Time to Spread the Blog Love: Awards and Nominations

Dear fellow bloggers and readers, it’s been wonderful 5 months of cooking, photographing, writing and sharing. I’ve learned so much, and I keep learning new things every day through countless wonderful, delicious and creative ideas I find in your blogs.

In the past months and weeks, you, my peer bloggers, have been extraordinarily generous and supportive of my stories and my food. I’ve been Freshly Pressed, pinned and repined on Pinterest, and I have received hundreds of encouraging comments. Most importantly, you gifted me with 10 nominations for 4 different awards. I accept these with some delay but with lots of gratitude.

Without further ado, I hereby gratefully accept my “Versatile Blogger Award”.

I was kindly nominated first by the Alamanach at his eponymous blog “I am the Alamanach“. He amazes me by the breadth and depth of his knowledge on a variety of subjects.  I was also nominated for the award by Tasha at “Foodashion“. She combines food, fashion, photography and fun with panache into one fantastic blog! Then, Richard McGary from “Rem Cooks” gave me the virtual nod. His posts and dishes are full of sunshine and joie de vivre, and bring a smile to my face every time. I was also nominated by the host of “Acorn in My Kitchen” whose homey and delicious recipes warm my heart.  Last, but not least, I received a nomination from Anne from “Anne Sture Tucker”. Her healthy and delicious bites, as well as her encouragement for self-love and understanding are inspiring. Thank you very much for the nominations, I truly appreciate your gesture!

Now, it’s time to pass on the blog love! For those newly nominated, here are the rules:

• Thank the blogger who have nominated you and link back to their blog in your post.
• Share 7 things about yourself.
• Pass the award onto 7 other bloggers whose blogs you enjoy reading.
• Write to the bloggers you have nominated to let them know about the award.

Here are seven random facts about me:

1. I like to sing in the shower.
2. I am a feta cheese addict.
3. I prefer rain to sunshine.
4. I don’t like coffee, I’m a green-tea-girl all the way.
5. Sometimes, I dream in foreign languages.
6. The only pets I’ve had are rabbits.
7. I constantly experiment with foreign spices, fruits and veggies.

Here the seven bloggers I nominate for the Versatile Blogger Award:

1. Robin Jean Marie from “Bringing Europe Home” for her beautiful and nostalgic European-themed blog.
2. Steph from “Basmati Taco” for her delicious Mexican fusion recipes.
3. The lovely lady from “The Green Box Garden” for her interesting thoughts on a variety of issues from justice and women’s rights to cooking and gardening.
4. The host of “Chronically Brave” for her brave and optimistic outlook on life.
5. Sandy from “Four Winds Haiga” for her beautiful photography and inspiring poetry.
6. Surfer Girl from “Skinny Carnivore” for her aromatic creations in the kitchen or at the BBQ, filled with nostalgic memories.
7. Tara from “Ramblings and Roasts” for her gastronomic travelogues, delicious food recipes, TV, movies and book recommendations, and various other musings.

Next, I’d like to accept my “Liebster Award”. To do so, I am to:

• Thank the person who nominated me; and
• Nominate 5 more bloggers.

I’d like to thank my kind nominators (is this a word?): Tanya Hudson from the “Humble Feast”: her feasts are sumptuously simple (how’s that for a juxtaposition, Tanya?). Jamie from “Under the Tea Cozy“: her recipes are creative and delicious, and easy to follow.

Here are my nominees:

1. Min from “Food to Love by Min” for her homey and delicious recipes, and her wonderful sense of humour.
2. The Alamanach at the “I am the Alamanach” for his amazing in-depth narratives on a variety of subjects.
3. Anne from “Anne Sture Tucker” for her healthy and delicious bites, as well as her encouragement for self-love and understanding.
4. Smidge from “Just a Smidgen” for her spectacular pictures, dishes and unending love for life.
5. Sara, Karen and Marie from “Three Clever Sisters“ for many delicious and inspiring dishes.

Next, I’d like to accept my “7×7 Link Award”. I was kindly nominated by Steph Rice from “Basmati Taco” who delights us with delicious Mexican fusion dishes.

