Alice Zaslavsky says: ‘Whenever I’m asked to sum up Georgian food, I always fire back ‘walnuts, garlic, coriander’– it may as well be our holy trinity. Whether these are blitzed in, stirred through, or sprinkled on top, many vegetable dishes in the cuisine benefit from this combination, from spinach to beetroot to aubergine. I particularly love this version, where the trinity is whizzed into a paste, along with some classically Caucus spices. It’s then wrapped in golden-roasted aubergine, its bitterness and bite sweetened and mellowed through some quality time in the oven.’
DETAILS
Serves 4-6 as a starter
INGREDIENTS
- 5–6 small-medium aubergines, 1.5 kg in total
- olive oil spray
- 120 g shelled walnuts
- 1 garlic clove, peeled
- 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon curry powder
- pomegranate seeds, to serve
- coriander leaves, to serve
Pomegranate sauce
- 80 ml pomegranate molasses
- 80 ml tahini
- 80 ml extra virgin olive oil
METHOD
- Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F). Line three baking trays with baking paper and spray with olive oil spray.
- Cut the eggplants vertically into slices 8 mm thick. Try to keep the ‘butts’ on each side to a minimum, as these don’t fold too well. Arrange on the lined baking trays in a single layer, then spray with olive oil spray.
- Bake for 50–60 minutes, turning over halfway, until golden on both sides, softened and cooked through.
- Meanwhile, blitz the walnuts, garlic, vinegar, spices and ¼ cup (60 ml) just-boiled water in a blender until a smooth paste forms. Season with salt and pepper. Combine all the sauce ingredients and set aside. When the eggplant is completely pliable, remove from the oven and leave until cool enough to handle. Scoop a teaspoon of the walnut paste onto one of the short edges of each slice, then roll, pressing the end over and resting it on this side to keep it secure.
- Arrange the eggplant rolls on a platter. Drizzle with some of the dipping sauce and scatter with pomegranate seeds and coriander. Serve with remaining sauce.
Cook’s tips:
- Walnuts are up there with pine nuts in being highly susceptible to rancidity once cracked. Beware of sealed packets with a long shelf life, particularly if the nuts look powdery. Either take the time to crack your own, or buy them from a bulk store where you can audaciously ask to taste before you buy. Store any leftover nuts in an airtight container in the fridge.
- You can circumvent the walnut shelling by subbing in crunchy peanut butter (or any nut butter) instead. To speed up the eggplant side, salt the slices, pat them dry and grill instead of baking – they’ll turn out slipperier, but they’ll cook more quickly.
- For speed, drizzle with pomegranate molasses instead of making the pomegranate sauce.
- Any leftover nut paste can be loosened off with mayonnaise and tossed through your next salad as a creamy, aromatic dressing.
Recipe adapted from In Praise of Veg by Alice Zaslavsky (£25, Murdoch Books). Photography by Ben Dearnley.