Ideas for Eastern European vegetarian recipes please

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diggernotdreamer
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Ideas for Eastern European vegetarian recipes please

Post: # 284943Post diggernotdreamer »

This months culinary challenge in the pub is Eastern European food, which I think is a pretty vast area. Can anyone give me an idea of what I could make please, I like to make vegetarian or fish dishes as there are a few veggies and pescatarians (like meself).

I am a bit stumped on this one so any ideas would be gratefully received.

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Re: Ideas for Eastern European vegetarian recipes please

Post: # 284946Post Green Aura »

I've already mentioned Lutenitsa on another thread, dnd. It's more of a way of preserving the gluts of aubergine, peppers and tomatoes, but by crikey it's good. Particularly with a sprinkling of a nice feta type cheese.

Tutmanik sounds fabulous although I've not had a go at making it yet. It's basically an enriched soda bread made with eggs, yoghurt and cottage cheese. I bet it would be brilliant to scoop up the Lutenitsa. :lol:
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Re: Ideas for Eastern European vegetarian recipes please

Post: # 284948Post tosca »

Here in Bulgaria there are some nice traditional soups, but for Summer (temperatures in the forties at the moment) Tarator is a favourite. It's basically like a very thinned down tzatziki that most people are familiar with. So, yoghurt (I use our own goat yoghurt), minced garlic, finely diced cucumber, Plenty of salt and pepper, a dash of oil. dill (I prefer chopped mint) water, depends how thick your yoghurt is.

As the Greeks have spinakopita, so the Bulgarians have banitsa, similar but made with any greens, Bulgarian sirene (Like feta) eggs, yoghurt and leek or onion(sweated) and seasoning Made either flat or in a spiral like a Cumberland sausage, with filo pastry.

Because we live in a rural village the food is pretty basic and with little variation. They think nothing of having rice and potatoes on the same plate with bread on the side. All meals start with salad, whatever is in season, sometimes just a plate of cucumber or tomatoes, maybe with an olive or two. Pickled in winter. Then soup, then a side plate piled high with rice, potatoes peppers and loads of rather lean and fatty meat, lamb, chicken, pork patties and sausage. Then some sliced meats, flat sausage, cured beef, pork fat and cheese cut with a crinkle cutter. Sweet is often a huge bowl of their famous yoghurt, sometimes with strawberries or figs in syrup, often just sugar, They can down that in double quick time, it takes us a struggle. This time of the year a huge pile of two different types of melon.

Because I don't eat meat I usually get a couple of cold fried eggs, but they have recently found out I eat fish so they will buy a bit of carp (sorry but ugh, has to go down with bread) We often get called in to one of the other of the neighbours and the table is set, so if you have eaten, tough. There is always rakia (paint stripper alcohol made from anything that grows) beer, often wine, luminous very sweet pop.. Rakia is served at any time in the villages, few drive.

Oh, and most of the food is cold, or at best luke warm. They can take hours over a meal, going out to see to animals or smoke half way through a plate. They are very generous and hospitable people who love to entertain foreigners, We are very lucky (if not with the food)

Sorry, I waffled!!!!

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diggernotdreamer
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Re: Ideas for Eastern European vegetarian recipes please

Post: # 284951Post diggernotdreamer »

thanks very much for taking the time to reply, I like the sound of all the veggie things, really interesting to hear what people eat in other countries, I like things you can pick at so anything in pastry is fab, I made Iman Bayaldi at the last challenge and it went down really well, so Lutenitsa sounds like something I would enjoy, I made a Turkish sesame flatbread to mop up the juices and it all got eaten up (didn't win though). I will let you know how I get on and what I make, thanks lassies

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