By accepting this award, I am to:

• Thank the nominating blogger, and link to their blog;
• List 7 random facts about me;
• List 7 of my posts in 7 different categories (see the categories below); and
• Nominate 7 more bloggers.

Here we go:

Seven (more) random facts about me:

1. I was a tomboy growing up.
2. I don’t like to swim in the sea where there’s seaweed.
3. In the past I preferred milk chocolate; these days I’m a dark-chocolate-girl all the way.
4. My dreams are often suitable for sci-fi movies.
5. I brush my teeth right to left.
6. I don’t like chocolate and mint together, because I think the flavours clash.
7. I never had a nick name.

My posts in 7 different categories are as follows:

• Most Beautiful: These Are A Few of My Favourite Things.
• Most Helpful: Bacillus Bulgaricus and What To Do With It.
• Most Popular: Cure the Winter Blues With Chicken Mushroom Fricassee.
• Most Controversial: Treat Your (Sweet)Heart This Valentine’s Day.
• Most Surprisingly Successful: Baking Up A Storm And Singing In The Rain.
• Most Underrated: Pre-Departure Mish-Mash: Everything Must Go.
• Most Pride Worthy: Celebrating Spring in Purple: Dragon Fruit Cake in the Year of the Dragon.

I’d like to nominate:

1. Wendy at “Chez Chloe” for her exquisite and delicious creations, and her painstaking and detailed directions, which make even the most complicated recipes accessible.
2. The Mouse and the Cat at “Live to Eat, Eat to Live” blog for their humour and unending study of and love for food.
3. Karen at “Karen Cooking” for her inspirational food, recipes and quotes.
4. Richard McGary from “Rem Cooks” whose posts and dishes are full of sunshine and joie de vivre, and bring a smile to my face every time.
5. Tisa Lira at “Inspired Motivations” for her moral support and practical tips and advice.
6. The host of “Acorn in My Kitchen“ whose homey and delicious recipes warm my heart.
7. The Professor at “Porter and Oysters“ for his interesting articles, delicious food and great sense of humour.

Last, but by no means least, I’d like to accept my “Kreativ Blogger Award” for which I was nominated by the wonderful and talented Robin Jean Marie over at “Bringing Europe Home”. Her wonderfully colourful and creative blog is full of nostalgia for the Old Continent! Oh, how I miss Europe!

 

 

 

By accepting this award, I am to:

• Thank the nominating blogger and provide a link to that blog;
• Spread the love by nominating seven other bloggers, include their links here, and notify them; and
• Tell you seven interesting things about myself.

Here are my seven nominees:

1. Trev and Galia at “Trev and Galia Cooking” for their inspired Lithuanian creations.
2. Tasha at “Foodashion” for her ingenuous ability to combine food, fashion, photography and fun into one fantastic blog.
3. Tanya Hudson from the “Humble Feast” for her endless supply of sumptuous, yet unpretentious dishes.
4. Jamie from “Under the Tea Cozy” for her creative, delicious and easy to follow dishes.
5. Tahmina from “Colpona Cuisine” for her imaginative and delectable Indian culinary creations.
6. Kay at “Pure Complex” for her unending style, creativity and kindness.
7. Jennifer at “Down Home South Jersey” for her unique style of writing and delicious recipes.

Seven interesting facts about me:

1. I am a classically trained singer.
2. When I was little, I wanted to become an economist/singer.
3. Some mornings I wake up and I don’t remember which country we’re in.
4. I couldn’t live without yoghurt.
5. When I was young, I hosted a children’s show.
6. French countryside is my favourite style of interior design.
7. My favourite flavour of ice-cream is pistacchio.

Thank you again for the honour and the support. I look forward to reading your blogs! Join me on Facebook, and share your ideas, recipes, pictures and comments.

Feeding Pigs Cherries (and Berries)

Have you heard the expression ‘Feeding pigs cherries’ or ‘Casting pearls before a swine’? It means you’re wasting something of quality on someone who could not appreciate it. Bulgarians have expressions with a similar meaning, ‘To give a bell to a piglet’ and ‘Pigs always end up eating the good apples’. Poor pigs, they often get a bad rap, although as far as  food appreciation is concerned, I understand they actually have quite a discerning palate.

