Tapa 'Salchino'

⏳ Time

2 hours

🥕 Ingredients

🍽️ Servings

Description

'Salchino' translates from Georgian to something like 'endless fun', which perfectly resonates with the essence of a Georgian feast. A tapa is a heavy large skillet where a big piece of meat is leisurely baked along with a side dish. This dish is created for a hearty and unhurried meal with endless toasts and beautiful songs. By the way, it is precisely the leisurely enjoyment of food and the abundance of red wine that allow Georgian cuisine to freely operate with such controversial ingredients from a dietary perspective as fatty lamb fried in tail fat. Moreover, unlike the Russian tradition, Georgians serve not only potatoes with roasted meat but also lighter vegetables and herbs.

Ingredients

Rack of Lamb - 2 lbs
Fat Tail Fat - 1.8 oz
Eggplants - 6 pieces
Salad Potatoes - 4 pieces
Tomatoes - 4 pieces
Spanish onions - 4 heads
Cilantro - 3 sprigs
Fresh Mint - 3 sprigs
Parsley - 3 sprigs
Salt - to taste
Ground Black Pepper - to taste

Step by Step guide

Step 1

Clean the lamb from membranes and tendons, season with salt and pepper, and place it in a large baking dish (it should be large enough to fit all the vegetables as well). Add a little hot water and send it to a preheated oven at 356°F for about 1 to 1.5 hours. Periodically baste the meat with the juices that form. When the liquid evaporates, add a little more water.

Step 2

Wash the eggplants, dry them, and make a shallow longitudinal cut about 5–6 cm long on each. Sprinkle a pinch of salt inside the cut. Cut the fat into thin slices, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and place a piece inside each cut. Stuff each eggplant with finely chopped herbs.

Step 3

Peel the potatoes and onions and cut them into large wedges.

Step 4

When the meat has been in the oven for about 40 minutes and is halfway cooked, add the vegetables: eggplants, onions, and potatoes. Return the meat with the vegetables to the oven for another 25–30 minutes, until the eggplants are cooked through and the meat is fully done.