Say “Georgia” to many Americans, especially those of us raised in the South or Midwest, and we immediately think of the Peach state, Atlanta, Georgia Tech or UGA. We remember the place that was always on Ray Charles’ mind. We think of one of a triad of states, along with Alabama and Mississippi, that seem to stand like pillars on a map of the United States, and that always seemed impossibly, interminably long to any child in the back seat of a car on the way to Disney World.
A Different Georgia
But there is another Georgia, one that many Americans know little, if anything, about. If you’re like us, you’ll be consulting an online map to find it.
There it is, just above Turkey, at the eastern edge of the Black Sea, northwest of Azerbaijan. (I didn’t know where Azerbaiajan was, either.) It sits at the intersection of Europe and Asia. This Georgia was once known as the Republic of Georgia. It is a former Soviet Republic. It is a small country, about 25,000 square miles (roughly the size of West Virginia), with a population of about 3.5 million people (about the same as Connecticut).
Georgia is probably not on your bucket list of places to visit, which is a shame, because, from the photos I’ve seen, it is a country with beautiful mountain scenery, inviting beaches and striking architecture that reflects a long and interesting history.
The Evening Standard (UK) newspaper even recommends Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, and the Georgian wine country as a top travel destination for 2018. (I don’t want to get distracted from the green beans, but that recommendation made me dig a little deeper. I learned that wines have been made in Georgia since 300 BC, and that “centuries of trial and error have produced more than 500 varieties of grapes.” We’ll have more to say about Georgian wine in a later post.)
Georgian Green Beans
Mary found this recipe in the Eastern European section of “1,000 Foods To Eat Before You Die”, our “Guidebook”, while looking for a new way to prepare some green beans I bought at the local farmers’ market. “Lobio Satsivi” in Georgian translates roughly as “beans in a thick paste made from walnuts and served cold”, which is a pretty good description of the dish, though Mimi Sheraton’s recipe (pages 389-390) says to serve them at room temperature.
Cook them… 
…then dry on a towel.
Mary cooked the beans in lightly salted water for a few minutes, then dried them with a towel and set them aside. She said that drying them with a towel helps the paste stick.
The paste – the “satsivi” – is made with ground walnuts, garlic, minced onion, red wine vinegar, oil, and paprika (both hot and sweet varieties). The beans are tossed in the paste, then garnished with minced cilantro and parsley and seasoned with salt and pepper.
These are beans you can eat with your fingers. The paste gives them a slightly sticky texture and a nutty taste with a noticeable tang from the vinegar. Mary said she would probably cook the beans a few minutes less next time, to get a more crunchy texture.
Mimi said that satsivi “might well make a perfect, sophisticated garnish for beans served as a side to southern fried chicken or barbecued beef and pork in the other Georgia.” We ate them with a pork chop and an ear of fresh corn. They would also be good alongside potato salad, where the potatoes would offset some of the vinegar.
This would be a good dish to take to a pot luck or a picnic. You can bet that no one else will bring it. Though you might want to bring a map to explain where they came from!
The Recipe
Lobio Satsivi – serves about 6 as a side dish
From “1,000 Foods To Eat Before You Die” by Mimi Sheraton, pp. 389 – 390.
- 1 pound young, tender green beans, perferably haricots verts, trimmed
- 2/3 cup very finely ground walnuts
- 1 large clove garlic, crushed in a press
- 2 tablespoons finely minced sweet onion, such as red, Vidalia or Bermuda onion
- 2 to 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 3 to 4 tablespoons light vegetable oil, such as sunflower or walnut oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sweet paprika
- 1/4 teaspon hot paprika
- 2 tablespoons finely minced fresh cilantro
- 1 tablespoon finely minced fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- If the beans are large, cut them into 2-inch pieces. If the beans are small haricots verts, leave them whole.
- Place the green beans and 2 quarts of lightly salted water in a saucepan and cook them over medium heat until they are just tender but still firm, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the beans thoroughly on paper towels and set them aside to come to room temperature.
- Combine the walnuts, garlic, and onion in a large, nonreactive serving bowl made of glass, enamel or ceramic, add 2 tablespoons of the wine vinegar, 3 tablespoons of the oil, and the sweet and hot paprikas, and toss to mix. Add the cilantro and parley to the dressing and toss again. Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper and more vinegar and/or oil as necessary.
- Add the green beans to the bowl with the dressing and toss until well coated. The beans can be served at once but will develop more flavor and become mellower if left to sit, lightly covered, at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours. The beans can also be refrigerated, covered, for 5 or 6 hours; let them return to room temperature before serving.
Have you tried Lobio Satsivi? Leave us a comment with your impressions.