Do you have similar expressions in your language/country? I often find that sayings and proverbs in different countries use different words, but express the same idea. Please share, I’d love to hear them!

Back to the point, they say cherries are wasted on pigs. I say, ‘Nonsense’, and I’m ready to prove it! It’s very convenient that the host of Mele Cotte proposed berries and cherries as the theme for Meeta’s March Monthly Mingle.

So, I rolled up my sleeves and cooked a pork chop and roasted vegetables in a cherry/ berry sauce. Don’t you just want to lick the screen?

Pork chops and roasted vegetables in cherry/berry sauce:

• Pre-heat oven to 200Cº/390F
• In a pre-oiled baking pan, place 4 potatoes, peeled and cubed, 2 carrots, peeled and julienned and 2 onions, cuts in eighths
• Sprinkle vegetables with olive oil and thyme, season with salt and pepper, and paprika
• Place in the oven and bake for 10 mins at 200Cº/ 390F and reduce to 180Cº/355F for the remaining 30 mins
• In the meantime, brush with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper 4 pork chops, rub with garlic
• Preheat a roasting pan until smoking hot, but do not put oil in it
• Make sure chops are room temperature before you pan fry them
• When pan is already very hot, place chops carefully in the pan so that they don’t touch, with the bone pointing towards the middle of the frying pan where it’s hottest
• Roast each chop for 1.5-2 mins on each side for a nice brown sear
• 15 mins before the vegetables are ready, move chops to the baking pan in the oven, and add a few sprigs of thyme and parsley on top
• Deglaze the pan with some white wine and pour the sauce over the chops in the pan
• Finish the chops together with the vegetables for another 15 mins.

For the cherry/berry sauce:

• Add 2 cups of chicken stock to a medium pan
• Add 1/4 cup of balsamic vinaigrette
• Add 1/2 cup of dried cherries and 1/2 cup of dried berries (I used cranberries and blueberries)
• Leave to reduce over medium heat until half of the liquid is gone
• Add 2-3 table spoons of port
• Add salt and pepper to taste
• Add 1-2 table spoons of cherry paste, depending on preferred level of sweetness
• Leave to reduce to about 1/3 of the original liquid, until liquid coats the spoon you’re using
• Leave to cool slightly

Serve the pork chop and vegetables on a hot plate, pour the cherry sauce over the pork chop and garnish the chop with cherries and berries. The flavours and textures work beautifully together, and I can assure you, cherries (and berries) are not wasted on pigs!

Bon Appetit or Nazdrave!

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Celebrating Spring in Purple: Dragon Fruit Cake in the Year of the Dragon

In March, the first month of spring, I always think of cherry blossoms. Washington D.C., my home in the States, hosts a cherry blossom festival every year, and I’m especially sorry to be away from the U.S. this spring as the cherry blossom festival celebrates its 100th birthday.

Please go if you get the chance: the Jefferson Memorial and the Tidal Basin enveloped in bloom offer magnificent views, and the cherry blossom festival (20 March – 27 April) encompasses five weeks of spectacular cultural events. You may be curious how the cherry blossom celebration, this innately Japanese tradition, took roots in the States.

In 1912, the mayor of Tokyo made an incredible gift to Washington D.C. as a symbol of the budding relationship between the two countries. Three thousand cherry trees of all colours and types arrived from the Land of the Rising Sun and were planted in the Sakura Park in Manhattan and around the Tidal Basin and the Jefferson Memorial in Washington D.C. Every spring in D.C., I took a walk among clouds of fragrant cherry blossoms around the Tidal Basin, recalling my walks along the Philosophy’s Path (Tetsugaku no Michi) in Northeast Kyoto, Japan, where I spent my junior year in college.

In March that year, my Japanese host family dressed me in one of the family kimonos (all five layers) and we all went to for a stroll along the Philosophy’s Path, which is lined with cherry blossom trees and is a breathtaking sight to behold in spring. As there are many Buddhist temples on the path, it is a popular destination for contemplative walks, especially during the season of flower viewing (hanami).

