Recepies for some traditional Macedonian
meals. Enjoy : )
"ZELNIK"
Ingredients
needed :
- 1 kg of flour
- 1 egg
- salt, cooking oil, water
- For filling chose: spinach, leek, potato, cheese, eggs, cabbage…
How
to prepare:
Prepare the paste:
Divide it into two pieces and then each piece divide into 10 equal pieces.
Make a "kora" of each piece. "Kora" is a thin peace of paste made by rolling tin.
Spread some oil on each "kora" and put
one "kora" on another until you use 10
for one big "kora" and the other ten for
another big kora. One "kora"
should be bigger than another. Take the smaller one and put it at the bottom
of a saucepan. Spread the filling. Put the other "kora"
(the bigger one) on the filling and place it nicely. Pour some oil on top.
Put the saucepan in the
oven. Bake it on temperature of 250°C for half an hour.
Filling: chop the
vegetable and fry it on oil for a while.
TAVCHE-GRAVCHE"
Ingredients
needed :
- 500g of bean
- 1 onion
- 100ml of cooking oil
- 2-3 pieces of red dry capsicum
- pepper, salt, flour, parsley, mint
How
to prepare:
Wash the bean and leave
it to stay in water during the night. After that cook it till it boils,
drains it and put it in another hot water. Then add chopped onion and
capsicum.
Continue to cook it till the beans are soft but integral. If there is too
much water left, drain the bean.
In another bowl fry the chopped onion and paprika on cooking oil and then add
this to the bean. Put everything in pottery saucepan and then pour some
parsley, mint, pepper and salt on it.
Put the saucepan in oven and bake for a while (bean shouldn’t be too dry).
"SARMA"
Ingredients
needed :
- pickled cabbage leaves
- rice in a cup of coffee
- 2-3 onion pieces
- 0,5 kg. mixed ground meat
- oil, red pepper, pepper, salt, spices
- 250 gr. steamed meat
How
to prepare:
Cut the onion into small
pieces and fry it on oil. Add the ground meat, red pepper, pepper, salt,
spices the rice also . Then use the mixture to stuff
the pickled cabbage leaves. Line them up in a pot, but first line up pickled
cabbage leaves at the bottom of the pot. Put the steamed mead in between the
stuffed cabbage leaves. Then, spill over some hot water and boil it on a
silent fire, and them put them in the oven to bake.
By the end of the baking, you can add come oil and red pepper (which have
been fried before). Cover the pieces with pickled cabbage leaves.
The whole has to be dry, not very moist.
"SELSKOMESO"
Ingredients
needed :
- 1kg. pork meat (of
thigh)
- 4-5 onion pieces
- 300 gr. ground meat (for small meat balls)
- tomatoes or ketchup
- 700 gr. mushrooms
- 300 gr. dry smoked meat into small pieces
- salt, pepper, spices , bukovec
- some wine, cheese cream
How
to prepare:
First do the meatballs
where you include a piece of ground onion salt, pepper and spices. Then cut
the pork into small pieces and fry it on oil, add the ground onion and fry it
together. After they redden you add the tomatoes (or the ketchup), the
mushrooms, the smoked meat and the small meat balls, add spices, salt, red
pepper, bukovec and pepper into the mixture.
On the other hand, dissolve a spoon full of flour into a glass of water (the
one in which the mushrooms have been) and also add a glass of wine.
The whole mixture is baked (roasted) in the oven in a baking dish made of
clay.
By the end of the baking you can add cheese and cream according to your own
taste.
Chop meat and fresh
vegetable and put it in pottery saucepan. Add spices, stir and then add cooking
oil and water. Don’t put too much water, just enough so that turlitava is soft after cooking.
Put the
saucepan in oven and cook it at 200°C for an hour and a half. During that
time, stir two-three times. When the meal is ready, it has golden-red crust.
"PASTRMAJLIJA"
Ingredients needed :
-
1 kg of
flour
- 600 g pork meat
- 200 g lard
- 4 eggs
- 1 yeast
How
to prepare:
Soak the yeast and after
a while put it into flour and prepare the paste. Divide the paste into 4
equal pieces. Use rolling tin to make each of these pieces thin and flat.
Chop the meat. Add salt.
Put the meat on top of each piece of pasta and spread it. Put lard on the
meat and if you prefer add pepper also. Put the pastrmajlii
(prepared like this) in the oven. Bake it on temperatures of 250°C. Before
they are ready, add 1 egg and finish the baking. Serve it hot.
Wash the tomato and
carefully with the knife take off the top of each tomato. Take off the core,
also. Leave the tomato to dry. Mince the veal in the meantime. Fry chopped
onion and add minced meat, salt and pepper. When the meat is fried, add
chopped parsley, beaten eggs and some cooked rise. Fill the tomato with this
mixture and put it in a saucepan. Bake for about 25 minutes.
