Elite life
Bulgaria (Bulgarian Recipes)
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
4 spring onions
4 medium size tomatoes
Half a cucumber
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
Optional:
Olives
Chopped parsley
Grated feta cheese to sprinkle salad
Salt
Pepper
Vinegar
Olive oil
Cooking Instructions:
Cut all ingredients in slices or cubes. Season with salt, pepper, add the chopped parsley, 1 tbs. of vinegar and 2 tbs. of olive oil and mix well. Sprinkle with feta cheese and enjoy either on its own or as a side dish.
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
4-5 large potatos
Salt and pepper to taste
2-3 spring onions
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
Olive oil
Fresh parsley or dill
Cooking Instructions:
Peel and boil the potatos for about 20-25 minutes, drain and leave to cool. In a salad bowl - add the finely chopped spring onions, salt, pepper to taste, the lemon juice and olive oil, and mix gently. Cut the potatos into cubes and add the the salad bowl. Gently mix, sprinkle with parsley or dill if you serve the salad with fish.
Ingredients:
10-12 sheets Filo pastry
500 gr white cheese
Bulgarian White Brined Cheese
1/2 pack butter, melted
3-4 eggs
250 ml soda water
Pinch of salt
Cooking Instructions:
Oil a medium size deep oven dish, cover bottom with a sheet of filo pastry, sprinkle melted butter, sprinkle crumbled white cheese, and continue layering filo pastry with butter and cheese. Finish with a layer of filo pastry and butter. In a separate dish beat the eggs, add salt, and soda water. Pour slowly over the dish with the banitza and let it soak in. Cook in a preheated oven (180-200 C) for about 40 minutes or until the banitza has risen slightly and has nicely browned on top. Leave to cool for about 30 minutes and serve. I like it with greek yoghurt on the side. If you wish you can add sauteed spinach when layering the banitza.
Ingredients:
3/4 lb lean ground chuck
1/2 lb lean ground pork butt
4 cups 1/2-inch cut peeled potato cubes
1 large onion fine chop
1/3 cup crushed garlic
3 large fresh tomato fine chop
4 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup feta cheese
1 1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley
1 Tsp fresh chopped oregano or chubritza
3 Tsps flour
4 Tsps cooking oil
1/2 cup chopped green onion
Salt and pepper to taste
Cooking Instructions:
In a deep skillet, brown ground meat together in oil. Add onion, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper, cook for 5 more minutes.
3. While this is cooking, mix eggs, yogurt, feta, and flour,well. Mix ground meat, potato, tomato, parsley together.
5. Place in baking dish, and pour egg mixture over top. Sprinkle green onion on top. Bake for 1-hr covered at 350 deg.Then 1/2-hr uncovered. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
2 medium zuccini (400 g), washed, cut in cubes
2 medium potatos (225 g), washed, peeled, cut in cubes
1 large onion (200 g), peeled and chopped
1 tbsp butter or oil
1 tbsp paprika
2 cubes chicken stock
1 litre plus half cup water
4 garlic cloves, minced or chopped
1 tbsp dill (either fresh or dill weed)
Cooking Instructions:
In a 1.5 l lidded pan heat the butter or oil, add the onions and stir to cover with butter, sprinkle the paprika and stir to coat the onions, add the zuccini and potatoes and stir well, add the water and the stock cubes, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes. Take off the hob, stir in the minced garlic and the dill, cool for 10 minutes. Drain the liquid, puree the vegetables in a food processor or use the puree attachment of your mixer, combine with the liquid, stir well.
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
450 g potatoes
salt and black pepper
1 red onion
1 clove garlic
4 tbsp olive oil
100 g frozen peas
6 large eggs
50 g mild cheddar cheese
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Cooking Instructions:
Peel and cut the potatoes in cubes. Cook in boiling, salted water for 5 minutes or until tender. Drain. Meanwhile, peel and chop the onion and crush the garlic, deseed and chop the pepper. Heat half the oil in a large frying pan, add the onions and fry for 4 minutes, add the red pepper and peas, cook for 3 minutes then transfer to a plate. Heat the remaining oild in the pan, add the potatoes and cook for 8 minutes stirring, add the onion mixture, sprinkle the parsley, and mix well with the potatoes. Beat the eggs, mix with the cheese and season. Pour over the mxture evenly. Reduce the heat and cook for about 10 minutes or until the eggs are set. Loosen the edges with a palette knife and turn out the omelette onto a plate. You can serve it hot or cold. Delicious with garlic bread and green or tomato salad.
Ingredients:
1/2 kg spinach,
60 g butter,
2 tbsp plain flour,
500 ml milk,
Pepper,
Salt
Cooking Instructions:
Boil the chopped spinach in salted water for about 15-20 minutes, drain, leave to cool for 10-15 minutes, then puree. Heat a pan, melt the butter, add the flour, stir well, fry for 1-2 minutes, then add the pureed spinach. Add the milk and 200 ml of the water in which the spinach was cooked. Simmer for 5-10 minutes and season with pepper. Serve with croutons (bread cubes fried in butter).
Servings: 2
Ingredients:
2 medium size onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves - chopped
3 medium tomatoes peeled and chopped (or half tin chopped tomatoes)
2 cleaned and boned mackerels
1/2 cup White Wine
2-3 tbsp oil
Cooking Instructions:
Saute the onion in oil for 5 minutes, add the tomatoes, wine, chopped garlic, salt and pepper. Simmer for 15-20 minutes. Spread 1/2 of the sauce evenly in baking dish. Place the mackerels on top. Cover with the remaining souce. Preheat oven to 190C and bake for 35 to 40 minutes.
