Georgian kebabs and khinkali have firmly taken their place on the menu of almost every family. But the fact that pkhali and mchadi are not just mysterious words, but also delicious dishes is not yet known to everyone. If you combine them with funny and touching stories from Tinatin Mzhavanadze's book "Georgian Home Cooking", it will turn out especially delicious.
Tinatin Mzhavanadze
Well-known blogger, author of the books "Georgian home cooking", "Lobio, satsivi, khachapuri, or Georgia with taste". An “individualistic Georgian woman”, as she describes herself, lives in Tbilisi, writes culinary bestsellers in which she talks about Georgia, its inhabitants and their national characteristics.
BEET BOMB PKHALI
PROPORTIONS:
1. Beet tops with roots - 2 kg
2. Peeled walnuts - 100 g
3. Garlic - 3-4 cloves
4. Cilantro - 1 bunch
5. Ground coriander, ucho-suneli - ½ teaspoon each
6. S alt, ground black pepper, white wine vinegar - to taste
7. Pomegranate - 1 pc.
…Marina, Ukrainian daughter-in-law, went to visit her parents in Kyiv. There they have their own plot of land and all sorts of gardening ventures - including beetroot, which was born so much that dad decided to thin it out - so that it grows better.
Brought a whole bag of tender beet tops - for the goat, when suddenly daughter Marina exclaimed:
- Oh! How cool - so many beets, I'll make phali now!
The parents looked at each other, and the compassionate Ukrainian mother burst into tears:
- Poor child, what is eating in that Georgia…
- That naeeee, mom, - Marina was surprised, - you know what he althy food! There are vitamins and minerals and fiber!
- Yeah, donyu, - mournfully nodded her head, - we know your minerals - the child has forgotten how to eat, we told you: come here to live, even though you won’t be hungry …
Marina, without thinking twice, began to cook pkhali from beet tops: soap-soap, soap-soap - in running water, many times, so that everything sparkled and shimmered. I scraped off the roots, threw all the beauty into a large vat to boil - then threw it into a colander, cooled it.
Mom and dad were playing with their granddaughter and surreptitiously watched as the daughter, who carelessly went to "marry" in Georgia, leaves the goat Zinka without lunch.
Grated walnuts, crushed garlic with s alt and cilantro into porridge, dripped good vinegar, sprinkled pepper and spices, mixed everything by hand.
Then she squeezed the cooled tops from excess moisture, scrolled through a meat grinder (“this is how many dishes went for one herb, father!”) And finally mixed the nuts with herbs with the prepared tops.
It turned out a lot, generous, fragrant and appetizing.
- Only mchadi needs to be baked, - Marina said worriedly and almost drove her parents to complete despair - they would at least eat lard, with black bread!
Tried with caution - so that Donya would not be offended.
Yes, and the beauty was on the plate - with pomegranate seeds, it's a pity to ruin.
- Look at you, - dad said, - and it is so difficult, savory! Mmm! And give me your cornbread at the same time …
This is how pkhali from beet tops took root in a single Ukrainian family.
What do you want.
(If beet greens are not available, spinach or leek can be substituted.)
MCHADI
PROPORTIONS:
(for 12-15 small tortillas or 1 large):
1. Fine white corn flour - 1kg
2. Warm water - 1 cup (or as needed for thick dough)
3. Milk - coffee cup (50ml)
4. Butter - 1 tbsp. spoon
5. S alt, sugar - a pinch each
6. Baking soda - ½ teaspoon (optional if you want splendor)
7. Vegetable oil for frying - 50 ml
First of all, take fine white cornmeal and sift into a bowl.
Then pour a cup (250 ml) of lukewarm water, a cup of warm milk, a pinch of sugar and s alt, a little soda, a tablespoon of soft butter into the flour.
Knead a smooth, tender dough - the consistency of thick sour cream, make balls with wet hands - with a chicken egg, flatten like cutlets, and fry in vegetable oil in a pan until golden brown on both sides, for ten minutes.
Just so that they don't burn out: reduce the fire to a minimum, let them fry inside.
As soon as the crust is ruddy red, you can shoot.
Put the finished mchadi on paper - let the excess oil be absorbed.
And now, cut them lengthwise with a knife, like a book, and put pieces of cheese inside: best of all, Imeretinsky, Chkinti-Kveli, or Suluguni.
Cheese will melt in the sunny heat of mchadi - corn tortillas, and it will be so delicious!
You can eat with whatever you want, but my advice to you is cold fried fish, flounder for example, and fresh herbs. And drink some tea.
However, you can also use white wine.
But since we are considering all possible options, let me tell you about a very simple, rustic mchadi - how my mother makes it.
A large thick-walled frying pan is placed on a low fire and heated for a long, long time until splashes fly from a drop of water.
Meanwhile, the sifted cornmeal is poured into a bowl of warm water and kneaded.
Knead-knead long and hard until the dough is one big ball. Here it is important to guess the degree of its humidity: if there is less water, the mchadi will crack, if there is more, it will fall apart into pieces. And since corn flour, it’s difficult to tell the consistency - I don’t know what to compare with. It's not liquid - that's for sure, closer to clay ready for making a jug - here!
Misty, but everything else is a matter of experience.
Let the fire be still small, but not completely dying, and let one side bake with the lid open for twenty minutes, or even half an hour. When the top surface dries up, and a crust forms at the bottom, easily lagging behind the pan, you can turn it over.
Oh, this is an art! Even an experienced hostess can stumble and break a pancake - what can we say about greenhorns. Mom somehow grabs this fire-breathing edge with her fingers and - hop! - it's already upside down. Don't worry: I take a long flat knife, bring it down, with my other hand I hold the hot edge with a napkin and, puffing, I carry out the “somersault” operation quite tolerably.
The second side should also be baked to a thick crust - now you can push the lid in for a while, for steaming.
Well, it's time to take out our sun-mchadi? There is already cheese on the table, a thick omelet with cheese - borano and red cabbage. You can boil smoked ham and put wine. Yes, also with anchovy stewed in leaves - unique.
Then dump a circle of corn tortillas on a towel, let it breathe for about five minutes - and you can break it into pieces.
For especially secular - cut with a knife, so be it.
And there is also a Svan version, chvishtari is called: it looks like ordinary small mchadi fried in butter, but a bar of suluguni is placed inside, and corn khachapuri is obtained.
And you can also dream up: mix grated cheese, finely chopped mint, a little tarragon or spices into the dough…
You can read other recipes in Tinatin's books: "Lobio, Satsivi, Khachapuri or Georgia with Taste" and "Book of Gastronomer. Georgian home cooking»
And you can also enjoy Tinatin's beautiful style on her website TBILICLUB or LiveJournal. Photo: recipe author.