Serve on top of cooked
rise in a plate with tomato juice or ketchup.
FILLED
PEPPERS Ingredients needed:
- 3 red bell peppers
- 2 green or yellow bell peppers
- 1 cup ground veal/chicken
- 3 green onions, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 170g. cream cheese
- 1 egg
- 3 Tbsp. half-and-half (cream)
- 1 tsp. cumin
- Dash salt and Pepper
- Water
How
to prepare:
1. Slice the tops off the peppers.
Pull out the seeds and the cores. Dice 1 red pepper. Set aside. Save the
tops.
2. Combine the diced red pepper and
ground veal or chicken in a mixing bowl. Add the green onions and garlic.
Stir in soft cream cheese and blend with a wooden spoon.
3. Stir in the egg and half-and-half, then
add the grated cheese. Season with cumin and salt and pepper.
4. Preheat oven to 180°C.
5. Place the pepper shells in a
baking dish that will hold them snugly together. Spoon the filling into the
peppers. Replace the tops. Pour 3 tablespoons of water around the peppers.
6. Bake at 180°C until the filling is puffed and the peppers are soft,
about 40 minutes. Serve immediately.
MEATBALLS Ingredients needed:
- 1 pound ground round
- 1/2 cup grated onion
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/8 teaspoon dried mint
- 1 or 2 slices white bread
- 1/2 cup white wine or water
- 1 egg
- flour for rolling
- vegetable oil for frying
How
to prepare:
Mix
meat, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, and mint. Remove crusts from
bread slices and moisten in wine or water. Add bread and egg to meat. Knead
mixture.
Shape
into 1-inch balls, dust with flour, and sautй
in hot vegetable oil. When meatballs are cooked and browned on all sides,
place immediately in covered casserole and keep warm until ready to serve.
In a mixing bowl, combine
yeast with 1 1/2 cups of flour. Combine water, oil, salt, and sugar and add
to yeast mixture. Beat for 1/2 minute with an electric mixer at low speed;
then beat for 3 minutes at high speed. Work in remaining flour by hand to
form a smooth and elastic dough. Put in a greased
bowl in a warm spot, cover, and let rise for 45 minutes. Punch dough down,
divide into 12 pieces, and roll each into a ball. Let rest for 10 minutes.
Flatten each ball into a
5-inch circle. Place on a greased baking sheet; cover and let rest for 20 to
30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 200°C.
Bake for 9 to 10
minutes, until puffed and lightly browned on bottom. Immediately wrap in foil
and cool.
ROAST
LAMB WITH POTATOES
Ingredients
needed:
- one 3 kilo leg of young spring lamb
- 2 to 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 1/2 tablespoons dried oregano
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 20 small potatoes, peeled
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste, diluted in 1/4 cup water
- 2 cups hot water
How
to prepare:
Preheat oven to 230
degrees.
Wash leg of lamb. Slit
with a sharp knife in various places on both sides of lamb. Insert garlic
slices in slits. Season with salt, pepper, add 1/2 tablespoon oregano, and
brush with olive oil. Pour lemon juice over lamb and place in roasting pan,
fat side up. Roast for about 1/2 hour.
While lamb is browning,
combine salt, tomato paste, and water and pour over potatoes. Add to roasting
pan; sprinkle with remaining oregano. Lower oven temperature to 180°C. Roast
for 1 1/2 hours, turning and basting the potatoes occasionally. Remove to a
hot serving platter; slice and serve meat surrounded by potatoes.
FILLED
EGG PLANTS
Ingredients needed
:
- 2 big or 4 small
egg-plants
- lemon juice
- 4 spoons of olive oil
- 2 dl white wine
- 400 g mixed ground meat
- 2 onions
- 3 pieces of garlic
- spices, pepper, salt, parsley
- 2 eggs
- 100 g of cheese
How
to prepare:
Wash the egg-plants. Cut
the each egg-plant along its length and take off the core. Salt the
egg-plants and leave them to stay for a while. Dry them with napkins and add
some lemon juice. Place the egg-plants on heated oil, add some wine and fry
for about ten minutes.
Take the egg-plants away
from the heat and place them in a fire-proved saucepan.
Use the same oil to fry
chopped onion, mixed ground meat, garlic, ground core of the egg-plants and
the spices. At the end, add parsley and eggs. Use this filling to fill the
egg-plants and then pour some cheese and bake for about 20 minutes on
temperature of 200°C.
REAL "SHOPSKA"
SALAD Ingredients needed :
- 300 g of tomato
- 2 fried capsicums
- 50 g of onion
- 1 chilly pepper
- 100 g of cheese
- 2 cooked eggs
- Ѕ l of cooking oil
- salt
How to prepare: Chopped the onion
and then cut the tomato and capsicum on equal pieces of medium size. Cut the
chilly pepper on small circles. Stir everything and pour some oil. Decorate
with pieces of cheese cooked eggs and parsley.
