Walnuts are rich in protein, amino acids, vitamins C, P, K and E, carotene and alkaloids, as well as tannins, essential oils and cobalt and iron salts. The inclusion of nuts in the diet improves memory, normalizes blood pressure in hypertension, and strengthens the cardiovascular system. Nuts can be eaten in pure form, or can be used as one of the components of salads, snacks and hot dishes.
Kharcho
Kharcho is a dish of Georgian cuisine. This is a delicious spicy soup made mainly of lamb brisket, sometimes replaced with beef brisket or chicken. The classic kharcho recipe contains walnuts, which give the soup a special taste. To make kharcho, you need to take the following products:
- 500 g of meat (lamb or beef brisket);
- 2 onions;
- 2-3 cloves of garlic;
- 2 tbsp. l. tomato puree or 100 g of fresh tomatoes;
- 100 g of walnut kernels;
- ½ cup rice;
- ½ cup sour tkemali plums.
- greens (cilantro, basil, parsley, dill);
- Bay leaf;
- pepper;
- salt.
Wash the meat, cut into small pieces, place in a saucepan, cover with cold water, put on medium heat and cook, removing the foam that appears with a slotted spoon. After 1, 5-2 hours, put peeled and finely chopped onions, washed rice, sour plums, salt, pepper into the broth and cook for another half hour.
Crush in a mortar, adding warm broth, walnut kernels and garlic cloves. Lightly fry the tomato puree or fresh tomatoes in the fat removed from the broth, and 5-10 minutes before the end of cooking, add the prepared ingredients to the kharcho: fried tomato, crushed walnuts and garlic. Season the soup with bay leaves. Before serving, sprinkle the kharcho with finely chopped cilantro, parsley, basil or dill.
Chicken with peanut sauce
This dish tastes like a cold satsivi sauce with chicken, but unlike Georgian food, chicken with a peanut sauce is served hot. To prepare it you will need:
- chicken carcass;
- 350 g of shelled walnuts;
- 2-3 onion heads;
- 4 cloves of garlic;
- 50 g butter (ghee);
- 1 tbsp. l. adjika;
- pomegranate juice or vinegar (9%);
- cilantro greens;
- a mixture of dry herbs;
- pepper;
- salt.
Rinse the chicken carcass, cut into portions, put in a saucepan, cover with cold water and cook over low heat, periodically removing the foam with a slotted spoon. Remove the finished meat from the broth, transfer to a cast-iron pot, add ghee, finely chopped onions, adjika, salt, pepper, sprinkle with herbs and simmer for 5-10 minutes.
Grind the nuts in a blender and rub 2-3 times through a sieve. Pour the garlic, salt and cilantro greens in a mortar, mix with grated nuts, pour in 600 milliliters of warm chicken broth and mix everything well. Pour the resulting sauce over the chicken meat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add pomegranate juice or vinegar 3 minutes before cooking. Serve the dish hot.
