Snails with Onions

Macedonian

Ingredients for 4 to 6 people

30-40 snails

15 small onions for stew

2 tomatoes, grated

2 cups water

salt and paprika

allspice

2 laurel leaves

Directions

Place the snailsin a wide pot for better air flow andfeed them with flour for two days to cleanse.Then rinse them thoroughly at least 3-4 times.

Add the snails in a pot of boiling water and boil for 10 minutes.Throw this water in the sink.

Rinse the snails once more and boil them again for 15 minutes.After draining the snails, keep a cup of this broth.

Peel the onions and sauté them in olive oil, add the grated tomatoes, salt and paprika.

Once the sauce is battered, add the snails, water, the broth we reserved, the laurel leaves and the allspice and cook for another 40 minutes.

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

Snail soup

Eastern Romelia

Ingredients for 4-6 people

1 kg of snails

2 bunches green onions

1/2 bunch mint

1 cup rice

1 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon paprika

salt

Directions
Place the snailsin a wide pot for better air flow andfeed them with flour for two days to cleanse.Then rinse them thoroughly at least 3-4 times.

Add the snails in a pot of boiling water and boil for 10 minutes. Throw this water in the sink.

Rinse the snails once more and boil them again for 15 minutes. After draining the snails, keep a cup of this broth.

Chop the green onions and mint and sauté in olive oil while adding the paprika. Boil the snails in that sauce, along with the reserved broth for 40 minutes. Then, add the rice and some salt and boil for another 20 minutes.  Serve the soup hot.

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

Giant Beans
Macedonian

Ingredients for 4-6 people

500ggiant beans

2 medium onions

3 garlic cloves

1 cup olive oil

3 ripe tomatoes

1 red pepper

2 carrots

1 teaspoon oregano

1/4 bunch parsley, chopped

salt & pepper

lemon juice

Directions

Soak the beans in water overnight.The next day boil them until they are tender, let them drain and keep their broth in a glass.Chop the onions and carrots in medium chunks and sauté them in olive oil; peel and finely chop the tomatoes and peppers and sauté them in the same pan.Add the chopped garlic, salt, pepper, parsley and some water. Let the sauce boil for 10 minutes.Spread the beans in a baking pan, pour the sauce and the bean broth we reserved over them and sprinkle some oregano on top.Bake for about 45 minutes at 180 degrees.Serve the giant beans hot or cold with a few drops of lemon juice.

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

Beans with rice and pickled cabbage

Eastern Romelia

Ingredients for 4 people

500gbeans

1/2 pickled cabbage

2 large tomatoes

1 cup olive oil

2 teaspoons paprika

1 cup rice

2 glasses of water

Directions

Soak the beans in water overnight. The following day boil the beans with half of the olive oil, using enough water to cover them.Boil until the beans are tender.

Chop the pickled cabbage, rinse it under cold water and drain.

Sauté the cabbage in a different pot along with the remaining olive oil, the chopped tomatoes and paprika.Bring it to boil.

Place all ingredients together in a pot; add the water and the rice.Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for 30 minutes.

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

Meat pie

Macedonian

Ingredients for 4-6 people

6 phyllo sheets

1 cup olive oil

1 large onion

500gleeks, finely chopped

300gminced pork

salt & pepper

Directions

Pour half of the olive oil in a pan and sauté the onions; add the leeks after a while and leave them until they absorb all their juices.Then, sauté the minced meat for 7-10 minutes, add salt and pepper, remove from the stove and allow the filling to cool down.

Grease a baking tray and place the 3 phyllo sheets on the bottom of it, oiling each one of them; put the filling on top and cover it with the 3 remaining phyllo sheets, oiling each one of them again. Cut the pie in pieces and bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for 50 minutes.

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

Cabbagepie

Sarakatsaniki

Ingredients for 6-8 people

1 pack phyllo sheets

1 small cabbage

250gfeta cheese

1&1 / 2 cup olive oil

2 teaspoons salt

Directions

Chop the cabbage in small pieces, blanch it in hot water until it’s tender and then drain it.Grate the feta cheese in the same bowl you have the cabbage; add half of the olive oil and mix well to combine all the ingredients together. Grease a baking tray with olive oil.

Oil each one of the phyllo sheets, placing them on top of one another. In every three layers of phyllo sheets, spread some of the filling in a horizontal line (from one end of the sheet to the other) and then roll the sheet up, creating acylinder.

Arrange the filled phyllo sheets in a spiral manner, starting from the edge of the pan and going towards the center.

Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for 45 minutes.

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

Pastourmadopita

Cappadocian

INGREDIENTS

1 pack traditional fyllo sheets

5 tablespoons butter

30 slices of pastourmas

30 slices of cheese

3 tomatoes, sliced

Directions

Peel the tomatoes and slice them.Butter a baking tray and place 4 phyllo sheets on the bottom of it, buttering each one of them as well.

Put a layer of sliced ​​cheese, then a layer of pastourmas and then the tomato slices in the baking tray.You can also place in between these layers of ingredients some buttered phyllo sheets.

Place 3 more phyllo sheets on top, making sure you butter each one.Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for 30-35 minutes.

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

Chigar Borek

Thracian

Ingredients for 4-6 people

1/4 pack thin phyllo sheets

300gkavourmas

150gfeta cheese

1 cup evaporated milk

1 & ½ cup frying oil

salt & black pepper

Directions

Lay the phyllo sheets in a surface and cut each one in 8 even pieces.

Chop the kavourmas in small, elongated pieces and do the same with the feta cheese.Brush some evaporated milk on each of the small phyllo sheets and place a piece of kavourmas and a piece of feta on top of it.

Wrap the sheets diagonally, joining the edges of the sheet as you wrap, and brush some evaporated milk on the fold, so it remains in place.

Deep fry over high heat, until the pies brown.Leave them briefly on paper towels and serve them warm.

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

Striftopita

Sarakatsani

Ingredients for 6 to 8 people

1kg soft flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup cow butter

800gfeta cheese

2 cups lukewarm water

Directions

Put theflour, water and salt in a large bowl.Knead the ingredients for 10 minutes, until the dough is soft and let it rest.

Cut the dough into 6-8 pieces, depending on the pan you will use.Melt the butter and grease the pan. Roll out each piece of dough into a phyllo sheet by hand, using some butter.Place the first phyllo sheet in thepan and put some of the feta cheese on top.Continue by alternating a layer of phyllo sheet with butter and a layer of feta cheese, until you run out of ingredients.

Join together the corners of the pie diagonally and turn it upside down. Use your fingers to spread it evenly on the pan and pour the remaining butter on top of it. Do not engrave or the pie in pieces.

Bake in a preheated oven at 180degrees for an hour.

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

Cheese pie with Perec sheets

Pontian

Ingredients for 4 people

6 Perec* sheets

150gFeta cheese

150gcow butter

Directions

Sprinkle the Perec sheets with some water and break them in halves.Melt the butter and place each of the Perec sheets in a skillet to fry on one side.Grate some feta cheese on top of the Perec sheet and fold it.Turn the Perec sheet carefully on the other side, until it is brown.Repeat with all the Perec sheets.The pie with Perec sheets does not require much preparation and cooking time and the result is exceptionally tasty.

* Perec: A crispy Pontian phyllo sheet. Available in grocery stores.

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