Eggplants are at their absolute best in early autumn. The late summer sun gives these Mediterranean plants the kick they need to form fruit, which means they are still ripening right now as the autumn deepens. We’re harvesting more eggplants from the veggie garden than we can possibly eat! This is one of the ways we’ve been cooking them and I highly recommend trying it. These walnut-stuffed eggplant rolls are simple, yet absolutely delicious.
This recipe originates from Georgia, but is also popular in Turkey. This version is adapted from Claudia Roden’s recipe for Cevizli Patlican in ‘Arabesque: A taste of Morocco, Turkey & Lebanon’.
Usually, Georgian stuffed eggplant is made with raw walnuts, but I like to toast them and rub off the skins which are often bitter and unpleasantly astringent, especially when the nuts have been in storage for a long time. In this age of supermarket plenty we often forget that all food is seasonal. This year’s Victorian walnuts are currently ripening, and won’t be cracked for another month or two, which means that any local walnuts we buy are around a year old and won’t be fresh. Toasting and skinning walnuts gives them new life, and an appeal similar to that of velvety peanut butter. It makes them smooth, fat and nutty. It really is worth the effort.
For this recipe you need a cast iron grill pan, but you can also grill or roast the eggplant slices if you don’t own one.
Don’t try and make the walnut stuffing in a full-sized food processor - there isn’t enough mixture. Use a small food processor or a large mortar and pestle to crush the walnuts.
Ingredients
4 large, firm eggplants
Extra virgin olive oil
2-3 tbsp balsamic or red-wine vinegar
1 small clove garlic, crushed
100g walnuts
A large handful of chopped flat-leaf parsley
Salt and pepper
Method
First toast the walnuts by putting them into a cold oven set to 150⁰C. Toast for 15 minutes, or until the walnuts are lightly golden all the way through to the centre. When cool, rub off as much of the papery skins with your fingers as you can.
Cut the eggplants lengthways into 1 cm thick slices and brush with olive oil. Cook them on a cast iron grill pan until they are charred and flexible. Immediately brush them with vinegar and sprinkle with salt.
To make the walnut stuffing, blitz the walnuts and garlic in a small food processor until a paste forms. Add 1 tbsp of olive oil, salt, pepper and parsley. Blitz until evenly incorporated. Taste for seasoning. It should be noticeably salty as the blandness of the eggplant can tend to create a flavour vacuum.
Spread a thin layer of walnut paste onto the eggplant slices, then roll them up as tightly as possible. Place them seam side down and pack them close together to stop them unrolling. Serve slightly warm, or at room temperature.