The recipe of Black Sea Kyopooly is reasonably simple but the final taste is very delicious if ingredients are selected well and cooked in the proper way.

The main secret of Black Sea Kyopoolu is the quality of ingredients, especially eggplants and   green bell pepper. The best taste of this dish comes if the vegetables are  grown in open soil and harvested at a natural seasonal vegetation period. Vegetables should be fleshy in this case.

Serves 3-4

Preparation time – 5 minutes Cooking time – 1 hour

3-4 medium sized eggplants

3-4 green fleshy peppers

3-4 cloves of garlic

3-4 tbsp of refined olive or sunflower oil

vinegar to taste

salt to taste

3-4 tbsp walnuts

2-3 tbsp parsley finely chopped

Cooking this dish is not complicated. Eggplants and green bell peppers are roasted on a hot grill or in the oven.  If grilled in the oven, cut eggplants in halves and place with the cut sides down. Roast at 220 C for about 30 minutes. After roasting, put vegetables in the plastic bag for 15-20 minutes. It helps to peel off them easily. Cut peeled vegetables finely.

Crush peeled garlic cloves in the mortar with some salt and added olive or sunflower oil and mix well. Combine mixture with vegetables and crush all together. Add oil in a thin stream while stirring the mixture. Season with salt and vinegar for final taste. The consistency of the final dish should look like a small cubes mixture similar to puree but not homogeneous as mashed potatoes. Chill down the ready dish a bit in a fridge and then serve sprinkled with crushed walnuts and finely chopped parsley.

Black Sea Kyopoolu is better to keep in the fridge before serving. It is often prepared for a long time in advance and canned in jars for the winter. Traditionally it is served at ambient temperature or slightly chilled with bread and it goes well with a glass of wine or ayran, or Black Sea Tea.

You can enjoy Black Sea Kyopoolu with friends and family in #BlackSeaCuisine restaurants or at home as it is not very difficult to prepare.

Black Sea Cuisine is simple, tasty and inexpensive.