Spinach puree with feta cheese

Ingredients:

• 1kg. spinach
• 5 tbsp. plain flour
• 100g. butter
• 200g. feta cheese
• 2 eggs
• salt
• 1-2 medium onions, finely chopped

Wash the spinach, cut into fine strips, cook for about 15 minutes in salty water, drain, leave to cool, then puree.

In a pan melt the butter, add the flour, then the onions and fry for about 5 minutes. Add 150 ml water (or milk) and the pureed spinach, bring to the boil, stirring frequently. Cook for about 5 minutes, then add the eggs (beaten) and the crumbled cheese. Cook for further 5 minutes and take off the hob.

Source: Passionateaboutfood.net

Spinach puree with feta cheese

Thick soup with squash

Ingredients:

• 700g. pared squash
• 60g. butter or margarine
• 15g. flour
• 1-1.5l. milk
• 50g. young kaymak or 1/2dl. sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon red paprika pepper
• salt

Cut pared squash into small cubes, cook in mildly salted water. Heat about 40g. butter or margarine, add flour, fry it a little, slowly pouring in warm milk, cook, add kaymak or sour cream, simmer about 10 minutes, add cooked squash, then cook together for a short while (5 minutes).

Before serving, pour over the soupp heated butter (about 20g.) with some red paprika pepper added to it.

Thick soup with squash

Ajvar

Ingredients:

• 4 aubergines
• 8-12 fresh red paprika
• chili peppers to taste
• 1-2 dl. oil
• 1 onion, minced
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (or 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar)
• salt and pepper to taste

Ajvar is a popular appetizer made of roasted paprika, ripe tomatoes, and even string beans can be combined into ajvar. Ajvar is a seasonal dish in Macedonia, Serbia and other former parts of Yugoslavia, always made in late summer and early autumn, just after the paprika harvest, when many households bottle their own ajvar for use throughout the winter season. Here are the directions:

Wash aubergines, drain, put into the heated oven (175-200°C) and bake then peel while still warm. Wash paprika's, wipe and dry fry on top the stove, then put into deeper dish, sprinkle with cold water, cover and leave to cool. Skin cooled paprika's and remove seed. Grind paprika's and aubergines together. Peel onion, chop finely, cook slowly in heated oil until quite soft. Towards the end add cleaned and crushed garlic, cook shortly together, set aside, add ground paprika's and aubergines and mix (very often ajvar is prepared without adding onion and garlic).

Turn all into a deeper dish and drip in oil slowly, stirring all the time. When all the oil is used, add lemon juice or vinegar, salt, pepper and mix well. Put into a bowl, shape nicely, sprinkle with more pepper if desired and pour over with some more oil.

Serve as an appetizer to spread on thick slices of country-style white bread or flat pita bread with chunks of feta cheese, or use as a side dish to accompany grilled or roasted meats.

Ajvar is put into small clean jars pressed tightly so that there are no bubbles in them and the jars covered with cellophane ot parchment.

Worth reading:

• His Majesty - Ajvar by Cherry blossom girl

Ajvar

Chicken liver dumplings

Ingredients:

• 1 small spoon butter or lard
• 1 bigger chicken liver
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp breadcrumbs
• parsley leaves
• salt and pepper

Mix butter or lard well, add finely chopped or scrapped liver 1 egg, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, chopped parsley and 1 whipped egg white. Mix all well and leave to stand for a while. Bring soup to thr boil, turn the heat down, take up bit by bit of the prepared mixture with teaspoon and dip into the simmering soup. When the dumplings emerge to the surface, let them simmer, for a further 5-7 minutes. Chopped parsley can also be added to the soup.

Chicken liver dumplings

Risotto with mushrooms

Ingredients:

• 1-2 onions
• 1dl. oil
• 1dl. white wine
• 150-200g. mushrooms
• 300g. rice
• 0,75-1l. bone stock
• 100-150g. cheese
• 1/2 bunch of parsley
• salt and pepper

Peel onion and chop finely. Heat oil a little, add onion, cook until nearly tender, pour in wine, then cook together until it boils. Trim mushrooms, wash and slice finely, add to the onion and cook together for a short while.

Pick over rice, wash and drain well, add to the mushrooms, fry together for a while then pour in soup (or lukewarm water), add salt and pepper and stir slowly. Simmer until rice is tender.

When the risotto is cooked, stirr in grated cheese and chopped parsley. With fresh vegetables (tomatoes, paprikas, cucumbers) this dish can also be served as light supper.

Risotto with mushrooms