%83%98/

 

 

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