A Meal Fit For (Three) Kings

In countries with Orthodox Christian populations, such as Russia, Croatia, and Austria, Orthodox Epiphany follows the 12 Days of Christmas in January. These twelve days have religious and historical significance as they commemorate the amount of time it took the magi, the wise men, to travel to Bethlehem after Jesus’ birth. January 6 marks the day of the Epiphany, when the wise men recognized Jesus as the son of God.

The holiday is also referred to as Three Kings Day, in reference to the three magi. Three Kings Day, or “Dia de los Reyes” in Spanish is celebrated in Latin American countries such as Colombia, Argentina, Mexico, and Venezuela as well. It is celebrated almost like Christmas Day for some families, with the opening of gifts, loud music, and the central feast. 

One important part of the celebration is the food itself. And perhaps the most iconic dish is the Three Kings Cake. This cake is adorned with jewels, nuts, fruits and is well known for having toys, coins, or even a small porcelain baby–resembling Jesus inside. Once the cake is cut into, the member at the table who gets the slice with this surprise is declared the “king for the day” and sometimes gets to wear a crown. 

I wanted to look into the part of Orthodox Epiphany I wasn’t as familiar with, the Eastern European variation --and the food that goes with it. 

I decided to look into the cuisine of the country of Georgia. Located in the Caucuses, it is known to have some of the best cuisine in Eastern Europe. I decided to make Mtsvadi – pork kebabs, Pkhali – small spinach cakes, and the highlight of the meal: Khachapuri – bread stuffed with a cheese filling and an egg on top.

MTSVADI

Origin

Mtsvadi can be compared to shawarma, shish kebab, and other skewers. It is a type of shashlik, a skewer from the Caucasus made from cubed meat. What sets mtsvadi apart from other skewers however is its specificity of pork, onion to marinate the meat, and its Georgian origin. 

Shashlik is often associated with the Caucasus region, and more specifically Russia, however, it has a history that stretches farther back than this area. Shashlik is simply the term for skewered meat. We began skewering meat in early human history, as the only ingredients needed were meat, fire, and some kind of skewer, which could be as simple as a stick fallen off a tree.  

Process

I began the preparation for the mtsvadi a few hours prior. I marinated the cubed pork with a simple blend of diced onion, salt and pepper in a bowl then covered it and let it sit for five hours. Additionally, in this preparation stage I placed the skewers that I would later be using to barbecue the meat in water, soaking them so they wouldn’t burn on the grill.

While the pork was marinating I prepared the rest of the mtsvadi ingredients. I cut some zucchini and pineapple and zucchini and laid out some cherry tomatoes as well. From there, I began the skewering process. 

I threaded the soaked skewers through the raw pork, tomatoes, pineapple, and zucchini. So that the pork did not fall off the end of the sticks, I placed a piece of zucchini or pineapple at the base of each skewer to keep the rest of the ingredients in place. I then added the other elements as I liked, with no organized pattern, making sure not to have too much repetition on each stick.

Then came the grilling process. Although typically we grill kebabs and other meats, we’ve had very cold temperatures in our area recently. Because of this, neither my dad nor I wanted to stand outside in the below freezing temperatures watching the pork cook. So we thought of a different solution, cooking the kebabs in the oven. 

We were extra cautious about the pork, but it cooked completely through, along with the zucchini, tomato, and pineapple. After about 15 minutes in the oven, I removed them from the baking sheet I had placed them on and plated them.

Taste

Although they didn’t come out with the gorgeous grill marks you often see on kebabs that are a true sign that they were cooked well, they still looked beautiful  and ready to eat. The nice thing about kebabs is how easy yet delicious they are to make. They’re often outdoors or camp food, but they were still just as wonderful with the home cooked meal. 

The other ingredients really added to the flavor, the zucchini giving it a wonderful, almost-nutty taste, the pineapple giving it a blast of sweetness, and the tomato providing it with some tanginess. There are many variations of the classic kebab, but this was one of my favorites.

PKHALI

Origin

Pkhali is a Georgian dish that has many different variations. It is a traditional vegetable dish made out of cabbage, eggplant, beans, beets, etc. This time around I decided to use spinach. The one common thread amongst these variations is the incorporation of one key ingredient, pureed walnut paste. 

The dish is typically also decorated with other Georgian ingredients such as pomegranates in order to add to the flavor.

Process

The pkhali process was not too difficult, I began by roughly cutting up the spinach leaves into pieces so that it could later be easily rolled into balls.