Ingredients:
1/2 kg of minced meat
1 kg of potatoes, peeled and finely chopped in cubes
2 tomatoes, finely chopped
parsley, 1/3 cupful, finely chopped
One onion, finely chopped
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup yogurt
2 tbs flour
Salt
Pepper to taste
Oil for cooking
2 tbsp chubritza
Cooking Instructions:
Fry the onion and the minced meat in a little oil. The more fatty the meat is, the less oil you need. In about 10 minutes take it off the hob and mix well with the potatoes, tomatoes, and parsley. Add salt and pepper to taste. Bake for about 45 minutes at 190C, or until the potatoes are cooked. Stir the eggs, the yogurt and the flour together and pour it over the dish. Bake for 10 more minutes.
It's delicious with cold yogurt on the side.
Ingredients:
1 kg braising beef
4 medium tomatoes
120 g mushrooms
1 cup rice
1 onion
150 g olives
A bunch of parsley
2 tbs vegetable oil
25 g butter
1 tbs sugar
2 1/2 cups beef stock
Black pepper
Paprika
Salt
Cooking Instructions:
Cut the beef into cubes or small pieces and fry in a pan with a little oil for about 5 minutes.
Add the chopped onions, beef stock and paprika, 5 minutes later add the mushrooms and rice and simmer for about 15 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes, add salt to taste, the butter, 1 tbs sugar and whole olives, and cook for further 5 minutes. Preheat oven to 190C. Transfer the content of the pan into a baking dish and cook for about 30 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and pepper before serving.
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
400-500 g frying beef steak
1 onion
1 clove of garlic
1 glass of wine
3-4 tbsp of fat or oil
1 tbsp cornflour
1/2 cup beef stock
Paprika
Pepper
Salt
Cooking Instructions:
Cut the meat in strips, season with salt and pepper and leave for half an hour. Then heat the fat in a pan and brown the meat. Take the meat out and put aside, in the same oil fry the finely chopped onion for 2-3 minutes and add to the meat. Season with salt, pepper, paprika and gently stir to mix the meat and onions. Add the stock, wine and the chopped garlic to the hot oil in the pan, bring to the boil, simmer for few minutes to reduce the sauce, then thicken with cornflour. You can serve with mashed or roast potatoes using the sauce as gravy.
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
8 mixed peppers (red, green, yellow)
500 gr. minced meat (beef, pork or chicken)
60 gr. rice
2 onions, chopped parsley
1 can of chopped tomatoes
3 tbs. oil, paprika
Salt and pepper
Cooking Instructions:
Take the seeds out of the peppers by cutting a hole on top, wash and dry. Chop finely the onions. Heat the oil in a pan, fry the onions for 2-3 minutes, add the minced meat and cook for about 5 minutes, add the rice and tomatoes (keep the tomato juice for later), season with salt, pepper and paprika, cook for another 2 minutes and take off the hob. Stuff each pepper with the mixture (about 3/4 full), arrange in an oven proof deep dish, add the tomato juice and top up with water to half fill the dish, cover with foil and cook for about 30 minutes in a preheated oven (190 C), uncover and cook for another 15-20 minutes until the peppers are cooked. You can serve them on their own or with Greek style joghurt.
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
2 medium aubergines (cut in thin slices)
frying oil, 50-80 gr. of plain white flour
1 can of chopped tomatoes
2 garlic cloves, crushed, chopped parsley
Cooking Instructions:
This dish is best prepared at least few hours in advance. After cutting the aubergines into slices season with salt and leave aside for 10 minutes and drain any water. According to the original recipe, dip each slice into the flour and fry in a pan. You can also use a deep-fat fryer. Or you can just grill them for 5-10 minutes each side after brushing them with little oil. Leave to cool. For the tomato sauce, heat little oil in a pan, add half of the crushed garlic and stir, add the can of tomatoes and simmer until the sauce has thickened, add the rest of the garlic and season with salt and pepper. Take off the hob and add the chopped parsley. In a dish arrange a layer sauce followed by a layer of aubergines. Cool in a fridge for few hours or just serve.
Servings: 2-3
Ingredients:
2 courgettes (cut in thin slices)
Frying oil, 50-80 gr. of plain white flour
500 gr. natural live or Greek style joghurt
2 garlic cloves (crushed)
Chopped fresh dill
Cooking Instructions:
How to cook: This dish is best prepared at least few hours in advance. After cutting the courgettes into slices season with salt and leave aside for 10 minutes, then dip each slice into the flour and fry in a pan. You can also use a deep-fat fryer but the courgettes may become a bit oily. Leave to cool. Mix the crushed garlic and chopped dill with the joghurt. In a dish arrange a layer joghurt followed by a layer of fried courgettes. Cool in a fridge for few hours or just serve.
Servings: 2-3
Ingredients:
500 gr. Greek Style joghurt
Half a cucumber
1 finely chopped garlic clove
Salt
1 tbs. of olive oil
Fresh dill, finely chopped
Cooking Instructions:
Snezhanka - dip style version. Peel the skin of the cucumber using a potato peeler, chop in small pieces, squeeze between your hands to drain most of the water, season with salt, add the chopped garlic, olive oil and dill, and leave for 10 minutes. Then add the joghurt and chill for at least 1 hour before serving. Tarator - cold soup version. Prepare in the same way as Snezhanka, but do not squeeze the water. Dilute the joghurt with 1 cup of cold water, stir well and mix with the seasoned cucumber. Perfect for a hot summer's lunch.
