Bulgarian national recepies

Salads|Soups|Vegetarian Dishes|Meat Dishes|Cheeses|Pastries|Desserts

Salads

Shopska salad
Ingredients: 3-4 tomatoes, 1 cucumber, 4-5 peppers, 1 onion, 150g brined sheep's cheese, parsley, vinegar, sunflower oil and salt.
Bake, peel and seed the peppers. Cut into small strips and add the diced tomatoes, cucumbers and onion. Add salt, oil and vinegar, and mix. Serve in the shape of a pyramid, top with chopped parsley and grated cheese.

Stuffed tomato salad
Ingredients: 1kg tomatoes, 1 medium-sized celery, 250g brined sheep's cheese, parsley, pepper, vinegar, sunflower oil, salt(1 cucumber).
Peel and dice the celery, boil in salt water, strain and mix with the grated cheese, oil and finely chopped parsley. Slice off the tomato tops, core and fill with the mixture (for an even more appealing appearance place the tomatoes on top of cucumber slices). Trim with small pieces of tomatoes and parsley.

Mixed salad
Ingredients: 1-2 aubergines, 7-8 peppers(non-Bulgarian size peppers: 15), 3-4 tomatoes, 1 cucumber, 1/3 cup walnuts, 203 cloves garlic, vinegar, sunflower oil, salt.
Bake the aubergines and peppers on a hot plate, peel and cut into small pieces. Add the diced cucumber, crushed walnut kernels and garlic, the vinegar, oil and salt, stir and arrange on a plate. Top with tomato slices and finely chopped parsley. Sprinkle with some more oil.

White salad
Ingredients: 2-3 cucumbers, 2 cup cottage cheese, 1 cup cream, 1/2 cup walnuts, 2-3 cloves garlic, dill, sunflower oil, salt (3 eggs).
Peel and dice the cucumbers, add the cottage cheese, cream, crushed walnuts and garlic, the oil, finely chopped dill and salt. Beat the mixture, pour into a plate and garnish with hard boiled eggs cut in half.

Aubergine puree (Kyopolu)
Ingredients: 2-3 aubergines, 4-5 peppers, 2-3 tomatoes, 3-4 cloves garlic, parsley, vinegar, sunflower oil, salt.
Bake the aubergines and peppers on a hot plate, peel and cut into small pieces. Add the finely hopped diced or grated tomatoes, then the crushed garlic. Mix with a wooden spoon, add oil and vinegar, salt to taste, beat. Pour into a plate and top with finely chopped parsley.

Soups

Tarator
Ingredients: 2-3 cucumbers, 500g yogurt, 1/2 walnuts, 3-4 cloves garlic, dill, sunflower oil and salt.
Beat the yogurt, add the crushed garlic, ground walnuts, finely dies cucumbers (sliced into small pieces), oil and salt. Stir and dilute with cold water. Serve sprinkled with finely chopped dill.

Monastery style bean soup
Ingredients: 200g white beans, 2-3 carrots, 1/2 a celery, 1 onion, 1-2 tomatoes, 1-2 peppers, 1-2 chillies (peppers, by choice), parsley, mint, sunflower oil, salt.
Soak the beans in cold water for 3-4 hours, drain and pour fresh water. Boil (in an earthware) pot together with oil, finely chopped carrots, onion and celery. The sliced peppers are added later; the grated tomatoes and mint, when the beans have turned tender. Salt and boil for another 15-20 min. Serve sprinkled with finely chopped parsley.

Vegetable soup
Ingredients: 2-3 potatoes, 1-2 carrots, 1/2 celery. 1-2 peppers, 1/4 of a medium-sized cabbage, 1 onion, 2-3 tomatoes, 1 beetroot, 1 spoonful flour, 1 tsp. paprika, 100g yogurt, 1 egg, 100g kashkaval(yellow cheese), sunflower oil, salt, parsley.
Put the diced celery and carrots into salt boiling water together with the finely cut cabbage and peppers. When soft, add the diced potatoes. Boil the diced beetroot. Stew the finely chopped onion until soft, then add the flower, paprika and grated tomatoes. Add the mixture to the boiling vegetables and boil for another half hour. Add the beetroot at the end. Thicken with an egg beaten in yogurt. Serve with finely chopped parsley and grated kashkval.

