Spinach Pkhali
Georgia's classic cold starter: blanched spinach blended with ground walnuts, garlic, cilantro and spices, rolled into balls and topped with pomegranate.
Method
Fill a 20 cm pot halfway with water and bring it to the boil on high heat, about . Meanwhile, swish the spinach in cold water 2 or 3 times to remove any grit, and trim off only the thick root ends.
high heatWhen the water is at a rolling boil, add the spinach in 1 batch(es) and blanch on high heat for , until the leaves wilt and turn deep green. Lift it straight into a bowl of cold water to cool. Then squeeze it with both hands as hard as you can; leftover water makes the mixture soggy and the balls will not hold their shape.
Add in this stepSpinach 400 g
high heatPut the walnuts, garlic, salt, ground coriander, fenugreek and pepper flakes in a food processor and blitz for 30 seconds to 1 minute. It looks like crumbs at first, then the walnuts release their oil and it clumps into a moist paste.
Add in this stepShelled walnuts 80 gGarlic cloves 1Salt ½ tspGround coriander seed ½ tspGround fenugreek (stand-in for Georgian blue fenugreek, utskho suneli) ½ tspRed pepper flakes 1 pinch
Finely chop the squeezed spinach and the cilantro on a board, add them to the processor with the vinegar and pulse briefly. Stop while you can still see some spinach texture; it should not become a smooth purée. Taste and add a little more salt if needed.
Add in this stepFresh cilantro (coriander leaves) 10 gWhite wine vinegar 2 tsp
With slightly wet hands, roll the mixture into balls the size of a ping-pong ball and press a small dimple into the top of each with your finger. Cover and chill for so the flavours meld and the balls firm up.
Just before serving, fill each dimple with pomegranate seeds. Serve cold or at room temperature with bread or crackers.
Add in this stepPomegranate seeds 2 tbsp
Cook's tip
The most common mistake is not squeezing enough: form the blanched spinach into a fist-sized ball and twist it like a towel. Use fresh walnuts, as old ones taste bitter. Pkhali keeps for 2 days in the fridge and tastes even better on day two.
Cooking it at camp
Pkhali is a great make-ahead starter: pack it in a lidded box in the cooler. To make it at the campsite, blanch the spinach on a camp stove, crush the walnuts very finely in a zip bag with a bottle, and knead them into the chopped spinach by hand instead of using a processor.