Week 17 - Georgia and Israel

Georgia is somewhere I would love to visit, after having done some research. In particular this caught my eye from the Lonley Planet website:

"The remarkable cave city of Vardzia is a cultural symbol with a special place in Georgian hearts. King Giorgi III built a fortification here in the 12th century, and his daughter, Queen Tamar, established a cave monastery that grew into a holy city housing perhaps 2000 monks, renowned as a spiritual bastion of Georgia and of Christendom’s eastern frontier. Its inhabitants lived in rock-hewn dwellings ranging over 13 floors. Altogether there are over 400 rooms, 13 churches and 25 wine cellars, and more are still being discovered."

Lobio with Atria (Georgian: ატრია).

Atria is a boiled dough, usually made from the leftover dough. It is popular throughout Georgia, especially in mountain areas and eastern Georgia. Lobio (Georgian: ლობიო) is a popular Georgian dish made with kidney beans.

I got it from https://georgiaabout.com/2014/12/17/lobio-with-atria/,  but they got it from Bassa's Blog.

Ingredients (for Lobio):
500 grams of kidney beans, (I used a tin, so no soaking for me)
2 bay leaves,
1 tsp of red pepper, (I used paprika)
1 level tsp of blue fenugreek (I didn't have blue)
1 level tsp of dried coriander,
5 tbs of oil (for frying onions),
3 medium sized onions,
2 cloves of garlic,
20 grams of fresh green coriander,
and salt (amount dependent upon personal preference).

Ingredients (for Atria):
700 grams of flour (includes 100 grams for dusting),
300 ml of water,
and half tsp of salt.

Preparation (Lobio): 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 2 liters of water. Cook on a medium heat until the beans are tender. NOTE: The dough needs to be prepared whilst the lobio is cooking.

Chop and fry the onions until they change color.

Chop the fresh green coriander and add, together with the fried onions, to the pot of lobio. Stir. Boil for 2-3 minutes.

Crush the garlic and add to the pot, together with 1 tsp of red pepper, 1 level tsp of blue fenugreek, 1 level tsp of dried coriander, and salt. Stir and boil for 5 minutes.

Preparation (Atria): NOTE: The Atria needs to be prepared whilst the lobio is cooking. Add 600 grams of flour and half tsp of salt to a mixing bowl. Make a depression in the flour and slowly add 300 ml of room temperature water.

Make a firm ball of dough.

Roll out the dough ball into a thin circle.

Use a knife to cut diagonal lines in the dough to create diamond shapes.

Add the cut dough to the lobio.

Cook for 5-7 minutes on a medium heat.

Serving: Serve hot. We garnished ours with a little fresh green coriander.

ISRAEL

Oddly enough I also found a recipe that claims it was given to Israel by Georgia. I wasn't sure how much truth there was in this, but after research and double checking it does seem a distinct possibility and a lovely coincidence for my week of cooking!

The dish has such a lovely name too....

Khachapuri
Jews have lived in Georgia, on the border between Asia and Europe, since Babylonian captivity in the sixth century BCE. The first Jews arrived after Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem. They were ruled successively by the Persians, Mongols, Russian tsars and the Soviet Union. They are neither Ashkenazi nor Sephardi. Georgian Jews have their own customs, language and practices. They were among the first Soviet Jews to make aliyah in the 1970s.

The Gruzinim introduced Georgia’s national dish, Khachapuri, to Israel. This staple of the Georgian diet is a bread baked with three types of cheese, and topped off with an egg at the end of the baking process. Georgians love this bread so much that they consume it more than pizza! In Israel, khachapuri is a very popular choice for brunch


Khachapuri
For the dough:

• 3 ½ cups flour
• 1 tsp. yeast
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 1 cup water
• ½ cup milk
• 1 tbsp. vegetable oil

1. Heat the water and milk to 115 ℉.
2. Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl.
3. Cover with a clean towel and put in a warm place.
4. Allow the dough to rise for 1 hour.
5. Punch the dough down, and allow it to rise again for 30 minutes.

For the filling:

• 1 ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1 ½ cup shredded muenster cheese
• 1 ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 5 eggs
• Butter

Mix the three types of cheese together in a bowl.
To assemble the Khachapuri:

1. Preheat the oven to 500 ℉.
2. Roll out the dough.
3. Cut out 4 ovals.
4. Roll up the sides and pinch the ends to make your Khachapuri look like a canoe.
5. Stuff each one with the cheese.
6. Bake for 15 minutes.
7. Take the khachapuri out of the oven.
8. Beat one egg with 1 teaspoon of water to make an egg wash.
9. Brush each Khachapuri with the egg wash.
10. Break one egg in the center of each Khachapuri.
11. Return the Khachapuri to the oven and bake for an additional 4 minutes or to taste.

Serve with a pad of butter. The butter and egg are mixed with a fork and knife, and then the crust is dipped into the egg, cheese and butter center.

Source: http://pjvoice.org/2017/06/30/khachapuri-georgias-gift-to-israel/#.WV4xnYWcEqQ (accessed 06JUL2017)