Spinach soup
Ingredients: 1/2 spinach, 60g butter, 2 spoon flour, 0.5l milk, pepper, salt.
Boil the finely chopped spinach in salt water. Brown the butter and flour, then add the spinach puree. Dilute with milk and half the spinach water. Boil for another 5-10 minutes and season with pepper. Serve with bread cubes fried in butter. The same recipe may may be used for nettles.

Vegetable soup with white cheese
Ingredients: 250g green beans, 1 onion, 1/2 a medium-sized cabbage, 1 small cauliflower, 150g white brined cheese, parsley, sunflower oil, salt.
Boil the beans in salt water and strain. Cook the finely chopped onion, cabbage, and cauliflower in oil and some water, pour over hot water and the bean water. When cooked, add the bean mash and crushed cheese. Boil for another 10 minutes and serve with finely chopped parsley.

Lamb soup
Ingredients: 400g lamb, 2 carrots, 1/2 celery, 2-3 potatoes, 2 tomatoes, 1 onion,, 3-4 cloves garlic, 1 spoonful flour, 1 tsp. tomato paste, 50g butter, cummin, parsley, pepper, salt.
Cut the meat into pieces and boil in salt water together with the finely cut carrots and celery. Cook the finely chopped onion, flour and tomato paste in butter and some water. Add the meat, after some 10 min also add the diced tomatoes. When boiled add the tomato pieces and garlic. Boil for another 10-15 min. Serve sprinkled with finely chopped parsley, pepper and cummin.

Milk soup
Ingredients: 300g milk, 60g butter, 2 eggs, 100g white brined cheese (or kashkaval), 1/2 cup rice, savory or pepper, salt.
Boil the milk and dilute with 3 cupfuls of warm water. Add the rice, salt and boil until cooked. Take off the fire, season, mix in the butter and thicken with beaten eggs. Serve with crushed brined cheese or grated kashkaval.

Veal soup
Ingredients: 700g veal knuckle or breast, 2 carrots, 1 onion, 1/2 a celery, 2 potatoes, 2 tomatoes, 50g butter, parsley with roots, pepper, horse-radish, vinegar, salt.
Cut the meat into pieces, place in cold water and bring to the boil. Salt and simmer together with the chopped carrots, onion, celery and parsley roots. When tender, add the potatoes, and after 20min also the finely sliced tomatoes. Add the butter when nearly ready. When serving, first place a piece of meat on the plate, then pour on the stock. Sprinkle with finely chopped parsley and pepper. Serve the grated horseradish seasoned with vinegar and salt separately, add to the soup according to taste.

Chicken soup with vegetables
Ingredients: 1 chicken, 3-4 carrots, 1 celery, 1 onion, 1 spoonful flour, 1 cupful milk, 40g butter, 1 egg, pepper, parsley, salt, vermicelli if desired.
Boil the whole chicken and peppercorns in salt water, bone the meat. Fry the finely chopped carrots, celery and onion in butter and some water until soft, stir in the flour, blend in the chicken pieces after about 5min and boil for another 10min. Thicken with beaten egg and milk under constant stirring. Sprinkle with finely chopped parsley before serving.

Vegetarian Dishes

Baked eggs with spring onions
Ingredients: 5 eggs, 300g brined sheep's cheese, 3 bunches of spring onion, 50g butter, 1 bunch of parsley, salt.
Mix the finely chopped onions, parsley and crumbled cheese, and divide into 5 (earthware) bowls. Add equal parts of butter, salt and 1 spoonful water to each, and bake. When almost ready, break an egg on top of each and add some water if necessary. Cover with lids and bake until a crust is formed.

Stuffed peppers with egg and cheese
Ingredients: 1kg red peppers, 6 eggs, 250g brined sheep's cheese, parsley, sunflower oil, salt.
Bake peel and seed the peppers. Mix the crumbled cheese with 4 beaten eggs. Stuff the pepper swith the mixture, roll in breadcrumbs and beaten eggs and fry in hot oil. Serve sprinkled with finely chopped parsley.

