A recipe from Gemo
Apyrpylchapa
An Abkhazian cold appetizer of marinated red sweet peppers filled with a thick walnut, herb, garlic, onion, and ajika paste. The finished pieces are vivid, tangy, nutty, and lightly spicy, with red pepper panels folded around the walnut filling.
Method
- 01
Cut the red peppers lengthwise into 12 broad panels or halves total and remove the seeds and white ribs. Arrange them in a shallow nonreactive dish with enough room for the marinade to touch all the pieces.
- 02
Make the hot marinade. In a small saucepan, combine 200 ml water, 75 ml white wine vinegar, sunflower oil, bay leaf, sugar, 1 sliced garlic clove, 0.5 teaspoon dried red pepper, and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring just to a boil, then pour it over the peppers, cover, and let them marinate until slightly softened but still bright.
⏱ 30 min
- 03
While the peppers marinate, grind 220 g walnuts, the remaining 3 garlic cloves, cilantro, parsley, dill if using, 1 tablespoon ajika, the remaining 1 teaspoon dried red pepper, and a pinch of salt in a food processor or mortar until the walnuts are fine and the herbs are fully mixed in.
- 04
Stir the chopped onion into the walnut mixture. Add the remaining 45 ml vinegar and about 50 ml water, then mix until the filling becomes a thick, spreadable paste. Add a little more of the remaining water only if the paste is too stiff to spread, then adjust salt, vinegar, and ajika to taste.
- 05
Drain the 12 pepper pieces and pat them lightly so the surface is not watery. Spread a generous layer of walnut filling over each pepper panel, then fold or roll the pepper around the paste so the red pepper and pale walnut filling both remain visible.
- 06
Arrange the stuffed peppers on a platter and let them rest for at least 15 minutes before serving. Finish with walnut oil and pomegranate seeds if using, plus a few extra herb leaves for a cold appetizer that is best served at room temperature or lightly chilled.
⏱ 15 min
Nutrition