For Japanese people, cherry blossoms hold a special symbolism, a reminder that all beauty (and ultimately, life) is fleeting and brief. When people think of cherry blossoms, they usually think of five pale, fragile petals—no sooner have they opened, than they blow away lifeless.

I find a different symbolism in cherry blossoms, a life-affirming one.  Cherry blossoms may soon float away, but what comes in their stead is a delicious cherry, and the assurance they’d be back the following year, just as fresh and fragrant as they were year before.

There are over two hundred varieties of cherry tree found in Japan, in all colour and petal combinations; ranging from pure white to dark purple, each cherry blossom may contain anywhere from five to a hundred petals.

This year, I celebrate spring with the Kwanzan cherry: an intensely purple and extravagantly petalled cherry blossom variety, beautifully captured below by the talented photographer Catherine Faust on her blog.

In keeping with my purple theme and honouring the year of the Dragon, I’ve made this wonderfully purple dragon fruit cake with dragon fruit cream cheese frosting. Some of you may be wondering what dragon fruit is. Here it is:

Isn’t it the most wonderful and alien fruit? It holds a lot of moisture, but does not have a strong taste. It’s mildly sweet, like a Chinese pear, and refreshingly juicy.

Since we are in Singapore, I try to use local and regional produce in our meals as much as possible. The purple-flesh varietal is from Malaysia and the white-flesh one, from Singapore.

Here is a glimpse into the making process—the making of the cake batter and the frosting:

And here is the final product, the cake itself. Sorry I didn’t get a chance to photograph the whole cake, my husband was too eager to try it:

It’s not an easy cake to make, but it’s certainly worth it and I enjoyed the process so much!

I can’t get over the colours, let alone the taste! The chocolate cake is moist and buttery, and the frosting fresh and tangy, not too sweet, with crunchy little seeds from the dragon fruit. I must admit I added only 2.5 cups of icing sugar to the frosting, about half of what the recipe called for, because I wanted to preserve some of the tanginess of the cream cheese and the dragon fruit.

The recipe is adapted from Joy the Baker, who uses beets instead of dragon fruit. (Congratulations on your new book, Joy! So excited for you!)

If you choose to make the cake with dragon fruit instead of beets, you will need 2 medium-sized dragon fruit, which you won’t need to bake! Wash them clean, peel them – they peel very easily – and grate them on the smallest grate plate you have.

You’ll need the pulp of one dragon fruit for the batter and two spoonfuls of dragon fruit pulp for the frosting. It’s very important to use only the pulp, otherwise your batter and your frosting would be too wet and runny. Save the juice for a refreshing smoothie!

The dragon fruit may dye your hands purple, but they’ll wash out in a couple of hours. Plus, the benefits of eating dragon fruit are totally worth it as dragon fruit is rich in Vitamin C, calcium, phosphorous and fiber.

Moist and indulgent: nom, nom, almost gone! Yes, the cake tastes as good as it looks, my husband testified. But, that’s for dessert! Savoury comes before sweet in this household, at least most of the time.

Equally attractive, but perhaps not as poetic, are beets. Yes, my husband loves them and I’m always on the lookout for new ways to prepare them. Feeding the people you love the foods they like is quite romantic!

I washed, trimmed and roasted in foil three beets, sprinkled with olive oil, for an hour in a 190Cº/375F oven. They came out soft and succulent.

Sticking with my spring purple theme, I pan roasted beautiful Australian lamb chops with garlic and fresh thyme. I also prepared a luscious beet, avocado, pear and pistacchio salad, on a bed of baby Romaine lettuce, dressed with a simple home-made olive oil balsamic vinaigrette. Healthy and delicious start of the spring season for us!

Bon Appetit or Nazdrave! How are you celebrating spring this year?

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Gone Green on St. Patrick’s Day

Last month, as I was traipsing Little India photographing the Thaipusam procession (pictures in an upcoming post), I happened upon a small farmer’s market in a colourful back street. It’s a humble affair: a few wooden stalls heavy with fresh produce from Malaysia and India. But what more do you need? Isn’t this the essence of a farmer’s market? The colours were joyful and vibrant, and it smelled irresistibly of fresh herbs and vegetables from a good distance.

