Where There is No... Chick-Fil-A

I just made my man (and everyone else in the family) a Chick-Fil-A sandwich.  It was delicious. After not having it in forever, it tasted close enough to the real thing that we were satisfied and agreed that we are going to have to have it on the menu more often.  Yum. Yum. Yum!

This is the Recipe.  I found it through another expat friend living in Macedonia who posted it on Facebook not too long ago. (Thanks Amy.)  I didn't toast the buns, but I did warm them in the microwave and butter them. I really think it made all the difference. Deliciouso!

Magically Delicious Baklava

Who of you out there thought that baklava was strictly a Greek dessert???  One of my pet peeves is people taking credit where it isn't due them. Well, that is what the country down south has been doing with baklava for years. Baklava is actually a Turkish dessert that was brought to the Balkans during the Turkish rule (Ottoman Empire), and it is a regular sweet staple in the Macedonia diet.  A precious friend of ours taught Hannah, Jessica (our summer intern) and me how to make it all by ourselves, and guess what?! It wasn't hard at all. In fact, it is quite possibly one of the easiest desserts I have ever made.  

First, thaw out package of store bought phyllo dough. Take 2 pieces of dough and set it on your working service, cut it long ways down the middle, and drizzle a little cooking oil all over it. Then you fold each piece in half. At this point, you will have a piece of phyllo dough that is about 3-4 inches wide.  Then put a large spoonful of chopped walnuts or pecans near the top of the dough.  And then comes the fun part...

You roll it up like a paper football.  Fold it over 3-4 times just to make sure the nuts are held in tight.

 And then you put your little phyllo triangle in a greased pan.

Keep going with that process until you have a whole pan full of 'footballs.'

Drizzle a little more oil over the top. 

Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour. Keep an eye on it though. You only want it to get golden brown.

While it is in the oven mix together 4 cups sugar and 4 cups of water and bring to a boil on the stove.  This is the "sherbet" or syrup that you pour all over it once it comes out of the oven.

As soon as it is out of the oven, pour your "shebert" all over the top of it. Be generous. You want it to soak all the way through.  

And then enjoy!!! It's SO good!!!

There are many different variations of Baklava.  I have had chocolate baklava here which is amazing!!! Sometimes they roll the baklava up like cylinders and other times it is in a perfect rectangle. I think our friend taught us the simplest version of it, and it really couldn't have been much easier.  So take some time, make some Baklava and while you enjoy the deliciousness, pray for the people of Macedonia and the Balkans.

Cabbage and Beans

Winter time is rough when it comes to finding yummy produce. We have a pretty good selection of mandarins this time of year and when you can get over 2lbs for less than a dollar who can complain. But even the sweet delicious mandarin season comes and goes quickly. Apples come and go. Kiwis come and go, and the selection of veggies is even slimmer.  However the one thing you can always find through the whole winter is cabbage.  It is the one thing you will find on almost every person's table every single day. Cabbage will show out in any way possible. Sometimes it is smothered in oil and vinegar and mass amounts of salt and served as a salad, other times it is brined and then wrapped around meat and rice (sarma), and then others it is cut up and thrown into something like a casserole.  I have grown to love cabbage since I have been here.  I eat it in all of those ways and sometimes I saute it in a little soy sauce and serve with rice. Delicious!!! And cabbage salad with some apples thrown in is really yummy too.  Good thing cabbage is full of nutrients and my kids love it.  

Another thing that is common on the Macedonian's table is white beans.  I have only ever had white beans fixed one way here. They call it "Tavche Gravche" and it is delicious. They boil the beans and once they are soft, they put in all of the seasonings, throw them in a ceramic casserole dish, put some sausage (if they have any) on top and bake it until it is all bubbly.  It really is good.  Gravche is something I have started making at home as my man and my babies seem to really like it.  Plus it is super cheap.  You can see my gravche pictured below, and you can find a recipe for making your own here.

