Pkhali Image Used Under Creative Commons License From caucasus-trekking.com
Citizens, as you know, TFD is exceedingly fond of all the foods from the magnificent country of Georgia, and is on a lifelong quest to share its wonders with the rest of the world!
Today, I give you Pkhali (Georgian: ფხალი), a traditional Georgian dish of chopped and minced vegetables originating in the Mingrelia region. It is typically made from spinach or beet greens and combined with ground walnuts, vinegar, onions, garlic, and herbs.
I found this excerpt from a fascinating scholarly article on springer.com:
We document the use of all the wild greens, which are predominantly used in a dish called pkhali (though in some texts it is also written pxali, phkhali, phali, or pchali). This dish is of great importance in the culinary tradition of Georgia, especially its western part, and is eaten almost on a daily basis. Pkhali is also made with cultivated vegetables such as cabbage (Brassica oleracea L.), beetroot (Beta vulgaris L.), or spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.), but the consumption of pkhali made of wild vegetables, so called veluri pkhali (wild pkhali) or mindvris pkhali (field pkhali), is equally common.
Pkhali constitutes the main form of consumption of wild greens in the area and is served as a side dish. The term mkhali, the literary version, is often used as well, while pkhali is its synonym in the local dialects of Imereti, Guria, and Racha (Lomtatidze et al. 1962). As a large number of species are used in the dish, some of them of little known edibility, it is of scientific and economic importance to document the plants used.
The dish is typically made of cabbage, eggplant, spinach, beans, beets and combined with ground walnuts, vinegar, onions, garlic, and herbs. Pkhali is also called mkhali. The common ingredient of all variations of pkhali is pureed walnut sauce. In Georgian restaurants, it is usually served in three types: spinach, beetroot and white beans.
This is a delicious vegetarian spread that is rich in superfoods such as spinach, garlic, walnuts and pomegranate seeds as well as a plethora of spices. Few things will put a bigger smile on the face of your vegetarian or vegan friends than if you offer them a taste of this unique dish.
Here is a mighty recipe that deserves your full and prompt attention as well as due consideration, Citizens! 🙂
Battle on – The Generalissimo
PrintThe Hirshon Georgian Pkhali – ფხალი
- Prep Time: 0 hours
- Cook Time: 0 hours
- Total Time: 0 hours
Ingredients
- 2 pounds fresh spinach leaves
- 1 ½ cups toasted walnuts
- 3 medium cloves garlic, preferably Georgian
- 1 medium shallot, minced
- ¾ cup packed Cilantro leaves
- ¼ cup roughly chopped parsley, packed
- 6 tablespoons walnut oil
- 4 teaspoons tarragon vinegar
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander seed
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground wild blue fenugreek – Utskho Suneli (Wild Blue Fenugreek) – buy it from here or use regular ground fenugreek
- Several grinds black pepper
- Pinch ground cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp. hot paprika
- ½ tsp. ground turmeric
- ***
- Garnish:
- ½ cup pomegranate seeds
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the spinach, stirring to submerge the leaves and make room for more. Once all the spinach has wilted and the stems softened, about 3 minutes, drain in a large colander.
- Rinse the spinach with tap water until the greens feel cool, then squeeze out as much water from them as you can. (This is most effectively done by squeezing it, a chunk at a time, between your hands or in your fists.)
- Grind the walnuts in a food processor to the consistency of coarse sand. Add the spinach, garlic, shallot, cilantro, oil, vinegar, coriander, salt, fenugreek, black pepper, paprika, turmeric and cayenne pepper; puree until smooth.
- Transfer to a container with a tight-fitting lid; taste, and adjust the seasonings as needed. Refrigerate for several hours or up to overnight.
- Sprinkle with the pomegranate seeds just before serving.
