Retseli

Macedonian

Ingredients for 4 people

30 ripe figs

1kg sugar

2 glasses water

150ghoney

vanilla

juice of 1/2 lemon.

Directions

Remove the stems from the figs and boil them in water for 7 minutes.

Rinse them thoroughly under cold water and drain them gently with your hands.Dissolve the sugar and the honey in water and boil the syrup.Once it thickens, place the figs in the syrup.

Continue to boil, skimming the top layer, until it starts forming large bubbles; then, remove from the stove and add the vanilla and the lemon juice.Leave the preserve for one day and if it isn’t thick enough, boil it again for another 10 minutes.

Editing & photoshoot :
Stella Spanou
Author of Cooking Books, Award Winning Photographer

Houssaf compote

Pontian

Ingredients for 6 people

500gdried plums

150 gdried apples

150 g black raisins

100 gdried Pears

2 cups sugar

to serve:

orange peels

Directions

Place all the ingredients in a large pot and add enough water to cover them.Bring to a boil over low heat until the fruits are tender. Serve the Houssaf cold with some orange peels for flavor.

Editing & photoshoot :
Stella Spanou
Author of Cooking Books, Award Winning Photographer

Baked Quinces

Macedonian

Ingredients for 6 people

3-4 quinces

1 cup sugar

1glass water

1 cup sweet red wine

cloves

Directions

Rinse the quinces and remove their seeds (keep them in a separate bowl); chop the quinces in quarters without removing the skin.

Place the fruit in a pan with the skin facing up.Put 1-2 cloves in each piece of fruit. Mix the wine with the water and the sugar until the sugar melts and pour the mixture in the pan.Place the quince seeds in the pan as well.Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake at 180 degreesfor an hour.Remove the aluminum foil after 30 minutes of baking to let the quinces brown.

Editing & photoshoot :
Stella Spanou
Author of Cooking Books, Award Winning Photographer

Otia

Pontian

Ingredients for 10 people

5 eggs

1 cup yogurt

1 cup sugar

1 baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

500gflour,all-purpose

frying oil

to serve:

castor sugar

Directions

Mix all the ingredients together until the dough is soft and smooth.

Divide the dough in portions and roll out each one with a rolling pin.Cut diamond shapes from the rolled out dough and make a hole in the middle; form a bow by taking one end of the diamond shaped dough and passing it through the middle hole.

Deep fry the little bows in oil until they turn golden and serve with powdered sugar.

Editing & photoshoot :
Stella Spanou
Author of Cooking Books, Award Winning Photographer

Halvas from semolina

Ingredients for 6 people

1 cup oil

2 cups coarse semolina

3 cups sugar

4 cups water

20 raisins

cinnamon sticks

to serve:

cinnamon

Directions

Burn the oil in a wide pot and pour the semolina, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until it turns brown.

In another pot, put the water, the sugar, the raisins and the cinnamon sticks.Boil the syrup for 7- 10 minutes and then pour it in the pot with the semolina while stirring constantly.Put the lid on the pot, until the semolina absorbs all the syrup.Format the halva before it cools and sprinkle with some cinnamon.

Editing & photoshoot :
Stella Spanou
Author of Cooking Books, Award Winning Photographer

Wild boar with chestnuts

Macedonian

Ingredients for 6 people

1200g meat from wild boar

300g chestnuts

250g carrots

6-8 plums

1 small cup olive oil

2 onions

3 glasses of water

salt

for the marinade:

celery leaves

2 laurel leaves

peppercorns

1 glass of red wine

Directions

Rinse the meat thoroughly, cut it in portions and put it in a bowl with the wine, celery leaves, laurel leaves and the pepper. Let it in the marinade overnight, to sweeten the heavy smell of the meat.

The next day, grate the onions, and put them in a saucepan and sauté in olive oil.Then place the marinated pieces of meat along with ingredients from the marinade and wine in a pot, add water and boil for half an hour until the meat is tender.

Peel the chestnuts and chop the carrots in large chunks. Add these ingredients, along with the plums in the pot and boil for 30 minutes until the liquid is almost gone.Take some of the broth and some chestnuts, mash them together and pour over the dish when it is ready.

Editing & photoshoot :
Stella Spanou
Author of Cooking Books, Award Winning Photographer

Lamb with rice

Eastern Romelia

Ingredients for 4-6 people

1.5 kg lamb into servings

1 bunch green onions

3 cups rice

1 cup olive oil

some mint

salt

black pepper

paprika

the juice of one lemon

Directions

Rinse the lamb under cold water and finely chop the onions.

Place the meat in a pot with water, just enough to cover it, and let it boil. Remove the skim and add a few of the green onions. Boil until the meat is tender, then strain, but keep the liquid. Pour half of the olive oil in a pan and sauté briefly the rest of the chopped green onions with the rice. Place the rice and the pieces of meat in a cooking pan.Whisk the lemon juice with the rest of the olive oil, salt, black pepper and the liquid that we kept from boiling the lamb and pour the mix in the cooking pan.

Bake in preheated oven at 180 degrees for an hour.

Editing & photoshoot :
Stella Spanou
Author of Cooking Books, Award Winning Photographer

Keskeki

Pontian

Ingredients for 4-6 people

1 chicken

1 kg wheat

1 small cup cow butter

5 glasses of water

some nutmeg

salt

Directions

Soak the wheat overnight in plenty of water and strain it the next day.

Boil the chicken in water along with the wheat and add salt.

When the chicken meat is tender, remove it from the pot, remove all the bones and put it back in the pot.Stir well and boil until the ingredients start to melt.Melt the butter and pour it in the pot.Sprinkle with nutmeg before serving.

Editing & photoshoot :
Stella Spanou
Author of Cooking Books, Award Winning Photographer

Meatballs with kasa*

Macedonian

Ingredients for 6-8 people

1 kg coarsely ground meat (mix of beef and pork)

3-4 onions finely chopped

1/2 bunch of parsley

1 cup olive oil

1 egg

1/2 bag of breadcrumbs

some mint

5 tablespoons water

flour for frying

salt

pepper

ingredients for the kasa:

2 tablespoons flour

juice of one lemon

Directions

Grate the onions, finely chop the parsley and add to the minced meat and mix.Sprinkle a few drops of olive oil, water, egg, breadcrumbs and mint along with salt and pepper.

Leave the mixture of ground meat in the refrigerator for a few hours.

Shape round meatballs out of the minced meat, roll them in flour and fry over high heat.When all the meatballs are cooked, drain the oil and put the pan back on the stove.

Melt the flour into the oil to make a slurry batter and add the lemon juice.

Drizzle the meatballs with this batter; it gives the dish much flavor.

*Kasa: batter made of flour and lemon juice

Editing & photoshoot :
Stella Spanou
Author of Cooking Books, Award Winning Photographer

Chicken with couscous

Thracian

Ingredients for 4-6 people

1 kg chicken in servings

2 onions

2 tomatoes, grated

4-6 peppercorns

1 cup couscous

6 cups water

1 cup olive oil

Directions

Rinse the chicken under cold water and boil in 6 glasses of water. Skim occasionally and add the salt, the tomatoes -without the skin- and the peppercorns.

Once the chicken is tender, remove it from the stove.

Chop the onions and sauté in olive oil for 7 minutes with the couscous.

Put the couscous with the olive oil and the onions in a cooking pan, add the chicken and all its broth and bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for 45 minutes.

Editing & photoshoot :
Stella Spanou
Author of Cooking Books, Award Winning Photographer