Cooking Recipes and Gastronomical Information

Bulgarian Cooking Recipes

On the crux of the East and the West, Bulgaria is the crossroads for some exciting, savory cuisine. Yet with hundreds of acres of pastoral farmland, it is also home to the hearty, wholesome and completely satisfying foods of the field. Here are recipes that will both scintillate the senses and stave off the cold:

Bulgarian Lentils
Ingredients:
· 4 finely chopped carrots
· 2 cups lentils
· 7-8 garlic cloves, each chopped in half and de-hearted.
· 2 finely chopped large onions
· 2 cups stock (vegetable, pork or chicken)
· 2 tbsp corn flour or flour mixed with a little water
· 3-4 tbsp vegetable oil
· 2 tin tomatoes in rich tomato sauce or 2-3 large tomatos peeled and cut into small chunks
· 2 tbsp chubritza (possible substitute - oregano)
· salt & pepper

Directions:
Give the lentils a good wash and then soak them overnight, minimum 4 hours before boiling them for half an hour in water with salt. Separately, sautee carrots, onions and celery until they begin to brown and then add the stock, which you will want to simmer for a while until the lentils are ready. Add the lentils, (drain them, of course) and the garlic and tomatoes. Cook all this for about 15 minutes, then come the corn flour and spices including chubritza, pepper and salt.

Kashkaval Pane
We all know how tasty fried or melted cheese can be, but fried cottage cheese? That’s exactly what this authentic recipe from
Bulgaria serves up, using local Kashkaval that is most similar to the cottage cheese you can buy in regular supermarkets, although for this recipe you will do best by buying Kashkaval in a specialty market.

Ingredients:
· 24oz Yellow Cheese Kashkaval,
· Flour with black pepper and salt mixed in
· Bread crumbs
· Parsley to garnish
· Olive oil
· 4 eggs

Directions:
Slice up the cheese into ½ inch thick portions and use paper towels to dab the extra wetness coming exuding from the cheese. Heat up the oil so that it will sizzle and deep fry whatever is dropped into it, and while the oil is heating up begin beating the eggs. Spread the flour onto a plate or cutting board and on another surface spread the bread crumbs.

Now the assembly line begins. Coat the cheese pieces with flour, then dip them into the egg, then the bread crumbs, then the egg again, and once again the bread crumbs so that each slice is completely covered in bread crumbs. Drop these cheese balls into the hot oil right away and when fried (caramelized golden brown) then let dry out on a piece of paper. You can use the parsley garnish – these are best served hot, and right away. This will feed between 4-6 people.