Tastey, tastey food

So my sister has recently returned from the Republic of Georgia after a year of teaching basic English to small children, and sometimes their parents. As with many great advantages to being immersed in a new culture, my sister partook in a wide variety of ethnic veges and meats.

Behold: Nigvziani Badrijani!!
Picture courtesy of the Notes and Recipes blog.

This is a dish that I was lucky enough to try out over the summer with her in DC. I know it's eggplant, but it's slathered in olive oil! With walnuts!

The most basic recipe calls for:

2 sliced eggplants

4 tbs. of olive oil

1 and 1/2 cup of walnuts (crushed via food processor or blender)

1 cup of finely chopped cilantro or coriander

2-3 cloves of garlic (crushed)

salt to taste, or as desired.

(If you like mayo, aubergines, or anything special then more power to you and feel free to adjust this recipe to your specific needs.)

Directions:

Rinse and slice the eggplants as thin as you can get them (usually about 1/3rd of an inch before they start breaking apart) to ensure that they will cook evenly and quickly. Apply the olive oil to the frying pan and fry slabs till brown. Set aside on a plate to cool. Next, mix the walnuts, salt, garlic, and cilantro or coriander in a medium bowl until you get a homogeneous consistency. Finally, take out a spoon and generously apply the walnut paste mixture to the the open face of eggplant slabs. Roll them up like jelly rolls!

Notes: Though it is tempting to eat them straight away, the Badrijani taste best after sitting in the fridge for several days, as it lets the paste set inside the eggplant. Also, I would recommend ignoring the 4 tbs. of olive oil and just aim to cover the base of the frying pan to ensure maximum browning of the eggplant, unless you are in no mood to mess with your diet.