YanaKhan's cook - book :)

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Jade Rose
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Re: Elcida's cook - book :)

Post by Jade Rose »

You've got great recipes Yana! :)

I'm so glad you've put the Banitsa, I've been meaning to look for it (along wight he bougatsa if I remember correctly, but that's like the greek equivalent hehe) but here you have posted one! Saves me time haha. Thanks so much!

I also want to try the Kyufteta, looks yummy. =9
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YanaKhan
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Re: Elcida's cook - book :)

Post by YanaKhan »

I'm very glad you like it :) Greek and Bulgarian kitchen are quite similar and you can't really tell which meal came from Bulgaria or Greece first. The same with Serbia, Macedonia and the other Balkan countries. There are some foods that originated in the particular country like the feta cheese in Greece and the white cheese in Bulgaria (slightly different, but if you tried both you can definitely find difference). Turkey is famous for it's sweet things, Serbia with it's grilled foods and so on.
So, I really hope you like it and please share your results. :)
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Jade Rose
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Re: Elcida's cook - book :)

Post by Jade Rose »

YanaKhan wrote:I'm very glad you like it :) Greek and Bulgarian kitchen are quite similar and you can't really tell which meal came from Bulgaria or Greece first. The same with Serbia, Macedonia and the other Balkan countries. There are some foods that originated in the particular country like the feta cheese in Greece and the white cheese in Bulgaria (slightly different, but if you tried both you can definitely find difference). Turkey is famous for it's sweet things, Serbia with it's grilled foods and so on.
So, I really hope you like it and please share your results. :)
Ohh yes, I'll make sure to do that! Gives me a chance to practice food photography too hehe. Hopefully when school and work becomes a bit more bearable then I'll have time to cook those recipes. :)
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YanaKhan
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Re: Elcida's cook - book :)

Post by YanaKhan »

Here's another on of my easy - lazy meals in no time :)
Mackerel in the oven

I personally love mackerel, but you can cook any fish you like the same way.
You need: 2 not too large mackerels
1 onion
50 gr vegetable oil
1 lemon
thyme
baking paper

I usually buy mackerel that has been cleaned of the entrails, but if you buy whole ones, just clean them. You needn't cut the heads or tails, just leave it like this and then before you eat, just remove them.
The fish needs to be wrapped in the paper, so cover a large baking dish with it and put the fish on top. Pour the vegetable oil on the fish. Cut the lemon and the onion in rings and place on top of the fish. Sprinkle thyme on top of it all and wrap in the paper. Make sure there are no openings. Bake in the oven for about 30 - 40 minutes at 200 degrees.
Serve with potato mash, boiled potatoes, salad or whatever you like.
Can't find a picture of this particular way of cooking fish, so I'll make sure to take a picture next time I'm cooking it.
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YanaKhan
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Re: Elcida's cook - book :)

Post by YanaKhan »

It's been a while. And it's almost spring, so I'm going to post my favorite salad recipe :) It's fantastic when you have a drink or for dinner. So here we go: Shepherd's salad
You need:
4 tomatoes
1 кcucumber
1 red onion
100 gr mushrooms
2 capsicums
50 gr white or feta cheese
150 gr ham
50 gr mature cheddar cheese
1 hard boiled egg
olive oil and vinegar for the dressing
5 olives
Making:
Cut the tomatoes, onion, cucumbers, capsicums and mushrooms and mix in a large bowl. Cut the ham in small cubes and add to the salad. Grete the cheeses and the egg and sprinkle on top. Dress with the olive oil and vinegar and add some salt. Put the olives on top. In some recipes you need to bake the capsicums first, but personally, I like them raw.
The salad should look like this:
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YanaKhan
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Re: Elcida's cook - book :)

Post by YanaKhan »

And since it's been a long while, I'm going to post another recipe. This time for a cake.
Yana's cocoa cake :)
You need:
2 eggs
150 ml milk
5 table spoons yogurt
1 tea spoon baking soda
15 gr cocoa
300 gr flour
1 tea cup sugar
rum and almond essence (if you have the real stuff, it's of course better).
1/2 coffee cup oil

Making. Just mix everything in a bowl with a mixer or blend it. Grease a baking dish and pour it in. The dough should not be too thick, you should be able to pour it in the baking dish. Bake at 150 degrees until ready. (if you don't know when it's ready, here's a little tip - stick a toothpick in the cake and if there is nothing on it, your cake is ready).

