Makdus al-Badhinjan
Walnut-stuffed Preserved Baby Eggplants
Region: Arab Levant, Lebanon
Category: Antipasto, Meze, Tapas, and Hors d'Oeuvres
Season: Any
Difficulty: Easy but takes non-working time

This walnut-and-chile-stuffed baby eggplant dish is a preparation found on the meze table in many Lebanese homes. Lebanese cooks are quite fond of nuts in cooking and one will encounter numerous dishes made with pine nuts, almonds, hazelnuts, and walnuts, those being the most popular.

[photo: Clifford A. Wright]

Yield: Makes 8 meze servings
Preparation Time: 1 1/2 days

1 pound baby eggplants (about 8), about 2 1/2 inches long

1 quart water

4 1/2 ounces (about 3/4 cup) walnut meats, crushed

4 large garlic cloves, crushed with 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt in a mortar until mushy

3 fresh red finger-type or jalapeño chiles, 2 seeded and finely crushed in a mortar, 1 left whole

Several cups extra-virgin olive oil

1. In a medium saucepan, place the eggplants and water, bring to a boil over high heat, and boil until half-cooked, about 6 minutes. Drain. Make a slit lengthwise in the eggplant, place them in a 1-quart jar, turn the jar upside down on a plate, and let the eggplants drain of their juices for 36 hours.

2. In a small bowl, combine the walnuts, garlic paste, and crushed chiles. Push about 1 teaspoon of this stuffing into the slit of each of the eggplants. Return the stuffed eggplants to the sterilized jar. Lay the remaining whole chiles in the middle of the container. Pour in enough olive oil in the completely cover the eggplants. You may need several cups. Seal, refrigerate, and wait for 48 hours before using. Will keep up to 2 weeks.

Posted: 11/30/2011