So make some cabbage salad and tavche gravche and pray that the Macedonian people will know their Provider as Savior and Lord.

Russian Salad

Russian Salad is one of the many things that are sitting on a coffee table when you go over to someone's home for the holidays.  Russian salad is a super yummy mayonaisey salad that I personally love. I was asked to make some for a get together with the church here.  I documented a little bit of the process:

I said a little of the process...

Here is a recipe if you are interested:

1/2 lb. chopped ham
1/2 lb. chopped cheddar cheese
1-2 bags of frozen mixed veggies including peas, carrots, and potatoes
chopped boiled eggs (optional)
6-7 chopped dill pickles
a little pickle juice
mayonnaise to coat everything
mustard to taste (optional)
1 tsp. dried dill (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Mix everything together. Chill for 1-2 hours and serve.

An interesting fact: Russians don't actually call this salad Russian salad.  Only people living outside of Russia call it that. Either way, it's yummy. Use it in place of your potato salad and pray for the people of Macedonia.

Pindjur -- More Roasted Red Peppers

Last week we got together with Ane, again, to make Pindjur, another Macedonian specialty.  Ginna and Hannah were able to come along and help out with the process this time, and we had so much fun.

Pindjur consists of roasted red peppers, tomatoes, carrots, onions, parsley, oil, salt and vinegar.  It is super yummy. 

Watch out, Ginna will cut you! :)

The peppers doing their roasting. We roasted, peeled and seeded 30 kilos of red peppers.

After all the peeling, we put all the peppers in big potato sacks to sit over night so some of the water would drain out of them. Then Ane took them down and ran them through a food mill.

Here are the tomatoes boiling. We used 10 (?) kilos of tomatoes.  Then added two liters of oil!

Here are the milled red peppers waiting to jump on the fire.

While we waited for the tomatoes to boil down to a paste like substance, Ginna and Hannah took the girls to the playground and Ane and I studied the Bible together!

We added 10 kilos of shredded carrots and the chopped onions.

And Hannah stirred and stirred and stirred. It's a workout.

Ginna took over the stirring for a while.  We all took our turn, because you have to stir constantly or risk burning it.

Then after a couple of hours we jarred it.

We left a little in the pot, got a loaf of fresh bread and enjoyed a Macedonian lunch. We earned it!

Aren't they pretty!

In my opinion, pindjur is way better than ajvar.  Here is a recipe, if you would like to try it at home. This recipe is written by lady who is married to a Macedonian. They are living together in the states so the recipe is tailored to ingredients and means you have right down the road. Enjoy, and don't forget to pray!

AJVAR!!!!

Ajvar is one true Macedonian specialty.  It is a red pepper relish.  I spent almost two whole days with Ane and her family helping them make ajvar.  

Here we are peeling the roasted red peppers.  We peeled about 65 kilos (143 lbs). 

While we peeled, we sang some Macedonian Christian songs and just enjoyed one anothers' company. I LOVE Ane!!!

 Here's Lade roasting the peppers.  He wanted proof that he did actually help. :)

More peeling. My hands smelled like red peppers for days.

The peppers doing their thing on the big outdoor stove. The pot is some corn on the cob for a later snack.

The peeled and seeded peppers. 

Day 2: I got there at about 10 and Ane already had the mixture in the pot.  She and her mom had run the peppers through a food mill the night before.  

The mixture: 65 kilos of peppers and 2 liters of oil.  You let it boil...

And boil...

And BOIL for about 4-5 hours while stirring constantly (except for a break to take pictures of course).

Ane added some chopped eggplant, a few spoonfuls of yellow mustard, and A LOT of salt. Then you jar it.

And boil the jars for 15-20 minutes to seal them. We made about 25 large jars.

Here are some other red peppers she "sewed" together that will dry out in the sun. She will use these through the whole winter.

