Mtsvadi Image Used Under Creative Commons License From ka.m.wikipedia.org
My glorious and erudite Citizens – it has been FAR too long since I have shared a recipe from my spiritual homeland, the mighty country of Georgia! Long-time members of TFD Nation are well-aware that we have one of the world’s most comprehensive lists of Georgian recipes in English and it is my life mission to evangelize the unmatched cuisine of this culinary powerhouse of a nation! Today, I wish to share with you a simple but totally delicious recipe for Mtsvadi, aka shashlik (Шашлык) in Russian. This is a Georgian-specific version of shish kebab, one that is properly marinated and bereft of extraneous vegetables, as the good Lord intended.
Mtsvadi is a dish of skewered and grilled cubes of meat, similar to or synonymous with shish kebab. It is known traditionally, by various other names in the Caucasus and Central Asia, and from the 19th century became popular as shashlik across much of the Russian Empire. Especially given the current tension between Russia and Georgia, but true regardless of current international affairs – I’d NEVER call mtsvadi shashlik to ANY Georgian, unless you have a severely unfulfilled death wish.
As noted on georgianjournal.ge:
Properly made mtsvadi is an extraordinary dish. Preparing it is an entire ritual. Mtsvadi made outdoors, on an open fire is very special and completely different from that made at home using a frying pan or an electric cooker. This is in Georgian genes. We’ve enjoyed it since ancient times and mtsvadi is subconsciously bound to our distant ancestors’ ritual of roasting meat over a fire after a hunt. By the way, it is known that Erekle ll, one of Georgia’s greatest kings, was especially fond of eating mtsvadi in the mountains.
Mtsvadi can be made with pork, mutton or veal. Beef should be used only if all other options are unavailable. Marinating the meat in pomegranate juice before roasting makes it especially tender, juicy and delicious.
As further expounded at explorepartsunknown.com:
The eating culture is as important as the actual food. Georgians have supra, literally “tablecloth,” referring to the multitude of dishes brought to the table during a feast. There are so many offerings that the platters cover the table completely, like a tablecloth. The toastmaster, called the tamada, leads the feast.
There are no simple “Cheers!” though. Each toast turns into a philosophical discussion, lasting well into the night. Before bed, a beef stock called khash is put on the stove. Served in the morning with a pot of salt, minced garlic, and herbs, this viscous broth (seasoned to one’s personal taste) is the most restorative hangover cure I know of.
I grew up watching men douse meat in vinegar and onions before throwing it on the barbecue, which they called Georgian shashlyky. What I discovered in Georgia, however, was far removed from the mediocre Soviet version. This barbecued meat is called mtsvadi in Georgia, and it is genius in its simplicity. Dried vine clippings are thrown into a barbecue grill and burned until the coals become fragrant.
Pork neck is then skewered and basted over the fire with a mixture of red or white wine and salt. This process creates the most delicious savory crust and tender meat, just cooked, almost pink. The meat is taken off the skewer with a flatbread, which becomes soaked in pork juices. A simple red onion, pomegranate, and parsley salad is served on the side.
My version of this delicious shish is resolutely traditional – please do use pork neck meat, it is by far the best for this dish with a perfect ratio of fat to meat for mtsvadi. Shoulder is a barely-acceptable substitute. Second, you must grill these over vine cuttings for the proper flavor – if not, you are dead to me. You can buy dried vine cuttings here. I have gratefully cribbed the vine burning and meat cooking instructions from my friend Olia Hercules, the mistress of the Caucasus!
Lastly, please use my version of the spicy condiment adzhika in the recipe, as it is far better than any other version I’ve sampled. The recipe is here. My recipe for the Georgian spice blend of khmeli-suneli is here, or you can buy a pre-made version from Amazon here if you’re lazy. If you want to follow my unorthodox use of Svanetian salt in this recipe, you can buy it here.
If this is your first exposure to true Georgian cuisine – congratulations, you are in for a taste treat the likes of which you have rarely if ever experienced! Mtsvadi is a great intro to Georgian food, taking a familiar dish and giving it a unique Georgian twist!
Battle on – the Generalissimo
Ingredients
- 2 ⅔ pounds of boneless pork neck meat, cut into cubes
- 1 white onion
- 1 Tbsp. coriander seeds, lightly crushed
- 1 Tbsp. khmeli-suneli spice mix
- 1 ¾ cups (or more as needed) POM brand 100% pomegranate juice
- 5 Tbsp. tarragon-flavored white wine vinegar
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 Tbsp. adzhika
- ***
- For basting: 2 large bottles fruity red wine, mixed with 1 Tbsp. salt per liter
- ***
- For garnish:
- Salt (TFD loves Svanetian salt, but it is not traditional)
- 1 medium-sized pomegranate
- 1 red onion
- 1 bunch flat leaf parsley
- pita breads
Instructions
- Add the meat to a large, non-reactive bowl. Slice and add 1 white onion, the adzhika, coriander seeds, khmeli-suneli, pomegranate juice, bay leaves and salt.
- Mix the ingredients. Cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight.
- When ready to barbecue, remove the marinated pork from the refrigerator, discarding the marinade and solids, and thread the individual meat pieces onto skewers (Georgian: შამფური). Sprinkle the meat on all sides with coarse sea or kosher salt.
- Take a big bunch of dry vine twigs and light them, making sure you keep some in reserve in case the fire dies down and you need to feed it. They will. Burn quickly and fiercely, and will produce quite a bit of smoke, so warn your neighbors if you are doing this in the city. Let the twigs burn down to coals. The meat should be quite close to the coals, and the coals glowing intensely. If they should start burning when the meat is over them, douse the fire with a touch of water.
- Meanwhile mix some salt into red or white wine for basting, 2 Tbsp. of salt to 1 liter of wine.
- Cook the skewers over the vine embers, turning every so often and basting with the salted wine from time to time. This can take from 10-20 minutes, depending on the size of the meat pieces and the heat of the embers. The
- Remember: As the fat drips off the meat (especially with pork) it will often cause the hot coals to flame up. Watch carefully and make sure to prevent the flames from burning the meat. Remove the skewer for a few seconds if the flames are large.
- Tip: Use a stick to push the coals around to put out the flame. Make sure the coals are evenly dispersed. The trick is to have all the glowing coals burning (not flaming) consistently. This method of slow-cooking the meat over an open fire not only makes the meat tender but it also will add tremendous flavor.
- In Georgia, a piece of bread (shotis puri) is used to remove the meat from the skewers. The bread absorbs some of the meat juices and is eaten with the meat.
- Slice the onion thinly and remove the seeds from the pomegranate. Chop some parsley and combine with the onion and pomegranate seeds as a salad to serve on the side.
- Serve with Svanetian salt on the side, if you'd like, plus pita breads so people can use them to pull the hot meat off the even-hotter metal skewers!
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