Lachanontolmades (stuffed cabbage leaves)

Macedonian

Ingredients for 4-6 people

1 small cabbage

500g minced pork

1 & 1/2 cups rice (carolina variety)

2 onions

some parsley leaves

1 small cup olive oil

1 tablespoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

2 eggs

juice of one lemon

Directions

Remove the heart of the cabbage and dip it in hot water for 10 minutes.After draining the water, separate the leaves, remove the stems and cut each leave into halves.Grate the onions and sauté in olive oil along with the minced meat.After 5-8 minutes add the chopped parsley, salt, pepper, the rice and some water and let it absorb the liquid.

Put a tablespoon of the above mixture on each cabbage leaf and wrap tightly.

Place some of the thicker cabbage leaves at the bottom of the pot and place the wrapped ones over them in a scattered manner (not in any particular order).

Pour water or meat broth in the pot, enough to cover up all the wrapped cabbage leaves; add olive oil, salt and place a plate upside down on top of them, so that they won’t unfold while boiling.Boil for 3/4 of an hour over medium heat.

Prepare the lemon sauce by beating the eggs and slowly adding the lemon juice and some liquid from the pot; stir and pour over the lachanontolmades.

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

Sharmades with black cabbage*

Pontian

Ingredients for 4-6 people

1 kg of leaves of black cabbage,

3/4 cup rice (carolina variety)

1/2 kg minced meat

2 onions

parsley

1 tomato

salt & pepper

1 cup olive oil

Directions 

Blanch the cabbage leaves and drain well. Knead the minced meat in a bowl with rice, chopped onions, parsley, half of the olive oil, salt, pepper and grated tomato.

Take one cabbage leave, put some of the filling in it, cover the edges of the leave so that it embraces the filling and roll.Place the leave stems at the bottom of a pot and put the sarmades (the rolled cabbage leaves with filling) on the top, in layers.

Pour 1 cup of olive oil and 2 cups of water in the pot.Cover with a plate and let it boil for about an hour on medium heat.

* Black cabbage: pontian green cabbage

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

Fish in ntavas

Macedonian

Ingredients for 4 people

1-2 medium carps *

2 potatoes

1/2 bunch of parsley

2 tomatoes

3 large onions

2 garlic cloves

olive oil

salt & pepper

oregano

Directions

Remove the scales and viscera of the carps (beware of the small bone that this fish has on top part of its neck).Rinse thoroughly under cold water and add salt.

Slice the onions vertically, mince the garlic and place them in a pan with a little olive oil.Once sautéed, chop and add the tomatoes, parsley, salt, pepper and oregano.Allow the sauce to boil and remove from the heat.

Cube the potatoes (large cubes) and place them along with the fish in a “ntavas” – a baking pan.Pour the sauce over and add 1 cup of water and 1/2 cup of olive oil.Bake at 200 degrees, in a low position in the oven, for 1 hour.

*Carp: fish from Lake Doirani, Kilkis

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

Baked trout

Macedonian

Ingredients for 2 people

Two trouts

5 tablespoons butter

4 potatoes

salt

pepper

oregano

lemon slices

Directions

Remove the scales and the guts of the fish.Rinse under cold water and add salt.Slice the potatoes and place them on a buttered cooking pan.

Sprinkle the trouts with a little oregano inside their belly and add them to the pan with the potatoes, along with some water.

Melt the butter and pour it over the rest of the ingredients.Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for 45 minutes.Just before our dish is ready, place the lemon slices on top of the trout.

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

Hapsopilafo

Pontian

Ingredients for 4 people

• 1/2 kg fresh anchovies
• 1 cup rice
• 1 onion
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1/2 bunch parsley
• salt & pepper
• 2 cups water

Directions

Clean the anchovies; remove the heads and central bones. Rinse them thoroughly under cold water and let them drain.
Sauté the onion, add the rice, water, salt and pepper. When the rice is half-boiled add the “hapsia” (anchovies) and let it simmer until all the water is absorbed.
Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

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

Hapsia

Pontian

Ingredients for 4 people

1 kg anchovies

2 cups cornmeal

1-2 leeks or green onions

olive oil

salt & pepper

Directions

Clean the anchovies; remove the heads and central bones. Open them in half, rinse them thoroughly under cold water, let them drain and add salt.Knead the flour with a bit of warm water, salt and the chopped leeks or onions.Spread the dough on a greased baking pan and place the anchovies on it.Pour the olive oil on top and bake for 15 minutes at 180 degrees until they turn golden.

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

Fish from Doirani (Goulianos/Sheatfish)

Ingredients for 2 people

4 slices Goulianos* (sheatfish)

paprika

1 cup cornmeal

frying oil

salt

Directions

Rinse thoroughly the fish and slice it.Mix the cornmeal with a little paprika and a pinch of salt. Dip the fish slices in the flour, making sure it’s spread evenly.

Heat the frying oil and deep fry the fish until it’s golden.

Before serving, right after we take the fish slices out of the pan, place them onto paper towels to absorb the extra oil.

*Gulianos: fish from Lake Doiran, Kilkis

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

Imam Baildi

Thracian

Ingredients for 4 people

4 medium eggplants

4 white onions

2 large tomatoes

1/2 bunch of parsley

3 garlic cloves

1 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

salt & pepper

Directions

Rinse the vegetables thoroughly. Carve the eggplants lengthwise, make a small incision and carefully remove their flesh. Chop the onions vertically in thin strips, peel the tomatoes and chop them in very small pieces, finely chop the parsley and garlic as well. Place all the ingredients in a bowl along with the salt, pepper, sugar and nutmeg and mix well. Sauté all the ingredients for 10 minutes in half of the olive oil and then set them aside.
Arrange the eggplants in a saucepan and sauté in the remaining oil for 5 minutes.Turn the eggplants belly up and fill them with all sautéed ingredients.
Pour enough water to barely cover the eggplants and boil them, over high heat initially and then at medium heat for 30 minutes.

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

Kinteata

Pontian

Ingredients for 2 people

1 bunch of nettles

5-6 mint leaves

4 tablespoons flour

some salt

some pepper

garlic

olive oil

Directions

We gather the nettles from a field or buy from the farmers' market.Clean and rinse them thoroughly and then blanch them in boiling water.Then, put the blanched nettles in a blender with some water and whisk the ingredients together by adding 4 tablespoons of flour gradually.Pour the puree into a saucepan and leave it on the stove to set, adding some salt, pepper andtheolive oil.Serve with a sprinkle of minced garlic and mint.

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

Black Cabbage with Beans

Pontian

Ingredients for 4-6 people

500gwhite or red beans

1 tomato

1 onion

1 bunch black cabbage

1 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons corn flour

1 teaspoon paprika

salt

Directions

Rinse the beans under cold water and soak them in water overnight. The next day boil the beans in the same water where they were soaked until they are tender.Drain the beans and keep a couple of glasses of their broth.

Finely chop the cabbage, onion and tomato.Sauté the onion with some olive oil and paprika.

Boil the beans in their broth with the cabbage, salt and the tomato. Dissolve two tablespoons of flour in some broth and pour it in the pot.Simmer until the ingredients are well combined and add the olive oil with onion and paprika; leave the pot on the stove for a while longer and then remove.

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