Name: Gurian Satsivi (Turkey in Walnut and Vinegar Sauce)
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 1 h 15 min
Total time: 5 h 40 min
Cuisine: Georgian
Ingredients: 1.8 kg bone-in turkey pieces, skin-on (a mix of breast and thighs); 12 g fine salt; 1 yellow onion (about 180 g), peeled and quartered; 1 bay leaf; 6 whole black peppercorns; cold water, enough to cover the turkey by about 3 cm; 160 g walnut halves, finely ground; 60 ml white wine vinegar, divided; 12 g garlic, peeled and finely crushed; 4 g ground coriander; 2 g ground blue fenugreek; 0.3 g ground cinnamon; 0.2 g ground cloves; 4 g fine salt; 1 g ground black pepper; 450 ml strained turkey broth, as needed

Wide platter of turkey in smooth walnut sauce beside a small bowl of extra satsivi

Yield6 main-course portions

ServingTurkey with walnut-vinegar sauce, about one sixth of the batch

DifficultyModerate; poaching and building a smooth walnut sauce

DietGluten-free ingredients; contains tree nuts

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The dish

About Gurian Satsivi (Turkey in Walnut and Vinegar Sauce)

A western Georgian cold turkey dish with a bright, tangy walnut sauce

Gurian satsivi pairs tender turkey with a walnut sauce in which vinegar has a more pronounced role than in many familiar modern versions. The dish is served cool, after the sauce has settled around the meat.

Barbare Jorjadze's nineteenth-century cookbook records a Gurian-style satsivi with less walnut and more vinegar than the later formula often made for Georgian celebrations. Recipes vary from household to household, so this practical version preserves that documented balance without claiming to reproduce one exact historical recipe.

Poaching keeps the turkey moist and provides broth for the sauce. A short oven roast browns the skin before the meat is chilled. Finely ground walnuts thicken the broth, while white wine vinegar brings a clear, lively acidity. Use it gradually and taste: the finished sauce should be distinctly tangy, not sharply harsh.

Make the dish ahead so it has time to cool completely and the walnut sauce can cling to the turkey. Serve it cold or cool as a main course.

Cook the dish

Ingredients

A western Georgian cold turkey dish with a bright, tangy walnut sauce

Turkey

1.8 kgbone-in turkey pieces, skin-on (a mix of breast and thighs)
12 gfine salt
1yellow onion (about 180 g), peeled and quartered
1bay leaf
6whole black peppercorns
cold water, enough to cover the turkey by about 3 cm

Walnut-vinegar sauce

160 gwalnut halves, finely ground
60 mlwhite wine vinegar, divided
12 ggarlic, peeled and finely crushed
4 gground coriander
2 gground blue fenugreek
0.3 gground cinnamon
0.2 gground cloves
4 gfine salt
1 gground black pepper
450 mlstrained turkey broth, as needed

Method

Poach the turkey. Put turkey, 12 g salt, onion, bay leaf and peppercorns in a large pot. Add cold water to cover by about 3 cm. Bring just to a simmer, skim, partly cover and poach gently for about 45–55 minutes, until the thickest breast and innermost thigh each reach at least 74 °C. Do not rinse raw turkey; keep it separate from ready-to-eat food.
Reserve broth and brown the meat. Lift the turkey onto a clean tray. Strain and reserve 450 ml broth; discard the onion, bay and peppercorns. Place turkey skin-side up in a roasting tray and roast at 220 °C conventional / 200 °C fan for 15–20 minutes, until lightly browned. Cool promptly. Remove bones if you like, then cut into serving pieces.
Mix the walnut base. Grind the walnuts finely. In a saucepan, whisk them with garlic, coriander, blue fenugreek, cinnamon, cloves, 4 g salt and black pepper. Gradually whisk in 350 ml warm broth and 45 ml vinegar until smooth.
Warm and balance the sauce. Set the pan over low heat and stir constantly for 5–8 minutes, until steaming and just beginning to thicken. Do not boil. Take it off the heat; mix in the remaining 15 ml vinegar. Add more broth as needed for a thick but pourable sauce. Taste; Gurian satsivi should be clearly tangy without tasting harsh.
Chill the satsivi. Arrange the cooled turkey in a shallow dish and pour the cooled sauce over it. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight, so the sauce sets around the meat. Keep it at or below 4 °C.
Serve and store. Serve cold or cool. Refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking and use within 3–4 days. If reheating leftovers, bring them to 74 °C.

Practical guidance

Success points

Keep the turkey at a gentle simmer and use a thermometer: the thickest breast and innermost thigh must each reach 74 °C.
Whisk the ground walnuts with warm broth gradually, then warm the sauce gently without letting it boil.

Practical guidance

The regional point of this version is its balance: it uses less walnut than many modern satsivi recipes and lets the vinegar show through. The quantity here is an adaptable home-kitchen measure, not a claim to be a verbatim nineteenth-century formula. White wine vinegar keeps the sauce clean-tasting; add it in two stages so its acidity stays bright rather than aggressive.

Finely ground walnuts make a smoother sauce. Warm broth loosens the mixture without diluting its flavor, and gentle heat helps it thicken. A hard boil can make a walnut sauce greasy or grainy, so take the pan off the heat as soon as the sauce steams and begins to cling to a spoon.

Satsivi is a make-ahead dish. Chill the turkey and sauce in a shallow covered container, then serve them cold or cool. Keep the dish refrigerated until serving and return leftovers to the refrigerator promptly.

Nutrition per serving

Estimated nutrition per serving

Serving size: About one sixth of turkey and sauce
Energy: ~430 kcal
Carbohydrate: 5 g
Protein: 39 g
Fat: 28 g
Fibre: 2 g
Sodium: ~1,200 mg

Approximate estimate for one sixth of the recipe. The whole batch is estimated at about 3,000 kcal, 30 g carbohydrate, 312 g protein, 186 g fat, 12 g fibre and 7,200 mg sodium. Ingredient composition is estimated; bone-in yield, broth retention and salt uptake vary.

Allergens and food safety

Contains tree nuts (walnuts). Do not rinse raw turkey. Keep it and its utensils separate from ready-to-eat ingredients, and wash hands and surfaces after handling. Check the thickest breast and innermost thigh away from bone with a food thermometer; both must reach 74 °C. Cool promptly and refrigerate within 2 hours at or below 4 °C. Use cooked turkey within 3–4 days; reheat leftovers to 74 °C. Prevent walnut cross-contact for anyone with a nut allergy.

Serving cues

The sauce should be smooth, pale tan and thick enough to coat the turkey, with a noticeable but rounded vinegar tang.
Serve the chilled pieces fully coated, with extra sauce spooned over the platter.

About Gurian Satsivi (Turkey in Walnut and Vinegar Sauce)

Ingredients

Turkey

Walnut-vinegar sauce

Method

Success points

Practical guidance

Estimated nutrition per serving

Allergens and food safety

Serving cues

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