Vegetarian dish, Bansko region
Ingredients: 500g brined sheep's cheese, 2-3 tomatoes, 2-3 peppers, 5 eggs, 100g butter, half a tsp. paprika.
Place the crumbled cheese into a butter-lined saucepan. Top with the finely cut peppers, grated or sliced tomatoes and butter. Cover with a lid and stew for some 15min. Beat the eggs in a cupful of water, pour over the dish, cover and cook until a yellow crust is formed. Serve with paprika.

Monastery stew
Ingredients: 3-4 potatoes, 2-3 tomatoes, 1-2 carrots, 1-2 onions, 1/2 a celery, 200g small onions, half a cupful olives, 2 cupfuls fresh mushrooms, 1/4 cupful rice, half a cupful white wine, parsley, pepper, half a cupful sunflower oil, salt.
Cook the finely chopped onions, carrots and celery in the oil and some water. Add the small onions, olives, mushrooms and pepper. Pour over the wine and 1 cupful of water, salt and simmer until tender. Add the diced potatoes and rice, followed by tomato pieces after 15 minutes. Pour the dish into a baking dish or earthware pot, sprinkle with parsley and bake.

Stuffed Aubergines (Imam Bayaldy)
Ingredients: 4-5 eq. sized aubergines, 5-6 tomatoes, 5 onions, 2 carrots, 1 celery, 4-5 cloves garlic, half a lemon, 1 bay leaf, 3 spoonful breadcrumbs, parsley, peppers, half a cupful sunflower oil, salt.
Separate the stalks from the aubergines and carefully hollow them. Cook in oil and some water and stuff with a mixture prepared as follows: brown the finely chopped onions in same oil. Add the grated carrots and celery and when tender, also the grated tomatoes, finely chopped garlic and parsley, the bay leaf, pepper and salt. Stuff the aubergines, top with a slice of tomato and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Bake in a moderate oven. Serve cold garnished with slices of lemon.

Spinach with brined cheese
Ingredients: !kg spinach, 4-5 spoonful flour, 100g butter, 200g brined sheep's cheese, 2 eggs, salt, onions. Wash the spinach, cut into fine strips and boil some 10 min. in salt water, then wash. Fry the finely chopped onions and flour in oil and some water. Add the spinach and boil, stirring constantly. Finally add the beaten eggs and crumbled cheese. Cook for 5 min. The same recipe may be used for nettles with cheese.

Marrows stuffed with cheese
Ingredients: 5-6 vegetable marrows, 150g brined sheep's cheese, 3 eggs, 1 onion, 2 spoonful flour, half a cupful milk, 60g butter, salt. Slice the peeled marrows lengthwise, hollow and salt.
Brown the finely chopped onions and flour in half of the butter and some water. Add half of the milk, grated cheese and 1 egg. Stuff the zucchini with the mixture, arrange in a baking dish and pour over the remaining 2 eggs beaten with milk. Add the remaining butter a few minutes before the dish is ready.

Vegetable hotch-potch
Ingredients: 3-4 onions, 4-5 tomatoes, 5-6 peppers, 1-2 aubergines, 4-5 potatoes, 100g okra, 100g French beans (green beans) 1 tsp. paprika, parsley, 2/3 cupful sunflower oil, salt.
Brown the chopped onions in oil and some water, place in baking dish. Add the finely cut peppers, tomatoes, French beans, aubergines, paprika, salt and some water. When tender, add the potatoes cut into circles and some more warm water. Bake in moderate oven. Sprinkle with finely chopped parsley before serving.