"PINDZUR"
Ingredients
needed :
- 1 kg of pepper
- 0.5 kg of tomato
- egg plant
- salt, garlic, cooking oil
How
to prepare:
Toast the pepper, peel
it and chop it. Toast the tomato, then peel it and knead it. Add the kneaded
tomato to the pepper and mix them. Add toasted egg plant also after you have
peeled it and chopped it. Add ground garlic and salt. Pour the pindzur with the heated oil, stir and put the pindzur in a bowl where you usually put salad.
BAKLAVA
Ingredients
needed :
- 1 kg of thin koras
- 400 g of nuts
- 600 g of cooking oil
- 1.250 g of sugar
How
to prepare:
(Kora is a form of paste used for preparing pies,
sweets etc. You can by it in the stores.)
Grease the baking pan. Put 1 kora in the baking pan,
pour some oil on it, then put another kora on top
of it, pour some oil and continue the same way until you use 10 koras. All over the 10-th kora
spread half of sliced nuts and then pour some oil over them. Then put another
10 koras over the nuts, the same way that you have
put the first ten koras. Pour oil on top of
everything and cut the baklava in cube and diamond pieces. Put the baklava in
warm oven. When the baklava is half-baked, decrease temperature at 100
degrees and continue baking for another 15-20 minutes.
Take the baklava out from the oven and wait until it cools.
Sherbet: Add sugar in 2 l of water and boil it. Take it of the temperature
and wait for a while until the sherbet is thickened.
Pour the sherbet over the baklava. Cover the baklava with another baking pan.
"SUTLIJASH" - RICE PUDDING Ingredients needed :
- 4 cups (1 l) milk
- 2/3 cup (155 g) sugar
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 lemon zest strip
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 6 cups (1.5 l) water
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup (105 g) white rice
- 3 egg yolks
- ground cinnamon for garnish
- almonds for garnish, optional
How
to prepare:
In a saucepan over
medium-high heat, combine the milk, sugar, butter, lemon zest and cinnamon
stick. Heats until small bubbles appear along the edge of the pan and then
remove from the heat. Let stand for 30 minutes to develop the flavors.
Meanwhile, in another saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add the salt and
rice, reduce the heat to low and cook slowly until the rice kernels have
swelled and are tender, 15-20 minutes. Drain.
Place the saucepan holding the milk mixture over medium heat and bring to a
simmer. Add the rice and simmer uncovered, stirring often, until thickened,
15-20 minutes. Remove the lemon zest and cinnamon stick and discard.
In a bowl, using a fork or whisk, beat the egg yolks until lightly frothy.
Gradually add about 1 cup (8 fl oz/ 250 ml) of the hot pudding to the yolks,
beating constantly. Gradually pour the warmed yolks into the remaining
pudding, stirring constantly. Cook over very, very low heat, stirring
constantly, for 5 minutes.
Spoon the pudding into individual dessert bowls or one large serving bowl.
Sprinkle with cinnamon and top with toasted almonds, if using. Serve at room
temperature.
ARAVANIA" Ingredients needed:
- 5 eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 cups flour
- 1 cup desiccated coconut
- 1 cup milk
- 1 sachet or 2 tsp. baking powder
- a few drops of vanilla essence For the syrup:
- 2 1/2 cups of water
- 2 1/2 cups of sugar
- cinnamon
How
to prepare:
With the mixer we beat
up the eggs with the sugar for about 5-6 mins until
they become a thick substance. Then we add one by one the rest of the
ingredients and we continue to beat up until we have a
smooth - not very thick dough.
We spread some butter in a baking tray, we put the dough in the baking tray
and we put it in the oven for 45 mins approx.
(150-175°C, Gas mark 6) until it becomes brown on the top.
Then, we let it cool down while we prepare the syrup. We put the water, the
sugar and the cinnamon in a pan and we let them come to the boil. We let them
boil for about 5 mins or until the syrup starts
thickening. We take the pan of the hob and we soak the "ravani" with the syrup, making sure that it covers
the whole sponge. we sprinkle some more desiccated coconut on the top
and we let it cool down before we serve it.
Useful Tips: 1) NEVER EVER open
the oven during the baking period. 2) when the baking period is over and you want to check if
your "Aravania" is properly baked,
penetrate it with a toothstick or a knife and if it
is clear when you take it out, then it is OK. If you see raw dough on it,
then it means that it needs more baking. 3) In order to put
the syrup on there must be different temperatures. This means that the sponge
must be cold and the syrup hot or vice versa. NEVER put hot syrup on a hot
sponge or cold syrup on a cold sponge.
