Food

=Food - Spring 2008 Topic=

As one of the themes of our reunion in Romania was food, here are pictures of some of the food we ate there.

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 = Romanian recipes = = = 

Moldavian dish of fried pieces of meat
Ingredients: pork (meat), fat (oil), salt, pepper; eggs, salty cheese, maize; pickles

The pork (meat) is cut into small pieces. These pieces are salted and fried in litle fat (oil) being mixed from time to time.  The pepper is added. When the pork (meat) is well fried, the pieces of meat are taken out from the pan and put on a plate.  The maize porridge (hominy) and the fried eggs are cooked and put on the plate next to the fried pieces of pork (meat). Salty cheese is added. Everything is served with pickles. // ENJOY THE MODAVIAN DISH OF FRIED PIECES OF MEAT! //

SWEET CHEESE CREAM CAKE EATEN AT EASTER
For the dough: 350gr flower, 2 yolks of eggs, 85gr sugar, 20gr yeast, 250mls milk, 50gr yoghurt, 1 vanilla sugar bag, 50gr butter, 50ml oil, scraped lemon skin, a scoop of salt

For the filling: 1kg cow cheese, 5 yolks of eggs, 200gr sugar, 150gr raisins, 2-3 spoons of wheaten flour, 2 vanilla sugar bags, 1 vanilla essence

How to make the dough: using 50gr flour, 100ml warm milk, the yeast and a spoon of sugar you have to make soft dough which you must let it grow. After it grew, poor slowly the rest of the flour and start battering, adding gradually the yolks, the vanilla, lemon skin, the milk, the yoghurt, the melted butter, oil, sugar and the salt. The dough is good when it doesn't stick to the hands. Cover it with a towel and let it grow for a while. In the meantime prepare the filling.

How to make the filling: mix all the above ingredients and add a bit of salt.

After the dough is ready (its volume almost doubled) split it into 2 equal parts. Use the first part to make a round sheet and put it on a round baking tin which you pre-greased with oil.

Split the second part of the dough into two equal parts again. From the first part make a sort of dough-knitting which you will put around the dough sheet in the baking tin. After that, add the filling. From the remaining dough make another two dough-knittings from which you will make a cross and put it on top. Let it about 15 minutes in a warm room to rise, to yeast. After this, grease it with whites of egg whisked into froth and put in the pre-heated oven. During the first half of an hour bake it at small fire. Increase the temperature and leave it for about another half of hour until it gets rosy/ruddy.

When it is done, leave it to cool down in the baking tin.  


=Scottish recipes =

Tablet - a rich, sweet treat
200g condensed milk 50g butter 1kg sugar 1 cup of milk Vanilla essence (optional)

Bring the ingredients to boil slowly in a large thick-bottomed saucepan and stir regularly. After a few minutes, test consistency by dropping a little of the mixture into cold water (it should be like soft putty). Rem ove from the heat and beat with a wooden spoon until the mixture begins to solidify. Pour into greased trays and cut into bars.

Shortbread
250g plain flour 175g butter - at room temperature 70g caster sugar

Place all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and knead together with a wooden spoon or by hand. It is importtant to get the right consistency, it should comtogether into a ball but not be too doughy. Roll out the mixture on a floured board with a rolling pin until it is about 1 cm thick. Place on a baking sheet, prick all over with a fork, and bake in a pre-heated oven at 170c for 12 minutes or until lightly golden. Remove from the oven and slice up, sprinkle with sugar and allow to cool on the sheet. Shortbread is good with strawberries and cream or with cranachan.

For more information on Scottish food and some recipes go to [|Rampant Scotland]

Burns Night
is celebrated on 25nd January every year. It is a celebration of the life and works of our national poet Robert Burns. For more information go to [|BBC Scotland Burns Night] Doon Academy has its own Burns Supper. Click here [|burnssupperprog1.jpg] [|burnssupperprog2.jpg]to to see the programme. You can see some pictures at [|Doon Photo]Gallery.

=**//Bulgarian recipes// **=

<span style="FONT-SIZE: 120%; BACKGROUND-COLOR: rgb(248,163,42)">**//Bulgarian Rhodopean Moussaka//**
//**Ingredients:**//

3/4 lb lean ground chuck 1/2 lb lean ground pork butt 4 cups 1/2-inch cut peeled potato cubes 1 large onion fine chop 1/3 cup crushed garlic 3 large fresh tomato fine chop 4 large eggs (beaten) 1/2 cup feta cheese 1 1/2 cup plain yogurt 1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley 1 Tsp fresh chopped oregano or chubritza (see note below) 3 Tsps flour 4 Tsps cooking oil 1/2 cup chopped green onion Salt and pepper to taste

//**Instructions:**//

1. In a deep skillet, brown ground meat together in oil. 2. Add onion, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper, cook for 5 more minutes. 3. While this is cooking, mix eggs, yogurt, feta, and flour,well. 4. Mix ground meat, potato, tomato, parsley together. 5. Place in baking dish, and pour egg mixture over top. 6. Sprinkle green onion on top 7. Bake for 1-hr covered at 350 deg.Then 1/2-hr uncovered. 8. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

//You can use chubritza instead of oregano. ( much better ) Serve with a mayonaise based cucumber salad, and boiled carrots.//
 * //Note://**

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=<span style="FONT-SIZE: 120%; COLOR: rgb(250,168,51); FONT-FAMILY: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace">**Banitza - Baked Cheese Pastry** =


 * //Banitza is one of the most popular and typical Bulgarian dishes, more of a breakfast or snack thing than a main course. There are many shapes and varieties of banitza - with cheese, spinach or butternut squash, but the cheese one is the most common and famous one.//**

//Ingredients://

500 gr white cheese (you can use Feta although it is not quite the same as the Bulgarian White Brined Cheese - see below for info on how to purchase on the Internet) 1/2 pack butter (melted) 3-4 eggs 250 ml soda water pinch of salt**
 * 10-12 sheets Filo pastry (it is difficult to roll the sheets in the correct thickness, so I suggest you buy the ready made ones from your supermarket)

//Instructions://

Oil a medium size deep oven dish, cover bottom with a sheet of filo pastry, sprinkle melted butter, sprinkle crumbled white cheese, and continue layering filo pastry with butter and cheese. Finish with a layer of filo pastry and butter. In a separate dish beat the eggs, add salt, and soda water. Pour slowly over the dish with the banitza and let it soak in. Cook in a preheated oven (180-200 C) for about 40 minutes or until the banitza has risen slightly and has nicely browned on top. Leave to cool for about 30 minutes and serve. I like it with greek yoghurt on the side.

If you wish you can add sauteed spinach when layering the banitza.

=<span style="COLOR: rgb(218,138,7)">Shopska salata = = = //Ingredients /4-5 portions/: //

300-350 g red tomatoes 1 fresh cucumber (about 200 g) 1 small hot pepper 150 g white cheese 2 onions 4-5 green peppers 10-15 olives a bunch of parsley vegetable oil (about 1/4 cupful) salt

//Directions:**// Cut the onion in small pieces. Remove the stem and the seeds of the green peppers (raw or roasted and peeled). Cut them into stripes and then to smaller pieces. Chop the hot pepper. Cut the cucumber in four lengthways and slice the pieces. (You may leave it unpeeled if ecologically safe.) Mix everything, and add salt. Form a pile of the mixed products in a salad dish or in portion salad plates. Sprinkle with the vegetable oil. Grate the cheese over the salad to form of a "snow cap". Garnish with the olives and the parsley, to please your own taste. You may also sprinkle with vinegar.

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