Meat Dishes

Lamb drob sarma
Ingredients: 1kg lamb caul, 2 eggs, 1/2 cupful rice, 2 bunches of spring onions, 1 cupful yogurt, mint, pepper, 100g butter, salt.
Boil the lamb pluck in salt water and cut into pieces. Fry the finely chopped onions in butter and some water. Add the rice, pluck, pepper and mint. Add 2 cupfuls of the lamb stock and boil some 20min. Soak the caul in cold water, cut into pieces and fill with the mixture. Arrange in a tray and bake in a moderate oven. When nearly ready, pour over the eggs beaten in yogurt and bake for another 10-15 min. The dish can also be prepared without caul wrapping. Serve with yogurt topping.

Stewed leg of mutton
Ingredients: about 2kg leg mutton, 100g bacon, 3 carrots, 3 tomatoes, 3-4 peppers, 1/2 a celery, 7-8 potatoes, 1 tsp.. tomato paste, 6-8 cloves garlic, pimento, 1 bay leaf, pepper, 1 cupful white wine, 1 lemon, 1 tsp.. flour, parsley, 1/2 cupful sunflower oil, salt.
Lard the meat with bacon rolled in paprika, garlic and pepper. Salt and stew in the oil together with the vegetable sliced into large pieces. Later add the flour and tomato paste diluted with some cold water. Pour over the wine and some hot water, add spices and peeled lemon slices and simmer on a low fire. When cooked, take out the meat and cut into slices. Push the sauce through a sieve. Serve sprinkled with finely chopped parsley.

Wine kebap
Ingredients: 1kg veal, 4-5 onions, 1 carrots, 1/2 a celery, 1 spoonful tomato paste, 1 spoonful flour, 1 tsp. paprika, 1 cupful white wine, 1 bay leaf, pepper, parsley, half a cupful sunflower oil, salt.
Cut the deboned meat into small pieces and fry in oil and some water together with the finely chopped onions, celery and carrots. When tender add the tomato paste diluted with some water, the flour and paprika. Pout over the wine and some water, add the bay leaf and pepper and simmer on a low fire. Sprinkle with finely chopped parsley before serving.

Rustic chicken stew
Ingredients: 1 chicken, 3-4 onions, 1-2 peppers, 3-4 tomatoes, 3 spoonful flour, 1 spoonful paprika, 1/33 cupful sunflower oil, parsley, salt.
Cut the deboned meat into pieces and stew in oil and some water together with the onion rings. Add the flour and paprika, as well as some water. Bring to the boil and add the peppers and tomatoes cut into large pieces, salt. Simmer on a low fire. Sprinkle with finely chopped parsley when ready.

Kavarma
Ingredients: 800g pork, 500g veal liver, 5 peppers, 4-5 onions, 1-2 tomatoes, 1 cupful mushrooms, 1/3 cupful white wine, savory, paprika, pepper, parsley, half a cupful lard or sunflower oil, salt.
Cut the meat into small pieces and fry in oil and some water. Add the onions and when tender - the cooked and diced liver, sliced mushrooms, peppers, tomatoes, pepper, savory, wine, salt and some warm water. Stir, pour in (earthware) dish or bowls and bake in a hot oven. Serve with finely chopped parsley.

Srednogorie hotch-potch
Ingredients: 1kg veal, 2 cupfuls mushrooms, 100g okra, 2-3 onions, 2-3 tomatoes, 3-4 peppers, 1/2 cupful rice, 1-2 potatoes, half a cupful white wine, 1 tsp. paprika, pepper, parsley, 3/4 cupful sunflower oil, salt.
Fry the meat into large pieces in oil and some water, take out. Brown the finely chopped onions, tomatoes and paprika in the same oil. Replace the meat, add the wine and some hot water, bring to the boil and salt. Add the mushrooms and after some 10min the peppers sliced into strips and the cleaned okra. When tender, add the remaining oil, bake. Sprinkle with finely chopped parsley and pepper before serving.

Pork spindle fillet
Ingredients: 1kg pork fillet, 200g cheese, 2 cupful mushrooms, several cloves of garlic, 1 lemon, tomato paste, parsley, 500g butter, salt.
Pound the thin fillets, salt and baste with tomato paste and pepper. Stew the mushrooms, diced cheese, finely chopped parsley and garlic in butter and some water. Place some of the stuffing on each fillet, roll up, tie with a string and grill. Serve with French fries and lettuce.

