Certain mushrooms grow only in certain regions. These mushroom appear at springtime and they grow on the trees around Televi, Kakheti'- main city. Same mushrooms are not available in the United States. I suggest morels, but this dish will taste only as interesting as the mushrooms you choose. They should be strongly flavored, with firm texture.

Ingredients:
1 pound of flavorful mushrooms, such as shiitake or morels
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons of minced cilantro
1 tablespoon of minced mint
2 tablespoons of minced scallion
1/4 teaspoon of salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons of butter

Directions:
Finely chop the mushrooms. Beat the eggs and combine them with cilantro, mint, scallion, salt and pepper.
In a large skillet melt the butter and cook the mushrooms quickly over high heat. Do not allow them to give off liquid.
Add the egg mixture and stir until they are just cooked through. Serve immediately.

Ingredients:

These wonderful beets are simultaneously sweet and tangy. In Georgia, Cornelian cherries are used, but our tart domestic cherries provide similar savor. Chogi is usually eaten warm or at room temperature.

Ingredients:
1 pound of beet
1 medium onion, peeled and mince
1 tablespoon of butter
1/3 cup of tart dried cherries
10 tablespoons of water
2 tablespoons of minced parsley
2 tablespoons of minced cilantro or dill
1/8 teaspoon of salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Scrub beets but do not peel. Bake until tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Meanwhile, saut? the onion in butter until soft, 10 to 15 minutes.
Simmer the cherries in water until they are very soft, about 15 minutes. Force through a sieve or food mill, adding additional water, if necessary, to make 1/4 cup of thick sauce.
When the beets are ready, peel and slice them thinly. Place in a bowl and add the cooked onion and cherry sauce. Stir in the minced herbs and salt.

A hallmark of Georgian cuisine is mkhali, a vegetable puree to which herbs and ground walnuts are added. Mkhali is made from any number of different vegetables, though spinach and beets are favored. Some of the most interesting versions call for radish and even cauliflower greens.
In making mkhali, you must rely on your palate, since the amount of vinegar necessary depends on the sugar content of each given vegetable. It should be sharp but vinegary.
Georgians like to mix their vegetable by hand and that means both hands. But, in our modern society we can use a blender.

Ingredients:
1 pound of beets
1/2 cup of shelled walnuts
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup of chopped cilantro
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon of dried summer savory
1/4 teaspoon of ground coriander seed
1 or 2 teaspoons of red wine vinegar (to taste)

Directions:
Bake the unpeeled beets at 375°F for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until tender. If you are short of time, the beets may be boiled, but their flavor will not be as good. While the beets are cooking, grind together walnuts, garlic and salt. Add the cilantro, parsley and continue grinding to make a fine paste. Transfer to a bowl.
When the beets are soft, peel them and finely grate them in the food processor. In a medium size bowl mix together the grated beets and the ground walnut mixture, then stir in the remaining ingredients. Keep tasting, as the amount of vinegar needed will depend on the sweetness of the beets. The mkhali should be slightly tart.
Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, but bring to room temperature before serving, mounted on a plate and cross-hatched on top with a knife.

Ingredients:
4 eggplants or about 2 pounds in total
1 large red pepper, cored and seeded
1 small onion, peeled
2 tablespoons of each minced cilantro, parsley and basil
1/4 cup of chopped celery leaves
4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
Diced hot red or green pepper (use Mexican Chili Serrano)
5 medium tomatoes
1 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup of corn oil

Directions:
Cut eggplant in half lengthwise and with a spoon scrape out most of the seeds, creating a hollow in each half.
Dice the red pepper and the onion. Place them in a bowl with the minced herbs, celery leaves, garlic and hot pepper to taste. Peel, seed and chop the tomatoes; add to the other vegetables. Stir in the salt, pepper and 2 tablespoons of corn oil. Mix well.
Stuff the eggplants with this mixture and place in a large skillet. Add about 1/4 cup of water to the bottom of the pan. Drizzle the eggplant halves with the remaining to tablespoons of olive oil. Cover the skillet and simmer for 45 minutes, or until the eggplant is tender.
To serve, slice each stuffed half eggplant in half lengthwise.