flipPkhali, Herb and Walnut Bites
Pkhali, Herb and Walnut Bites
Why this dish? Stalin's table overflowed with small cold Georgian dishes like those served daily across the Caucasus: pounded greens, walnuts, garden herbs. This is the humble cuisine of his childhood in Gori, the family of a shoemaker, long before the Kremlin feasts.
Small dark green balls made from chopped spinach (or beetroot, green beans) bound with a walnut paste seasoned with garlic, vinegar, and herbs. Fresh, tangy, crowned with ruby pomegranate seeds — a classic for everyday as well as for celebrations.
Don't think I always ate like a tsar. Back home in Gori, it was garden herbs, walnuts pounded in a mortar, a clove of garlic and a splash of vinegar — that's all, and it was good. My mother squeezed the greens in her hands until the last drop, otherwise, she said, it drowns the taste of the walnut. A handful of pomegranate seeds on top, and the poor man ate like a prince.
- •Spinach or young green leaves — a large armful (base)
- •Walnut halves — a good handful (signature binder)
- •Garlic — a few cloves (aromatic)
- •Wine vinegar — a dash (acidity)
- •Coriander, khmeli suneli — to taste (herbs and spice)
- •Pomegranate seeds — a handful (garnish)
Pkhali, Herb and Walnut Bites
Small dark green balls made from chopped spinach (or beetroot, green beans) bound with a walnut paste seasoned with garlic, vinegar, and herbs. Fresh, tangy, crowned with ruby pomegranate seeds — a classic for everyday as well as for celebrations.
Why this dish? Stalin's table overflowed with small cold Georgian dishes like those served daily across the Caucasus: pounded greens, walnuts, garden herbs. This is the humble cuisine of his childhood in Gori, the family of a shoemaker, long before the Kremlin feasts.
Don't think I always ate like a tsar. Back home in Gori, it was garden herbs, walnuts pounded in a mortar, a clove of garlic and a splash of vinegar — that's all, and it was good. My mother squeezed the greens in her hands until the last drop, otherwise, she said, it drowns the taste of the walnut. A handful of pomegranate seeds on top, and the poor man ate like a prince.
Ingredients (period version)
- Spinach or young green leaves — a large armful (base)
- Walnut halves — a good handful (signature binder)
- Garlic — a few cloves (aromatic)
- Wine vinegar — a dash (acidity)
- Coriander, khmeli suneli — to taste (herbs and spice)
- Pomegranate seeds — a handful (garnish)
Ingredients
- Fresh spinach — 400 g (base)
- Walnut halves — 120 g (signature binder)
- Garlic — 2 cloves (aromatic)
- White wine vinegar — 1 tbsp (acidity)
- Fresh coriander — 1/2 bunch (herb)
- Khmeli suneli — 1/2 tsp (signature spice)
- Pomegranate seeds — 2 tbsp (garnish)
- Salt — to taste (seasoning)
Method
- Blanch spinach for 1 minute in boiling water, refresh, then squeeze firmly between your hands to remove all water.
- Blend (or pound) walnuts with garlic, coriander, khmeli suneli, vinegar, and a little salt until a thick paste forms.
- Finely chop the squeezed spinach and knead it with the walnut paste.
- Taste, adjust salt and vinegar, then shape into small flattened balls by hand.
- Arrange on a plate and sprinkle with pomegranate seeds just before serving, well chilled.
How it was made : Pkhali is the archetype of Georgian peasant cuisine: any seasonal green (spinach, nettle, beet greens, green beans) is dressed with the same base of pounded walnuts and herbs. Walnuts, abundant in the Caucasus, replace fats and binders in a cuisine that was long poor in meat on a daily basis.
The contemporary twist : Make three colorful pkhali — green (spinach), pink (beetroot), beige (bean) — served as a trio for a 'flag' effect on the table.
Joseph Stalin · Charactorium