Sarmi (Stuffed vine or cabbage leaves)
Ingredients: 500g minced veal, 300g minced pork, 1 bunch of spring onions, half a cupful rice, one cupful yogurt, parsley, mint, paprika, pepper, 30-40 vine or cabbage leaves, 100g butter or half a cupful of sunflower oil, salt.
Fry the finely chopped onions in some of the oil and some water, stir the paprika and take off the stove. Add the meat, rice, pepper, mint and finely chopped parsley. Pour over warm salted water and simmer until the water has been absorbed by the rice. Scaled the vine or cabbage leaves with salted hot water and put 1 tsp. of the mixture on each leave. Roll together and arrange in a saucepan, pour over 3/2 cupful of warm water and 1 tsp. fat, close with a lid and simmer on a low fire. When ready, pour over the beaten yogurt and melted butter with stirred in paprika. Serve with vegetables. The same recipe may be used for stuffed peppers, eggplants and zucchini.

Kebapcheta (Oblong rissoles)
Ingredients: 1kg minced meat(60% pork and 40% veal), 2onions, 1/2 tsp. cummin and pepper, salt.
Salt the meat and let stand for 1-2 hours in the cold. Then mix with cummin, pepper, finely chopped onions (and some water). Let stand for another 2 hours. Form into oblong rissoles and grill. Serve with vegetables and ... A LOT OF BEER!

Meat on a spit
Ingredients: 1kg pork, 1 onion, 1 tomato, 1 pepper, salt.
Cut the meat into pieces, salt and mix with the largely chopped onion and pepper. Let stand for ~2 hours and string on a spit with pieces of onion, pepper and sliced tomatoes inbetween. Grill. Serve hot with vegetables of your own choice. Baste with lemon juice if desired.

Cheeses

Cheese baked in foil
Ingredients: 400g brined sheep's cheese, 60g butter, 1 spoonful paprika.
Cut the cheese into medium-thick slices and place on sheets of butter-lined foil. Place cubes of butter a top each cheese piece, sprinkle with paprika and wrap. Place in a tray and bake in a moderate oven. Serve wrapped in the foil.

Shoppe style cheese
Ingredients: 500g brined sheep's cheese, 40g butter, 1-2 tomatoes, 1-2 peppers, black pepper, paprika, 5 eggs.
Cut the cheese into five eq. slices and place into butter-lined (earthware) bowls. Top with tomato slices, pepper rings and so me butter, Bake in a hot oven some 5-6 min. Break an egg a top of each bowl and add the remaining butter with pepper and paprika. Bake until a crust is formed. Serve hot, garnished with slices of tomato, parsley and a chilli, as desired.

Pastries

Fried bread slices
Ingredients: hard bread, 3 eggs, 1 cupful milk, 1.2 cupful sunflower oil.
Slice the bread into thin slices. Dip first in milk, then in the beaten eggs. Fry in hot oil. Serve Serve hot, sprinkled with sugar, honey, jam, cheese or whatever topping you prefer.

Mekitsas (Batter fried in oil)
Ingredients: 1kg flour, 3eggs, 1/2kg yogurt, 10g yeast or 1 tsp. of baking soda, 1 cupful water, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1 cupful sunflower oil.
Beat eggs and yogurt together with the water and yeast or baking soda diluted in some cold water. Prepare a soft dough and let stand for 1 hour. Then roll into a sheet and cut out circles with a teacup. Fry in plenty of oil until a reddish hue is obtained. Serve with icing sugar, jam or cheese.

Round bread loaves with cheese
Ingredients: 1kg flour, 500g brined cheese, 5/2 cupfuls yogurt, 3 eggs, 1 tsp. baking soda, 100g butter.
Mix the flour, yogurt baking soda, eggs and crumbled cheese. Prepare a dough and divide into 15 pieces. Shape each into a round loaf, making a hole in the middle, placing a piece of butter inside. Bake in a moderate oven in a dish lined with butter.