Basically, you can make this cake with fruits - use the same recipe just remove the cocoa and the essences and add oranges for example (or any other fruit). You could remove the almond flavoring and add bananas to the cocoa mixture. And another tip - before you put the dough in the oven, try and taste it. If your dough tastes good, your cake will too. I don't ever use measures (I just measured this recipe tonight) - I just know how the dough should look and after tasting it, I know it's going to be good.
I promise when I have more time, I will make a video on something I'm cooking.
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YanaKhan
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Re: Elcida's cook - book :)

Post by YanaKhan »

Hey everyone again.
Here's my maniacal subject :) I was thin all my life and I had some experiences that drove me to anorexia. It was a long time ago and I'd say I'm recovered (although there is no such thing as a "recovered anorexic") but weight-loss is one of my obsessions :) I gained 30 kg during my pregnancy and managed to lose it all after in a healthy way for over a year and here are some of my tips for weight loss without being hungry all the time.

1. Everyone knows veggies are good for you, but there is a special one that you can eat a lot of and is very low on calories. Beetroot is to some a thing they would never consider food. But grate it, add some vinegar or lemon juice and a teaspoon of olive oil and some salt, it becomes the greatest salad ever. And it has a little over 40 ckal for 100 gr. So that way you can eat a whole kilo and won't gain.

2. Mayo - that's the one thing I can't possibly quit. Like ever. But try making it home (if anyone is interested, I can post the recipe, it's really simple) and dilute it with plain yogurt 1:1. It's still delicious without being too fat.

3. Mustard. Now, I know some of you don't like mustard, but adding it to the mayo mix makes the taste less strong and it really is healthy.

4. Fried foods. I know in most diets it says fried foods are a big no - no. But let's face it - they are a lot more delicious than everything else. My advice here is to fry in a pan, not in a fryer. That way your food doesn't take as much fat and never ever fry in the same fat again. I know it's more expensive, but also a lot better for your stomach.

5. When making food in the oven, if it has meet in it, try not to put any oil. Just buy baking paper, add some lemon juice and roll in. Let the meat release it's grease. That way your food will be a lot healthier and not at all less delicious.

6. About your portions there is a golden rule - salad to meat = 2:1. Eat 2 bites of salad, then one bite meat.

7. Bread - yeah it sounds great to eat whole grain bread but I tried for years and it made me not wanting any bread at all. The solution here is a kitchen robot for bread. Yeah, it costs, but actually there are some models that aren't as expensive. And they are an excellent investment. And they make white bread too, not to mention it tastes a LOT better and costs quite a bit less. Trust me, whole wheat bread from a robot is as delicious as any white bread you have tasted. You can add seeds and nuts and make your bread just wonderful. And if you still don't like it - well, you can make white bread.

8. I personally don't really like sweets and never have a craving for it, but I know people can get mad about chocolate. My tip here is to smell cinnamon. It helps control the craving for sweet. And if it doesn't help - eat a teaspoon of honey.

i can't think of much more now, but will add again if something else pops to my mind :)
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YanaKhan
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Re: Elcida's cook - book :)

Post by YanaKhan »

Yeah, I see I neglected to post here for a while. So, here is my new favorite recipe. Mini croissants with pizza dough.
You need:
For the dough:

1 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees F)
7 gr envelope active dry yeast
1 teaspoon honey
2 tablespoons olive or sunflower oil
3 cups flour (depends on the flour, you may need a tablespoon or two more)
1 teaspoon salt
For the filling:
White cheese, feta cheese, jam, chocolate, basically anything you like, including meat.
1 egg for spreading on top.
poppy seed, sesame or flax seed
Making:

In a large bowl, combine the water, yeast, honey, and 1 tablespoon of the oil, stirring to combine. Let sit until the mixture is foamy, about 5 minutes.

Add 1 1/2 cups of the flour and the salt, mixing by hand until it is all incorporated and the mixture is smooth. Continue adding the flour, 1/4 cup at a time, working the dough after each addition, until the dough is smooth but still slightly sticky. You might not need all of the flour or may need some more. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth but still slightly tacky, 3 to 5 minutes.

Oil a large mixing bowl with remaining oil. Place the dough in the bowl, turning to coat with the oil. Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place, free from drafts until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.

After the dough doubles size, take a handful and make a ball, then roll it out and cut in triangles. Place your filling of choice on the wider part and roll.
1.jpg
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Place the croissants in a baking dish and beat up the egg and spread on the top of the croissants. If your croissants are with sweet filling, sprinkle some sugar on top. If you choose to have them with cheese, sprinkle some seeds you like on top.
Bake in the oven on 150 degrees until ready.
The final result should look like this:
2.JPG
They are incredibly delicious and I warn you - they won't last very long :)
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Seraphin
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Re: Elcida's cook - book :)

Post by Seraphin »

*Drool*

I was thinking we'd bake some croissants this week; this is perfect for our Friday Circle!

