75. Georgia: Kharcho

Posted on March 8, 2016 Updated on July 27, 2019

I am soo sorry, I have been incredibly busy with work in the restaurant, my social life, school! Really it’s been crazy these past few months, but I promise i’m going to try to work more on this project folks.

Is Georgia part of Europe or Asia. Honestly no one knows, so strange. We all know it’s close to Russia and that it used be part of the communist Sovjet Union. But what do we really know about Georgia. (for the people who haven’t realized I’m talking about Georgia the Country not the state.) There is actually quite a lot of debate over exactly what continent Georgia is on, and exactly where Europe is located.

Most people have think that there is a geographic place where Europe ends and Asia begins, but where exactly that is is open to debate.The general consensus seems to be that the divider between Europe and Asia is the Urals–but they don’t reach far enough South to be helpful with determining Georgia’s location.  Geographically, the Caucasus mountains are the Southern border of Europe–in fact, the highest point in Europe is Mt. Elbrus which is right next to Georgia.

This division very helpfully puts PART of Georgia in Europe.  Georgia is not a very big country, so dividing it between two continents seems very silly! As you can see I really made a study of it and tried to find a correct answer, but there is none! So WHERE does Europe END and where begins Asia???? Of there is anyone who knows this please let me know in the comments because I am very confused!

Things you didn’t know about Georgia:

• Abkhazia. This former province declared itself independent after a bloody war. Since the war the are trying to re-establish the country’s former reputation of being a holiday destination. The rest of the world still considers Abkhazia as part of Georgia not as an independent state.
• Russian dictator Josef Stalin was born in the tiny village of Gori in Georgia. He is still considered a hero in Gori. There is a Stalin museum and on their website it says. Stalin the greatest politician of the 20th century.
• Security guards in clubs have guns. So please don’t pick a fight with them
•  Spoken Georgian is like no other language you are likely to hear. It belongs to its own ancient linguistic group unlike any other language spoken outside the region. It includes rare sounds that many visitors may never have heard before. Georgian has its own 33-letter alphabet thought to be based on the sort of Aramaic spoken in the time of Jesus.
• A guest is a gift from God, goes the saying in Georgia. So foreign visitors are plied with food and drink – an enjoyable experience, if not always good for the waistline.

You could say this Georgian delicacy is the Balkan version of a risotto. It’s a little more rustic, and the spices are completely different but the rice is cooked the same way.

This recipe serves 6-8 people

Ingredients: 

• 1 1⁄2lbs boneless lean beef
• 8 cups beef stock
• 3 tablespoons  butter
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon  flour
• 3 tablespoons  tomato paste
• 1 can tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 1⁄4cup  rice
• 1⁄2teaspoon  dried tarragon
• 1⁄4teaspoon  dried mint
• 1 1⁄2teaspoons  sweet Hungarian paprika
• 1⁄2teaspoon hot pepper flakes
• 1⁄2teaspoon  ground coriander
• 1⁄4teaspoon  ground fenugreek
• 2 teaspoons  tamarind paste
• diluted in hot stock (can substitute 4 Tablespoons of lemon juice)
• 3 cloves  garlic pressed or minced
• 1⁄4cup  walnut pieces crushed
• salt, 1⁄4cup chopped fresh herb (any mixture of tarragon, cilantro, basil, parsley, mint, or dill)

1. Bring the meat, in one big piece, to a boil in the stock.
2. Skim off the foam as necessary.
3. Reduce heat and simmer, partly covered, for about 1½ hours.
4. Remove and reserve the meat.
5. When the meat has been cooking for an hour or so, melt the butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat, and stir in the onions.
6. Fry for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and coloured.
7. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring, for about a minute.
8. Add 1/2 cup stock and stir until smooth.
9. Stir in the tomato paste and the tomatoes.
10. Whisk in the rest of the stock, add the rice, and simmer, covered, for about 10 minutes.
11. Add all the rest of the ingredients, except for the fresh herbs, and simmer them until the rice is tender–another 10 to 15 minutes.
12. At this point, you can cut the meat into bite-sized pieces.
13. When ready to serve, remove the soup from the heat, stir in the meat pieces and the 1/4 cup of fresh chopped herbs, cover, and let sit for 10 minutes.
14. Stir in the remaining herbs and ladle into bowls.
15. Serve with hearty bread and butter