I combined the leaves with some water in a dutch oven, cooking it for about 10 minutes. Once the leaves had wilted, I drained the spinach in a colander and let it sit, stirring at times, until it had cooled down. Once the spinach was cool to the touch, I squeezed it with my hands, ridding it off the excess liquid, but saving about a tablespoon for later. 

The recipe had instructed me to use walnut paste, but I couldn’t find it anywhere. I ended up making the paste by myself, grinding up walnuts and blending it with lemon juice, cold water, and salt.

Next came the cake aspect of phkali. In order to give it the right texture, I mixed walnut paste, vinegar, cilantro, and parsley with the spinach along with the spinach water that I had previously set aside.

I then added some salt and pepper, and with my hands rolled the mixture into six small balls, which would be served individually. Finally for some added sweetness, I finished each off with a cherry on top.

Taste

The taste of the phkali was not at all what I had expected. It did have the spinach flavor of course, but it was slightly masked by the other ingredients. I don’t usually enjoy plain spinach but it was enjoyable in this form. The cherry also really added to this, giving the normally bitter, nutty taste a hint of sweetness.

KHACHAPURI

Origin

If you could think of one dish when you think of Georgian cuisine, it would be khachapuri. The pastry filled with egg and cheese is the national dish of Georgia. It is shaped like a boat and is known for its one-of-a-kind presentation. Khachapuri is believed to originate with the Adjarians, an ethnic group in Georgia. Khachapuri is made up of three main parts, the bread boat, cheese filling, and the egg on top.

Process

All things considered, the khachapuri definitely took the longest to make out of all the dishes I had prepared. I started with the bread part, first combining the ingredients, salt, dry active yeast, sugar, and flour. I then heated water and milk in a small saucepan, checking the temperature with a meat thermometer until it reached about 115 degrees Fahrenheit. I then combined the liquid and dry ingredients to make my dough.

I began kneading the dough until it was smooth, also adding in some flour and olive oil. I then did my first round of proofing. I coated a deep bowl with some oil and then placed the ball of dough into the bowl. My mom is a sourdough fanatic and is constantly making bread. She has her very own proofer which was the perfect warm temperature to prepare my dough. After about an hour, the dough had grown immensely in size and I removed it from the proofer.

After the first round of proofing, I again kneaded the dough, then set it aside for another thirty minutes to again proof.

While the dough was proofing for the second time, I combined all the cheeses I would be using for the filling in a bowl. This dish is very cheese-heavy, and I ended up mixing three cheeses, feta, mozzarella, and ricotta (my substitute for farmer’s cheese). 

I then took the proofed dough out of its warm habitat, cut it in half and rolled it out into two long ovals.

I then created a sort of boat-shape from the dough, rolling the opposite sides of the ellipse inwards.

Next, I stuffed each boat with the cheese filling, spreading them out evenly. I then transferred both khachapuris onto a baking sheet. I brushed each one with an egg wash and placed them into the oven to cook for 15 minutes. 

I then removed the khachapuris from the oven and patted down the cheese filling, fashioning a well for the egg. I cracked each signature egg into the cheese well and added some pieces of butter on top. I returned both khachapuri into the oven and cooked for an extra five minutes.

Taste

Making khachapuri has been at the top of my bucket list for some time now. Ever since I had seen these beautiful, mouth-watering cheese and egg boats I knew I had to create, and try one. 

When eating, I cut into the khachapuri, as it was so big I knew I would not be able to finish it, and put it on my plate. I was sure to mix the cheese and egg with a fork before taking a bite, as the recipe had recommended, and scooped some out. 

Each bite was delicious, although very filling. I stuffed myself trying to get through half, but it was so good I couldn’t resist. The warm cheese and bread mixture was superb together and the egg gave it that rich flavor that I had been craving. The khachapuri definitely shone through as the star of the meal and I was happy to check it off my bucket list. 

CONCLUSION

Georgian cuisine definitely lived up to the hype. Each dish boiled down to simple ingredients, pork, zucchini, and tomatoes for the mtsvadi, flour, yeast, cheese, and egg for the khachapuri and spinach plus walnut for the pkhali. However, what made each unique was the seasoning of spices, combination of ingredients, and the fresh twist on the presentation.

The meal was not only tasty but also wonderful to look at. I loved everything about the Georgian dinner, so much so that the next step for me is finding an authentic Georgian restaurant nearby to taste what expertly-made Georgian cuisine tastes like. I would definitely recommend the dishes I made and hope to taste them again some day soon.