Banitsa with spinach
Ingredients: 1kg flour, 1kg spinach, 300g. white brined cheese, 3/2 cupful of yogurt, 200g butter, 1 spoonful sunflower oil, 1 spoonful vinegar, salt.
Cook the cleaned and finely cut spinach in some of the butter. After having cooled, stir in crumbled cheese and yogurt. Knead a hard dough from the flour, oil, vinegar, salt and water. Roll into five sheets (1kg of ready rolled pastry sheets may also be used). Line a baking dish with butter, place 1 sheet on the bottom and top with the spinach filling. Add a second sheet, filling and so on. Baste in a moderate oven. The same recipe may be used for making banitsa with leeks.

Ears
Ingredients: 500g flour, 1tsp. yeast, 150g white sheep7s cheese, 120g butter, 2 tsp. salt.
Make a hole in the flour and place 1/2 tsp. salt, the diluted yeast and 1/2 a cupful of water in it. Knead a medium soft dough (add some more water if necessary) and let stand for about on hour. Roll into sheets, ~3-4mm thick cut into squares and add crumbled cheese to each. Fold in two, seal the edges and drop into salt boiling water. Boil for ~5min. Arrange the ears is a dish and pour over melted butter. Serve hot.

Banitsa (Cheese pastry)
Ingredients: 1kg flour, 400g white brined cheese, 4 eggs, 500g yogurt, 1/2 a tsp. baking soda, 100g butter, salt.
Use the flour, salt and 3/2 cupfuls of water to make a hard dough which is divided into first-large balls. Let stand for ~1hour, then roll into about 1mm thick sheets. Line with melted butter and top with a mixture of beaten eggs, baking soda, yogurt and crumbled cheese. Roll together and place in a lined dish, either Lengthwise or in circles. Bake in a moderate oven and some water when ready. Cover with a cloth to make it soft.

Desserts

Baked apples with vanilla syrup
Ingredients: 8-10 eq. sized apples, 1/3 cupful walnut kernels, 3/2 cupful sugar, vanilla, cinnamon according to taste, 50g butter.
Peel and carefully hollow the apples. Prepare a stuffing from the beaten butter, 3/4 cupful of sugar, crushed walnut kernels and cinnamon. Stuff the apples and place in a lined dish, pour over 1-2 spoonful of water and bake in a moderate oven. Serve cold, sweetened with syrup made from cupful of sugar, 1 cupful of water and vanilla. The same recipe may be used for quinces and pears. (My grandma used to make them the best, may God bless her).

Banitsa saralia
Ingredients: 1kg flour, 1/2 cupful walnut kernels, 4 cupfuls sugar, 4 cupfuls water, vanilla, 150g butter.
Prepare a medium-hard dough from the flour, some salt and cold water, and roll into sheets (1 kg of ready-rolled sheets may also be used). Baste each sheet with some butter and top with crushed walnut kernels. Roll together and arrange either lengthwise or in a circle in a butterlined dish. Bake in a moderate oven. After it has cooled pour over hot syrup made from sugar, water and vanilla.

Sweet balls with syrup
Ingredients: 150g cottage cheese, 3 eggs, 1 cupful flour, 3/2 cupful sugar, vanilla, 1 tsp. baking soda, 3 cupful water, 1 cupful sunflower oil.
Mix the cottage cheese and eggs well, before gradually adding the flour, followed by the baking soda. Shape into balls with a spoon and fry in hot oil. When cooled, pour over syrup made from water, sugar and vanilla.

Milk banitsa
Ingredients: 400g flour, 9 eggs, 3/2 milk, 3/2 cupful sugar, 1/2 cupful semolina, 1 spoonful sunflower oil, 1 spoonful vinegar, 1 cupful water, 180g butter.
Prepare a medium-hard dough from the flour, 1 egg. oil, vinegar and water and roll into sheets (500g of ready pastry sheets may also be used). Place the sheets in a tray, basting each with melted butter. Bring the milk to the boil, add the sugar, remaining butter and semolina under constant stirring, followed by the beaten eggs when cooled. Mix well and pour over the pastry sheets. Bake in a moderate oven. Serve into pieces and sprinkle with icing sugar.