Adzharian-style green beans with cinnamon-flavored yogurt sauce

A Georgian dish from Paula Wolfert's "The cooking of the Eastern Mediterranean". I'm not sure if I would recognize this as Mediterranean/Middle Eastern, but hey, it has plenty of yogurt, right?

I made the mistake of bringing the heat too high after adding the yogurt, which caused it to curdle slightly (note the chunky appearance in the photo). Also, I felt the yogurt had a very rich, almost cheesy, complexion, making the dish a little heavy for my palate. Housemate Mike loved it, though.

Georgian chicken Tabaka with Badza (walnut) sauce

From Paula Wolfert's "the cooking of the Eastern Mediterranean".

Who would think that putting a heavy cast-iron skillet (brick stand in) on top of a chicken in a skillet wouldn't squeeze all of the juices out? Indeed, the chicken was nice and tender and plenty juicy.

The walnut sauce was fantastic -- rich, almost like a cream sauce, but lighter. Although the spices in the sauce were fairly exotic, the flavor was understated.