Gozinakhi (Honey Walnut Candy)

I love candy.  Candy and I have had a long relationship.  And despite a deep history of diabetes flowing through my family tree, I turn a blind eye to all of the things that are bad about candy.  The weight gain.  The sugar blues.  The rotting teeth.  The destroyer of metabolisms.  Yes, candy is good - despite these things - and I can never turn down a good recipe for the stuff.

As I have made candy-coated nuts before, I figured this would be as easy a recipe as any other.  And, thankfully, it was.  Nothing much to it.  Honey, water, caramelization, nuts and finished product.  Simple, almost healthy, completely delicious...candy! 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of honey
• 2 Tbsp. water
• 2 cups walnuts, chopped

Instructions:

1. Combine the honey and water in a skillet.  Cook over medium heat stirring constantly until the honey begins to caramelize and turn brown.  Be careful, though - it bubbles.
2. Remove from heat and add chopped walnuts.  Stir until all of the walnuts are covered in honey.
3. Pour the mixture onto wax paper and press down until the candy is flat.  You can use the backside of a spoon or top the candy with another piece of wax paper and press with your hands.
4. When the candy has cooled, break into bite sized pieces and enjoy.

(The original recipe came from this site: http://www.squidoo.com/Honey-Walnut-Candy-Recipe)

Batsurma (Marinated Grilled Meat) and Khachapuri (Georgian Cheese Bread)

Keeping in mind that Josef Stalin was the most famous person to come from Georgia, it is understandable that our family wasn't jumping up and down with joy over the prospects of the food-to-come.  Little did we realize that Georgia, being the gateway between the west and the east, would possess some interesting culinary delights.

One of the country's prized dishes, served alongside an elaborate feast or a "peasant's" dinner all the same, is something called khachapuri.  Better translated, it equates to a flatbread oozing with delicate portals of cheese in between its layers. Though that doesn't sound particularly noteworthy, take a moment to think of a time when cheese has ever lessened the value of a meal.  When not abused and used in excess, cheese is a friend that never disappoints.  And such was true with this meal.

Almost as a side note, we also made batsurma, a marinated grilled meat kebab.  Though it was tender and fairly flavorful, it was just okay...nothing that would overwhelm the palate.  However, served with khachapuri, the lost leader of the night, it was an experience that was not completely lost in the annals of history. 


Batsurma Ingredients:

• 2 cups pomegranate juice
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tsp. salt
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 bay leaf, crushed
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
• 2 lbs. boneless lamb (or pork or beef...or whatever), cut into 2 inch cubes
• 1 lb. eggplant, salted, drained, cut into 2 inch cubes (optional)

Batsurma Instructions:

1. Mix together pomegranate juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, bay leaf and garlic.  Marinate the meat overnight in this mixture.
2. The following day, place the meat on skewers, alternating with eggplant if desired.  Grill over hot coals for about 10 minutes.

Khachapuri Ingredients:

• 2 cups unbleached white flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 12 Tbsp. cold butter, cut into pieces
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup plain yogurt
• 1 1/4 lbs. Muenster or Havarti cheese
• 1 egg yolk, beaten

Khachapuri Instructions:

1. Put the flour and the salt in a medium bowl and cut in the butter until the mixture looks like coarse cornmeal.  Beat 1 egg and stir in the yogurt, then add to the flour mixture.  Form into a ball and chill for 1 hour.
2. Great the cheese coarsely, beat the other egg and stir into the cheese.  Set aside.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a large baking sheet.  On a floured board, roll the dough to a rectangle about 12 by 17 inches.  Trim the edges.  Spread the cheese mixture on half of the dough and then fold the other half over to enclose it, sealing and crimping the edges.
4. Transfer the bread to a baking sheet and brush with beaten egg yolk.  Bake for 50 minutes or until browned.  The bread is best served slightly warm, cut into small squares.

 (The original recipes for both can be found here: http://napavalleyregister.com/lifestyles/food-and-cooking/article_6697e6bf-da57-5d4c-af50-757b28706f67.html)

Georgia

Capital City - Tbilisi
Currency - Lari
Population - 4,636,400 (2010 estimate)
National Language - Georgian and Russian
Type of Government - Unitary Semi-Presidential Republic
Leaders - Mikheil Saakashvili (President); Nikoloz Gilauri (Vice President)
Country's Motto - "Dzala ertobashia" - Translates to mean "Strength is in Unity"
Location - Georgia is a small nation located directly on the border between Europe and Asia.  The Caucasus Mountains form the country's northern border, separating it from Russia.  To the west of the country lies the Black Sea. and to the south it is bordered by Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan. 

Climate - The climate in Georgia is fairly diverse given its small size.  The western part of the country remains sub-tropical throughout most of the year while the eastern part of the country ranges from sub-tropical to continental climate changes, which bring about great heat in the summer and relatively cold weather in the winter.

Religion - Though religious freedom is a large part of the Georgian Constitution, about 83% of its people practice Eastern Orthodox Christianity with a large part of that percentage practicing Georgian Orthodoxy.  Of the remainder, Muslims make up 10%, Armenian Christians make up 4%, Russian Orthodox make up 2% and 1% are Roman Catholics, Protestants or Jews.

Cuisine - Georgian cuisine is unique though it is sometimes a mixture of Middle Eastern and European cuisines. 

Most Famous Landmark - The Narikala Fortress overlooking Tbilisi stands with much history.  Originally built in the 4th century, it was expanded bit by bit over the ages and came to embody an ultimate image of strength and stability.  Unfortunately, damage by an earthquake in 1827 diminished some of this appearance; however, it is still a sight to behold.

If You Learn Only One Thing About Georgia, It Should Be This - People have inhabited Georgia for a very long time.  Human skulls dating from 1.7 million years ago have been excavated in the country.