Yesterday, I went back to the little market. I enjoyed my walk in the meandering streets of Little India and attracted many curious looks as I didn’t wear the mandatory uniform of a tourist, which normally includes a backpack, a camera and a baseball cap. Instead, I looked like I was going shopping, with my fabric bags (“Love Nature”, they say), in flats and a simple sun dress.

It was a typically sweltering day (around 30Cº, high humidity), and I stopped by a mom-and-pop’s hawker stall for a drink on the way. The fridge was barely functioning in the heat and I needed extra ice for my drink. They don’t use cups at hawker stalls in Singapore, but little plastic bags, which they fill up with ice and pour your drink on top of it. The bag ties with a string and you can wear it around your wrist like a purse, while you sip on your drink through a straw.  It’s very convenient as it leaves both of your hands free and lets you do your shopping.

And shop I did. I inspected my shopping list, then completely ignored it and proceeded to buy a little bit of everything one of the Indian stalls offered. Here is some of my booty:

At first, the stall owner didn’t know what to make of me, as you don’t find many foreigners doing their weekly produce shopping in Little India, but as I kept piling up produce in my shopping basket, his smile grew broader and broader. A few elderly Indian women dressed in beautiful saris and wearing exquisite golden jewelry smiled at me approvingly, as if to say as if to say “Good on you, you know your fresh produce!” Apparently, I’d been selecting the eggplants very expertly. The stall owner soon sent his assistant to open a new box of baby eggplants.

When it came time to pay, the stall owner rounded down my bill, didn’t charge me for the ginger, and threw in a couple of bunches of fresh coriander and a few branches of curry leaves. I didn’t know what to do with the curry leaves and he happily and very descriptively (you chop-chop, then buzz in mixer, add little garlic, chop-chop onion, cook in oils, add turmeric and corriander…) gave me some advice. Then we discussed how to cook  Chayote and Karela, both of which I’d just bought. I can’t swear I remember all the details, so I’ve improvised here and there, but I hope you enjoy them.

As you will see, all three dishes are very green in honour of St. Patrick’s Day. And don’t worry, if you don’t have a three-leaf clover, a parsley leaf would do just as well!

As promised, I also re-cooked my green bean stew from last week, but with modifications: I added some succulent Australian beef and substituted the green beans with long beans for variety’s sake.

Bulgarian long bean and beef stew:

• Marinate overnight 600 gr./1.3 lb. of beef chunks for stewing in olive oil, vinaigrette, finely chopped curry leaves, garlic, salt and pepper and a couple of red chili peppers
• Sauté the beef in a two soup spoonfuls of vegetable oil and a little water
•  Add 1 onion, 1 carrot and 5-6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• After the onions have softened up, add 1 soup spoonful of flour, 1 tea spoonful of paprika and 1 soup spoonful of dried dill
• Add 1 kg./2 lbs. of fresh green beans (or long beans), cut in 1 inch. pieces
• Add 2 cups of beef bullion
• Simmer on low heat for about 30-40 mins.
• When the meat and beans are almost done, add half a can of diced tomatoes and some more bullion if you are running low on liquid
• Simmer for another 10 mins., remove from heat and sprinkle with fresh parsley

Then, I turned to the exotics. I transformed the Chayote (also known as Mirliton or pear squash) from the star of this still life…

…to a stuffed Chayote boat. Use eggplants, if you can’t find Chayote.

Chayote boats:

• Peel and boil 2 Chayotes until they’re tender (stick a fork in them to check – should have the consistency of a boiled potato when they’re done)
• While the Chayotes are boiling, sauté 1 onion, 1 carrot, 2 cloves of garlic, minced curry leaves, a bunch of coriander leaves (all finely chopped) in 2 soup spoonfuls of corn or vegetable oil
• When the onions have become translucent, add 1 tea spoon of paprika, salt, pepper, thyme and parsley
• Add 1 egg, well-beaten and stir into the mix until cooked
• Remove the mixture from the heat
• Cut the 2 boiled Chayotes in half, length-wise
• Carefully remove the seeds and scoop out most of the flesh to leave a hollow boat
• Chop the flesh finely and mix with the rest of the vegetables
• Add 1/2 cup of panko breadcrumbs to the mix
• Fill up the 4 boats with the mix and bake in the pre-heated 190Cº/375F oven for 25 mins.

