KHINKALI

This is a very belated post. I documented this cooking project before I started this blog, and it's about time I shared it!

About a year ago, I joined the Saveur Cookbook Club on Facebook. In the group each month a contributor picks a cookbook to feature and members try their hand at the recipes. Results are shared with photos, tips and insights. It's a great opportunity to learn about new cuisines and connect with other food-lovers. 

The month I joined, the featured cookbook was Tasting Georgia: A Food and Wine Journey in the Caucasus by Carla Capalbo. My friend Benjamin Kemper led the group that month.

I chose to give Khinkali a try. These are hearty Georgian soup dumplings made with beef and pork, onion and a variety of spices. They're served with a healthy dose of black pepper and eaten by hand. This recipe is originally from Carla's book and was also featured in Food & Wine. 

First, make your dough. 

DOUGH

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 cup water

1 large egg, beaten

Combine flour with sea salt. Make a well in the center and add 1/2 cup water and egg. Stir until incorporated and "shaggy" dough forms. Knead until smooth. Set aside in lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap.

Now make the meat filling.  

MEAT FILLING 

• 4 oz ground beef
• 4 oz ground pork
• 1/3 cup chopped yelow onion
• 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro  
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 tsp dried kondari or mild thyme
• 1/4 tsp coriander seeds, crushed
• 1/4 tsp caraway seeds, finely chopped
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• `/4 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1/8 tsp ground cumin
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup water or beef broth

Stir ingredients together until well blended. 

Now it's time to assemble the dumplings! 

Divide dough into thirds and keep the remaining dough covered in bowl while you work on each batch. On a lightly floured surface, roll out to about 1/4-inch thickness. Using a 2 1/2-inch round cutter or in my case, glass, cut out dough circles. Re-roll dough scraps to add to remaining dough. 

Scoop about 1 tbsp of meat filling in each circle. Now comes the fun, slightly challenging part: Pleating the dumplings. Lift an edge of the dough circle and pinch the dough create a pleat, then continue around the perimeter. Pinch the top and twist to make a stem. Let sit on parchment paper while you repeat the process with remaining dough and filling. 

I call these "happy little sacks of meat."  

Now, bring a pot of salted water with 2 bay leaves to a boil. Add half of the dumplings and stir to make sure they don't stick to the bottom of the pot. Boil for 8-10 minutes. Remove khinkali and drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining dumplings. 

Serve with generous sprinkling of freshly-ground black pepper. To best enjoy, pick up the khinkali by the stems and bite into the base. You'll first get a delicious burst of the broth and then can enjoy the rest of the dumpling. You can see that they are similar to a Chinese soup dumpling, but so different because of the spices used and black pepper garnish.

Dumplings always make me happy and these were a nice departure from the Chinese versions I'm used to. I look forward to perfecting my pleats.