Russian Eggplants Spread (Baklazhannaya ikra)

Wednesday, December 19th, 2007

1.5 kg eggplanta
2 garlic clove, minced
5 tablespoons olive oil
500 gr fresh ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup natural yogurt
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F, Gas 4). Put the eggplants, tomatoes and garlic on an oiled rack over a roasting tin. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes, or until soft and leave to cool.

Remove the baked aubergine flesh and puree it with tomatoes and garlic in a food processor until smooth. Add the remaining oil and mix again.

Spoon into a bowl. Stir in lemon juice, yogurt, salt and pepper. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour hours.

Serve with flat breads, pita breads or tosted bread.

Posted in Russian Appetizers, Russian Beverages Recipes | No Comments »

Russian Stuffed Eggplant (Farshirovannie baklazhani)

Thursday, November 22nd, 2007

4 medium eggplants
1 large red pepper (capsicum), cored and seeded
1 small onion, peeled
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons basil, chopped
1/4 cup celery leaves, chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 hot red chili, diced
5 medium tomatoes
1/4 cup of corn oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

Cut eggplant in half lengthwise and scrape out most of the seeds.

Peel, seed and chop the tomatoes; dice the red pepper and the onion. Place them in a bowl with the minced herbs, celery leaves, garlic and chili.

Stir in the salt, pepper and 2 tablespoons of oil. Mix well.

Stuff the eggplants with this mixture and place in a large skillet. Add about 1/4 cup of water to the bottom of the pan. Drizzle the eggplant halves with the remaining to tablespoons of olive oil. Cover the skillet and simmer for about 1 hour.

To serve, slice each stuffed half eggplant in half lengthwise.

Posted in Caucasus Recipes, Russian Vegetable Dishes | No Comments »