The Karelas (bitter gourds) resembled alien cucumbers with their bumpy textured skins and bright green colour, but made a delicious, albeit slightly bitter, side dish. Indian people swear by the bitter gourd and consider it a relief for many serious illnesses, including liver disease and diabetes.  If you can’t find Karelas, or don’t enjoy the bitterness of Karelas, substitute with courgettes.

Sautéed Karela (Punjabi Style)

• Peel the bumpy skins, cut in half (length-wise) and de-seed the Karelas
• Cut the Karelas into slices (about 1/2 cm. or 1/4 in. thick)
• Soak the slices in salted water and leave for about 15-20 mins, otherwise Karelas are usually too bitter for the Western palate
• In the meantime, finely slice 1 onion, 1 carrot and 3-4 cloves of garlic
• Drain the Karela slices, and sauté on low heat for about 10 mins. in a 1 soup spoonful of oil
• Add the onions, carrots and garlic as well as a couple of soup spoonfuls of mustard seeds
• When the onions have started to brown, add 1 tea spoonful of turmeric, chilli powder, salt and pepper and Garam Masala to taste (I also added some cumin, just because I love it)
• Remove from the heat and garnish with fresh corriander
• Enjoy with cold plain yoghurt and pita bread

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bon Appetit and I hope you had a wonderful St. Patrick’s Day!

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These Are A Few Of My Favourite Things…

Spinach and parsley,
Yoghurt and feta,
Chick peas and eggplant,
Beetroot and lentils,
Red peppers, cabbages, pumpkin and beans:
These are a few of my favourite things…

So, it’s turned out to be a vegetarian week for us, quite unexpectedly, but perhaps appropriately, as we are in the middle of Great Lent. We started with a feta cheese pie and an apple pie last Sunday, I cooked this delicious lentil stew on Tuesday, followed by a hearty green bean stew on Thursday, which I’ll have to re-cook for pictures.

Bulgarian lentil stew:

• Boil 500 gr./1 lb. of green lentils in four cups of water for 20 mins.
• Sauté 1 onion, 1 carrot and 2 sticks of celery, finely chopped in a separate pan with a couple of tablespoons of vegetable/corn/sunflower oil
• When the onions have become translucent, add 1 soup spoonful of tomato puree and a soup spoonful of flour, stir well
• Add 5-6 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
• Add a cup of mushrooms (optional, if you have any left over)
• Add a cup of vegetable bullion and stir well
• Add the vegetable mixture to the lentil pot
• Season with tea spoonful of dried oregano and paprika each, and salt and pepper to taste
• Leave to simmer on low heat for another 30 or so mins.
• When the lentils are almost done, add 1/2 can of chopped tomatoes
• If you do not have enough liquid, add a bit more vegetable bullion and leave to simmer for another 10 mins
• Remove from the heat and sprinkle with fresh parsley
• Serve hot with a tea spoonful of vinegar (per bowl)

Today, we’re finishing the week strongly with this healthy and delicious (and very colourful) eggplant vegetable bake.

Bulgarian eggplant vegetable bake:

• Cut 1 kg. of eggplants in cubes, sprinkle them with salt and leave them to rest for about 10-15 mins, then drain the bitter juice before cooking (I prefer baby eggplants, as they are more tender and less bitter)
• If you’re somewhat short on eggplants, add 2-3 medium sized potatoes, cubed (that will also add some substance to your dish)
• Cut 8 tomatoes in slices, each about 1 cm (1/2 in.) thick
• Chop finely 3 onions, 2 carrots, 1 pepper, a bunch of parsley, 1 root of garlic (I cheated and used the food processor, but don’t overdo it – 3 to 4 pulses per load should do it – you want a fine chop, not a puree), and add salt to taste
• Preheat the oven to 22oCº (450F)
• In a pre-oiled roasting pan, layer half of the eggplants (and potatoes) and sprinkle them with salt, pepper and sage
• On top, arrange half of the tomato slices
• On top, layer the finely chopped vegetables
• On top, layer the second half of the eggplants, add salt, pepper and sage
• Finish with a top layer of the second half of the tomato slices
• Drizzle with good quality olive oil, add salt and pepper
• Bake at 220Cº (450F) for 10 mins, then reduce the temperature to 180Cº (355F) and bake for another 50-60 mins. or until the vegetables are done
• Enjoy hot or cold – I prefer it cold because I find the sage and the aromatics are more fragrant

