Nigvziani badrijani – or aubergines even my sister will eat

Aubergines here are wonderful. Long, skinny and purple. Not for us the bloated, black-as-your-hat European ones, Asian aubergines are milder in flavour, less bitter and better suited to Eastern dishes. Like their fat, Mediterranean cousins, Asian aubergines benefit from being degorged (sliced, sprinkled with salt and left to drain) and when placed in hot oil, will drink it, like a stag party in Prague drinks lager, but their texture is firm and they tend not to disintegrate during cooking.

Most cuisines can find something exciting to do with the aubergine. You can bake it and squish it up into a dip. You can chop it into hunks and stew it with other nightshade vegetables. You can slice it and griddle it and eat it lukewarm. It needs garlic, likes sesame, is acquainted with lemon and pomegranate and can get on fine with coriander and ginger.

As I have been thinking about Georgian food recently, I am going to give you a Georgian recipe for aubergines stuffed with a garlicky, walnut paste. I have adapted it slighty and used a bunch of fresh coriander and flat leafed parsley, which improves the colour from a cement-like grey, to a fresh, bright green. It also obviates the dilemma one always faces when stuffing things; the problem of more stuffing, than stuffee. No matter what I cook, how obediently I follow the quantities in a recipe, it always happens that I am left with a bowlful of stuffing. It’s not the end of the world, leftovers are marvellous and can often be the springboard to another delicious meal. Any excess walnut paste from this recipe can be converted into a rather delightful pesto, which you can simply spoon through warm pasta, or spread on a fish steak to make a fresh and beautiful crust, or slather onto slices of baguette to make bright green, fragrant crostini.

I have eaten badrijani in Georgian restaurants all over the world, and I was served something similar in an Azerbaijani place – but with a slight twist – they provided a harissa-like dip to spice it up. I am totally behind that, especially if you like things a little on the hot side. The aubergines themselves are nicely seasoned, but they don’t have a lot of heat. So – if you have some harissa, or even some of that incredibly fiery, Jamaican hot pepper sauce, I would give it a try. It cuts through the richness very well.

I used lime juice to lift the darkness of the walnuts. I love the combination of coriander and lime and feel it works well here. If you don’t like the thought of that, then replace with lemon – or if you are feeling very daring, a little dash of pomegranate  juice.

They make a perfect starter, are ideal for a mezze style buffet, or to accompany barbecued lamb. Allow three to four per person – they are pretty filling.

Nigvziani Badrijani

Four long, skinny, purple aubergines. Mediterranean ones are fine too but you’ll just need two of them

100g walnuts

 1/2 onion very finely chopped

4 peeled cloves garlic

1 small bunch coriander

1 small bunch parsley (flat leafed is best)

juice of 1 lime

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

sea salt

Cut the stalks off the aubergines and slice them lengthways. Make them about half a centimetre in thickness.  If you are using mediterranean aubergines, you will need to cut the slices in half lengthways as well, so they are about 5 cm in width. Leave the skins on. Sprinkle with salt and leave to drain for 20 minutes. Rinse off the salt and pat dry.

Put a little olive oil in a frying pan and fry the onion, curry powder and paprika gently until fragrant. Place in a mixing bowl.

Put the walnuts into a food processor and blitz to a coarse powder. Remove and set to one side.

Put the garlic, coriander and parsley into the food processor with about two tablespoons water. Blitz until a fine paste. Return the walnuts to the processor, along with the onion mix and blend until all ingredients are an even, smooth pesto-like texture. Add the lime juice and season to taste.

Cover the bottom of a frying pan with a mixture of sunflower and olive oil. Shallow fry the slices of aubergine on each side until a glamorous golden colour. Drain on kitchen paper. You will need to replenish the oil, as they do tend to suck it up as they cook.

Take the strips of aubergine and spread them with a thin layer of the walnut paste. Roll them up and pierce them with a cocktail stick. Decorate with pomegranate seeds and serve with a spicy pepper dipping sauce.