Fried Gyuvech

Traditionally, Bulgarian Gyuvech is oven-baked. My version is fried. I hope you enjoy it.

You need:

• 6-7 potatoes
• 1 onion
• 8 oz. of Crimini Mushrooms
• 4 oz. dried Wild Mushrooms
• 15-20 tender green beans
• 10 Okra Pods
• 3 red bell peppers
• 3 Garlic cloves
• ½ bunch of parsley
• ½ cup of vegetable oil
• A pinch of “Sharena Sol”

Instructions:

Pour the vegetable oil into a skillet and bring it to high heat. Peel and cut the potatoes in circles and place them into the skillet. Fry them for a couple of minutes. Add the rest of the vegetables. Bring to medium heat. Fry those for 5 minutes. Add Garlic and a generous amount of Parsley. Add regular table salt and stir. Cook them for 3-4 additional minutes. Dump out the excess oil before arranging the vegetables into a dish. Sprinkle with “Sharena Sol.”

Potato salad

You need:

• 2 pounds of potatoes
• ¼ cup a butter
• fresh parsley
• 1 medium onion
• salt
• sharena sol

Instructions:

Boil the potatoes in a large pot for 25-30 minutes. Peel them and place them in a bowl.

You may want to cut them into pieces, or leave them whole. Chop the onion and mix it with the potatoes and some salt to state. Warm the butter and pour it over the potatoes and the onion. Add the fresh parsley the very end. Sprinkle with paprika and/or Bulgarian sharena sol.*

*See it  in Secret Ingredient Category

Bulgarian Sharena Sol (Шарена сол)

The Bulgarian spice “Sharena Sol” is a mix of many local herbs and has many uses in different recipes. It adds a unique and interesting flavor to any dish.  “Sol” means Salt, but Salt isn’t a required ingredient. There are many variations on the recipe of “Sharena Sol”, particularly from region to region. My favorite is described below. That’s the one my mom makes every summer.
Ingredients*:

• summer savory
• paprika
• basil
• cumin
• fenugreek
• Optional: ground pumpkin seeds
• Optional: Sea Salt

If you decide to make it yourself, simply combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and mix thoroughly. This mixture is best created to personal taste so it is up to you which ingredients will be more, or less. The order I gave you is my favorite.

*The order of the ingredients are in order from most to least of that ingredient.

Russian Potstickers (Pelmeni)

Ingredients:

- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup warm water
- 1 1/2 tsp. salt,2-3 bay leaves
- 1/2 lb. ground beef
- 1/2 onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper

Instructions:
Sift the flour into a large pile on a clean surface and place the eggs in the center. Make the dough by adding warm water gradually, knead it. Cover it and let stand for 15-20 minutes.
In a separate bowl, mix the ground beef, the onion, and pepper, and ½ tsp salt together.
Working on a flour-dusted surface, roll the dough into a long roll, about an inch in diameter, cut the roll into pieces, inch and a half length. Form circles using rolling pin. Place a tablespoon of the meat filling in the center and fold the dough over, pinching it to completely seal the pelmeni into a small packet and turn the corners to face each other, making a small circle.
Boil a generous amount of water with 1tsp. salt and 2-3 bay leaves. Keep all the pelmeni completely submerged. Drop the pelmeni into the boiling water. Boil for 12 minutes.
Arrange with sour cream, or make a tomato sauce with fresh garlic and basil.

Meatball Soup

You need:

• ½ lb ground beef
• 1 carrot
• 1onion
• 1 tomato
• ¼ cup of rice
• 8 cups of water
• ½ cup plain yogurt
• 2 egg
• 2-3 pieces of fresh parsley

Instruction:

To make the meatballs, mix the ground beef, rice, 1 egg, half of a finely chopped onion.

Make small meatballs. Bring the water to boil and add the meatballs. Cook for 15-20 minutes and add the chopped carrot, the second half of the onion and the tomato.

Cook for another 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and wait to cool off. In a bowl, mix the plain yogurt, the second egg and the chopped parsley. Add as thickening to the slightly cooled soup.

Mish Mash with Eggs

You need:

• 6-7 large eggs
• ½ an onion
• 4-5 peppers
• 2 medium tomatoes
• ½ lb feta cheese
• fresh parsley
• salt to taste
• 1 tbsp. paprika
• 3 tbsp. of oil

Instructions:

Grill the peppers. Cover them in a pot for a few minutes to peel them more easily. Chop the onion and fry it in a skillet with the oil. Add the chopped grilled peppers and the tomatoes. Fry them until the liquid vaporizes. Mash the feta cheese and add it to the mix with the chopped parsley. Cook it for 4-5 minutes. Whisk the eggs and add them too. Cook for a couple of minutes.

Arrange and sprinkle with paprika.