I must say, I’ve quite enjoyed our impromptu vegetarian week and could picture myself becoming a vegetarian one day. Bulgarian cuisine is, admittedly, very friendly to vegetarians. Vegan, however, I could never be. The reason? Below is a picture from a typical breakfast at my parents’ home. What can I say—that’s how I grew up!

A picture may speak a thousand words, but the only word this picture screams is ‘Dairy!’ My downfall, I’m afraid, together with truffles.

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Baking Up A Storm and Singing in the Rain

You may have been wondering what I’ve been doing lately and why I haven’t been my usual chatty self. Well, the title of this post summarises my activities quite accurately. This past weekend I was in a baking frenzy and whipped up no less than 2 apple pies and 2 feta cheese pies, and not just because it was Bulgaria’s Independence Day (Hurray!).

No, Siree! I was also baking for the choir social. Yes, I sing in a choir – no giggling, please. Choir is cool, people! I’ve been doing it for over 25 years (not with the same choir, obviously) and see how much good it’s done me! Currently, our repertoire ranges from the respectably morose Nänie by Brahms to the playfully ludicrous Da Coconut Nut by Ryan Cayabyab. I especially enjoy singing during torrential outpours – of which we’ve had quite a few lately – it makes me all warm and cozy-like.

So, you see, between the baking and the furious choir rehearsals, there’s been little time for anything else, except for the concert poster, of course, which yours truly has also cooked up! No need for applause!

But enough braggery (is that a word?). Here are some pictures of the delicious food I cooked with instructions on how to make it.

When it comes to Bulgarian dishes, Feta Cheese Pie (Banitsa) is as Bulgarian as it gets:

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You will need one pack of phyllo dough (fresh or defrosted) for this savoury pie

• Grate 3 packs of feta cheese (about 500 gr./ 1 lb.), low-fat, if available (usually Bulgarian, Greek or Israeli feta works best for this type of pie)
• Add 6 eggs, scrambled
• Add 1/2 cup of plain yoghurt
• Mix everything well
• Pre-heat your oven to 220 Cº (450F)
• Unroll your pack of phyllo dough
• Use two sheets of phyllo dough for each roll
• Brush with melted butter every couple of phyllo sheets
• Place a small amount of cheese/egg filling into each two phyllo sheets and roll tightly
• Arrange rolls next to each other (if you are using a square baking pan) or start a coil in the middle of the pan (if you are using a round baking pan)
• Repeat until your pan is full and/or your are out of cheese/egg filling and/or phyllo dough
• The above filling should be enough for a pack of phyllo dough and a medium baking pan
• After you have arranged all the rolls in the pan, brush the top with melted butter
• Wash the bowl from the mixture with a little bit of lukewarm water and drizzle the water all over the feta cheese pie to keep it moist during baking
• Bake at 220Cº (450F) for the first 10 mins., then turn down to 180Cº (355F) for the remaining 40 or so minutes
• Ovens vary widely so check on your pie half way through and raise or lower the temperature accordingly
• Serve hot or cold
• I love Banitsa piping hot with a small bowl of cold plain yoghurt on the side

Bulgarian Apple Pie (Shtrudel):