Ajvar (eye-var) is not my most favorite Macedonian specialty.  To me it tastes a lot like pimento, but the Macedonians LOVE it. It is a staple in their winter diet. A lot of times they will have a jar of ajvar, some sirenje (white cheese) and bread for a meal.  If you are interested in giving it a try, you can find a recipe here or here with video.

Шопска Салата

Have you been wondering, what on earth can I do with all of these delicious tomatoes and cucumbers from my garden?  Well, I have the answer.  You can make the most delicious salad there ever was: the шопска салата (shopska salad).  YUM!

 Here's what to do:

• Cut your tomatoes and cucumbers into bite size pieces.
• Mix together with salt and pepper to taste.
• Add chopped onion and green pepper if desired (They add so much deliciousness!)
• Mix in a little olive oil and vinegar. (You don't need a lot.)
• Throw in some fresh parsley, finely chopped.
• Add some crumbled/shredded feta cheese (the closest thing you can get to the amazing Macedonian сирење (sirenje) to top it off.
• Prepare yourself for one amazing salad. And make sure you have some delicious fresh baked bread to sop up the juice at the end.

It sounds so simple, right?  Well, almost all of our volunteers will agree it is one of the best things Macedonian cuisine has to offer.  Give it a try, and while you make it and eat it, pray for those here who don't yet know Christ as their savior.

Sarma = YUM!!!

One of my absolute favorite Macedonian specialties is sarma, stuffed cabbage leaves. It's not something that ever sounded appetizing to me, and the first time I was invited over to someone's house to eat it, I was a little nervous. I am not really a sauerkraut girl. Brian is a Yankee of Polish decent so, I knew for certain (from Easter dinners) that I could stomach soured cabbage, but it is certainly not something I craved. The Macedonian version of soured cabbage leaves stuffed with meat is INCREDIBLE! You have to give it a try. It's worth the time and effort-trust me.

Macedonian Sarma

1 large head of brined cabbage (see below)
2 lbs. grounded meat (beef or combination of beef and pork)
1 cup rice
2 medium onions chopped
2 tablespoons of flour
1 tablespoon of paprika
cooking oil
water, liquid from the brined cabbage or vegetable soup
1 tablespoon chicken boullion
salt and pepper

First saute the onions in oil about 2 minutes. Add the meat and saute until the meat is cooked. Add the rice and cook about 5-10 minutes. Add salt, pepper and boullion. The rice should be half cooked. Take out the leaves from the cabbage and cut the thick parts from the leaf. Add the filling onto the leaf and wrap it while you tuck in the ends of the leaf. Cut the thick parts from the leaves and all the leaves that are left. Into a deep pot, place the cut cabbage leaves then the meat-filled leaves (sarmas), than again cabbage leaves then rolled leaves until all is gone (you should finish with cut leaves) into a deep pot. When you're putting the sarmas try to put them as close to one another as you can so that they won't unwrap. Add the water, liquid from the brined cabbage or vegetable soup until the sarmas are covered. Add little salt and pepper. Now, if you're baking it, close the pot with lid than bake it for 2 hours at 350 C. If you're cooking it onto stove, close the pot with plate and onto the plate place something heavy (at my home we're having a river rock which is used only for that purpose). If you don't do this there's a chance that the sarmas will unwrap when it comes to a boil. Cook it for about 2 hours. After 2 hours take out the pot and remove the lid or the plate. In a pan add about 6 tablespoons oil then fry the flour until golden. Than add the paprika. Add this into the sarmas, than cook it (open pot this time) for about 5 minutes. Try it and you'll see that it's worth the effort.

This recipe was taken from: http://macedonianfood.blogspot.com/2009/01/sarma.html

I am not real sure where you can get a head of brined cabbage in the states, but you can always make your own like this: 
Boil a head of cabbage for about 10 minutes in a mixture of water and vinegar. As the leaves soften, gently peel them away, cut them free, and lay them flat. It's important that they not tear, so be gentle.