Thank you Yana for sharing!
Seraphin

If you have any questions, please feel free to PM me.
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YanaKhan
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Re: Elcida's cook - book :)

Post by YanaKhan »

You are very welcome. My husband actually says I should make these at least 4 times a week, but he'll get fat if I did.
I have a bread making machine and the dough program is perfect for this recipe. So if you have one, it's even easier to do. Please, do share how they turn out.
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YanaKhan
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Re: Elcida's cook - book :)

Post by YanaKhan »

I love homemade stuff. So, I am going to post how to make your own yogurt and cheese spread.
First you need some raw milk. I have no idea of where to buy it from, but the milk from the store won't turn into anything.
So, once you obtain the milk, boil it. Wait until it cools off enough so you can put your finger in it without burning yourself. Then you need some yogurt. If you can get some homemade one, it's the best, but from my experience, any yogurt that is the natural type works. So, put the milk in a jar (800 gr) and put 2 tablespoons of yogurt and stir well. Then put a lid on and cover in blankets (another way is to put it in the microwave without switching it on, but honestly, I haven't tried it) and wait for at least 4 hours. And voila, you have your own homemade yogurt. It tastes a lot better than the one in the stores and has no starch in it. But lasts for about couple of days before becoming sour, so don't make too much.

For the cheese spread you will need a cheese yeast. From 3.5 l of milk you will get about 500 gr spread. Again, I don't know where you can buy any yeast, here you can buy it from any supermarket. It's liquid. Again, boil the milk and wait for it to cool off. If you have 3.5 l of milk, you will need 7 tablespoons of yogurt and 7 - 11 drops of yeast. Pour some of the milk in a bowl and mix with the yogurt until it's even. Add to the rest of the milk and add the yeast. Cover with a lid and blankets. In about 3 - 4 hours you are going to have a yogurt type milk. Put that in a cotton cloth or lint and tie it and hang it to drain. In about 3 - 4 hours you are going to have a cheese spread that only needs salt (at taste). Add as much salt as you like, stir and eat :) This cheese in my house lasts about 2 hours :)
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YanaKhan
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Re: Elcida's cook - book :)

Post by YanaKhan »

So, it's summer and the time for more veggie meals. I am going to offer you two of my very favorite summer recipes. And here we go. First it's the Mish - mash. It has nothing to do with mash actually, in Bulgarian it means "mix - whatever" :)
You need:
1 kg tomatoes
5 - 6 small capsicums
5 eggs
300 gr white cheese
1/2 cup sunflower oil.

Cut the tomatoes and the capsicums in small pieces and stew them in a large dish with the oil for about 10 - 15 minutes until they become soft. Add the eggs and stir for another minute or two. Add the cheese and stew for another 5 minutes. The final result should look like this:
mish_mash.jpg
- not very nice looking, but trust me - extremely delicious and incredibly easy to make :)

The second one is Tarator - a summer soup.
You need:
Yogurt - 400 gr.
One large cucumber
Water - 500 - 600 ml.
4 Walnuts - grated
2 cloves of garlic - smashed well
salt - about 2 teaspoons (I don't really use much salt when cooking, so you may discover you like it with more salt)
dill - well chopped
2 - 3 tablespoons sunflower oil. You can skip that one if you don't really like oily food.

Peel the cucumber and cut it in very small pieces. You can also grate it if you like. Add the yogurt and water and stir until there are no yogurt lumps. Add the walnuts, garlic, salt and dill and stir again. Add the oil and you are ready. It's supposed to be served very cold, so keep in the fridge. If you grate the cucumbers, this is an excellent addition to anise based drinks like ouzo, mastika, Pernod and such.
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Nightwatcher
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Re: Elcida's cook - book :)

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Reading your recipes is trippy for me; I'm Bulgarian so these dishes are VERY familiar to me! XD
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YanaKhan
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Re: Elcida's cook - book :)

Post by YanaKhan »

Nightwatcher wrote:Reading your recipes is trippy for me; I'm Bulgarian so these dishes are VERY familiar to me! XD
Oh, then you know they are good :D And do you live in Bulgaria?
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Nightwatcher
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Re: Elcida's cook - book :)

Post by Nightwatcher »

YanaKhan wrote:
Nightwatcher wrote:Reading your recipes is trippy for me; I'm Bulgarian so these dishes are VERY familiar to me! XD
Oh, then you know they are good :D And do you live in Bulgaria?
No, in the US. I've visited once when I was very little but my dad's determined to bring me there again and show me around (to which I say yes PLEASE)
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