Remember the days, before the internet, when you wanted to find a new recipe and you had to actually buy a cookbook? Or ask a friend to write their favorite recipe down on one of those cute (but always impossibly small) recipe cards? Or you maybe you joined a recipe-exchange chain letter to recieve new recipes from someone you didn’t even know?!? I still love cookbooks, but these days I frequently turn to sites like pinterest and foodgawker for cooking inspiration. Still, there is something extra special about a recipe from a friend.
After I posted one of my favorite eggplant recipes last week, one of my friends sent me a recipe for Armenian Eggplant. (I’m sure this has a specific name, but so far it has eluded me on the google.) Her recipe consists of strips of grilled eggplant stuffed with walnuts, sour cream, pomegranate (or dried cranberries when pomegranates are not in season), and cilantro. Since I’m allergic to walnuts, I substituted pecans. I also swapped the sour cream for greek yogurt, and added a squeeze of lemon juice to balance my unusually sweet pomegranate.
This dish is perfect as an appetizer, or along side a salad as part of a light lunch!
- 1 egg plant (long thin eggplants work best with this recipe)
- 1 small clove garlic (minced)
- 2/3 cup ground pecans (or walnuts)
- 1/4 cup greek yogurt (or sour cream)
- scant 1/4 cup cilantro
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- seeds of 1/2 pomegranate
- olive oil
- salt
- Thinly slice the eggplant length-wise into long strips. Sprinkle both sides of each strip with salt and allow to rest for about 15 minutes. Blot with a paper towel to remove excess water.
- Heat olive oil in a pan and fry eggplant slices on both sides until golden brown.
- Mix together pecans, minced garlic, pomegranate seeds, coriander, sour cream, lemon juice, and salt.
- Put one heaping tablespoon of the pecan filling on the end of the eggplant strip and roll.
- Garnish with pomegranate seeds and chopped cilantro.
What a delicious way to cook eggplant! I’m always on the lookout for new ways to cook my veggies so you can consider I will be recreating this. Thanks for sharing it.
So yummy, and so easy! Can’t wait to see how you adapt it!
In the 80’s I had an Armenian guy I used to date~ his mother was a Fabulous cook she would make this in a different presentation. She used those small eggplants. Small Japanese eggplants ~She would hollow out top for room for stuffing them -with minced garlic chopped walnuts lemon salty chopped parsley~ she would use an intense amount of garlic~ garnished with pomegranate seeds . It is was delicious~ Bake serve hot. Enjoy !
Jess, I am loving this! I am on a both eggplant and pomegranate kick and look forward to trying this out. Also, mouthwatering photos!
I hope you like them! 🙂
Just spent a few minutes looking around your lovely blog again! Eggplant is one of my new favorites. This reminds me a little of the recipe from Plenty (which I love)- yours is so colorful and beautiful!
Thanks! I also love that recipe from Plenty, actually I love almost everything in that one (and Jerusalem)!
This looks absolutely delightful! I can’t wait to adapt it a bit for my own allergies and put it in my mouth! Mmmmm.
This tasted delicious! Thanks !
Is there a calorie count on this?
I just made this for lunch. Used walnuts. It was very tasty and quite pretty. Thanks for the inspiration