Churchkhela
Let's be honest - desserts are not the strongest part of the Georgian cuisine, but churchkhela is without a doubt an exception. Churchkhela is a kind of candy made of grape must, flour and nuts. It is considered Georgian national dessert, although varieties of it can be found across the Caucasian, Iran, Turkey and Cyprus.
This candy requires quite a lot of preparation, but it is well worth the work, and it is completely vegan.
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Preparation time: 2 1/2 - 3 hrs.
Difficulty level: Easy
Servings: 10
Ingredients
Preparation
3 Kg (6 lbs. 10 oz.) grapes
500 g (1 lb. 2 oz) dry walnuts
1 cup white flour
1 cup sugar (optional)
In a colander over a pot press the grapes well to get all the juicy part. Take a cup of the juice out and set the rest to boil. Reduce the heat and let the juice simmer for a couple of hours until reduced by 1/3.
In the meantime using the needle and the thread prepare 10 nut chains. Prepare some place where the churchkhela will dry hanging.
When the juice in the pot has reduced, in a bowl mix the flour with the cup of juice, you have set aside. Mix well so there are no lumps and then add the mixture to the pot. Let simmer stirring occasionally until the mixture thickens. It must be of honey consistency.
When ready remove from heat and then dip the chains of nuts in the mixture one by one holding by the string and hang them to dry for 5-7 minutes. Perform the procedure of dipping and drying 2 more times, then finally let them dry for at least 2 days.
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Tips:
Traditional churchkhela is prepared from fresh grapes, but you can use 100% natural grape juice, although the taste will be different.
You can use either white or red grapes.
You can substitute the grapes with pomegranate or cherries to get a different taste and color.
You can mix different nuts together