You will need one pack of phyllo dough (fresh or defrosted) for this dessert

• Grate 2 kg. (4 lbs) of apples (I like Granny Smith or Green Star, because they are not overly juicy and won’t make your phyllo dough soggy)
• Mix in 1 cup of crushed walnuts
• Mix in 1/2 cup of panko breadcrumbs for extra texture
• Mix in 1 cup to cup and 1/2 of sugar (depending on how sweet your sugar is)
• Add 3 soup spoonfuls of cinnamon
• Mix everything well
• Pre-heat your oven to 220 Cº (450F)
• Unroll your pack of phyllo dough
• Use two sheets of phyllo dough for each roll
• Brush with melted butter every couple of phyllo sheets
• Place a small amount of apple filling into each two phyllo sheets and roll tightly
• Arrange rolls next to each other (if you are using a square baking pan) or start a coil in the middle of the pan (if you are using a round baking pan)
• Repeat until your pan is full and/or your are out of apple filling and/or phyllo dough
• The above filling should be enough for a pack of phyllo dough and a medium baking pan
• After you have arranged all the rolls in the pan, brush the top with melted butter and arrange thin apple slices (about 1/2 cm. or 1/4 in. thick)
• Brush the top of the apples with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar
• The sugar will caramelise and give your apple pie a nice colour
• Bake at 220Cº (450F) for the first 10 mins. then turn down to 180Cº (355F) for the remaining 40 or so minutes
• All ovens are different so check on your pie half way through and raise or lower the temperature accordingly
• Serve hot or cold
• I prefer Shtrudel chilled, with icing (confectioner’s) sugar sprinkled on top and, surprise, a cup of cold plain yoghurt on the side

Bon Appetit or Nazdrave!

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Happy Grandma Martha: Thinking Spring Thoughts

Martenitza, courtesy of Balkanfolk.com

You’ve guessed it: it’s time for another helping of Bulgarian folklore. On 1 March each year, Bulgarians all over the world gift each other martenitzas—red and white tassles made of yarn—with their best wishes. The red symbolises health and fertility, the white—purity and joy. Bulgarians wear martenitzas pinned on their lapels, or wrapped around their wrists, during all of March or until they see the first stork, or the first budding tree. After that, Bulgarians make a wish and tie their martenitzas to a budding tree or leave them under a stone. As a matter of great confidentiality, I’ve been told that finding ants crawling all over your martenitza under the stone you left it, is a very good omen, but it’s very hush-hush, so you haven’t heard it from me!

As Bulgarians consider March to be the first month of spring, the gifting and wearing of martenitzas is essentially a welcoming-of-spring celebration. The name of the holiday “Grandma Martha” (or Baba Marta in Bulgarian) comes from the belief that the third month of the year is a kindly grandma named Martha (after March). Martha, they say, is generally a cheerful and even-keel old lady. However, her 11 brothers (the other months of the year) do everything possible to annoy her beyond belief test her temper. Not only does she have a hard job of waking up all the spring flowers, but when she finally comes home tired, she finds that her incorrigible brothers have eaten all food, drunk all wine, littered the whole house with dirty socks and haven’t even made their beds.

That’s when you have to watch out. It may have been sunny and cheerful all day, but once Grandma Martha comes home, you can expect anything from torrential outpours, because she’s bawling her eyes out, to snow storms, because she’s giving those goose feather pillows a furious airing. Because of these sudden changes in March weather, people say Grandma Martha has a fickle temper. I say, if you lived with 11 reprobates, you’d be lucky to get away with just a fickle temper. I’m thinking unpremeditated murder with extenuating circumstances.

Judging by the torrential downpour we’ve had today, there have been a lot of dirty socks lately. Nevertheless, I’m wearing my martenitzas, thinking spring thoughts, and sending your way a ray of sunshine with this yellow squash dish:

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Mediterranean Chicken Yellow Squash:

• Cut 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts in medium-sized pieces
• Season chicken generously with salt and pepper
• Sauté chicken until lightly brown in a little butter and olive oil 
• Take chicken out of skillet and keep under cover
• In the same skillet, add 2 pieces of yellow squash, cut in 1 cm. (½ in.) slices, two bunches of baby bok choy (or baby spinach) and half a can of chopped tomatoes
• Add 3-4 cloves or garlic, roughly chopped, and a tablespoon of dill
• Add paprika, salt and pepper to taste
• Cook until vegetables have softened up a bit, then add back chicken
• Raise the heat and cook until vegetables are soft, chicken is white throughout and the sauce has reduced (about 7 more minutes)
• This is a very light dish – for more substance, in a separate pot boil about 80 gr./3 oz. of fusilli (or your preferred type of pasta) and mix it into the dish after removing it from the heat
• If you decide to add pasta, you will likely need additional seasoning

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