Blackberry Syrup

Our summer here in northern California has been cool, which makes for a paltry tomato crop but a very, very happy bunch of blackberries.

I've picked so many berries for the freezer this year that I've run out of containers. Which means I was enormously pleased to come across this recipe for berry syrup from Jenn at Pint-sized Pioneering.

If you have just three cups of berries, some sugar, and a bit of water, you can make a jar of delicious syrup. So far I've made three batches (that's two batches, above).

Now if only I can find more room in the freezer . . .

Anyone else finding interesting things to do with excess fruit this time of year?

Tikvenic Tikva Banitsa or Pumpkin Pie

TIKVENIC......

Or Tikva Banitsa. There are so many variations on Pumpkin pie but by far the tastiest for me has been the village Tikva Banitsa.
Pumpkins are another veggie grown in most village properties. Great big patches of green lilly pads (thats what they look like) in the summer crawling across the ground up & along fences & in the grape vines with little peeps of orange poking through then in the autumn as the leaves die down you are treated to their secrets with nobly crooked or perfect round bodies littering the mud floors. Beautiful orange green & yellows all shapes & sizes, all squash here are called by one name, not like us who have lots of names for different varieties. This year I have grown the orange round pumpkins as a trial I managed to get 12 decent size fruits lots were lost or came to nothing. Next year I plan on many more & different varieties too, all very exciting for a novice like me. I am particularly proud as I grew mine from seeds of the pumkins I cooked with last year. My favourite thing to cook with them is soup & scones but banitza is my next recipe to perfect! So much more to the humble pumpkin than a haloween lantern, just what have I been missing all these years! & please if you are in America stop buying the canned junk use fresh!!!!

I have been given two recipes. One a scrap of paper where I have scribbled ingredients & a get on with it attitude which I was about to do. The other a new friend has sent me a recipe from a Bulgarian cook book with the oven times & temps on, so I am combining the two & this is my Tikva Banitsa!
I dare say this will be changed & variated over the years & there are many Banitsa's out there including a no pastry Banitsa I am determined to make but I need the round Banitsa tin as it's a well runny affair!

Filo Pastry
Sunflower oil or melted butter
Pumpkin chopped into small chunks
8 - 10 oz Sugar to taste Brown if you have it, if you do use less of it.
5 oz Walnuts chopped
1 tbsp Cinnamon
Honey optional drizzle it over each layer

Oil pie tin well

Cook the pumpkin in a little water or steam till soft, drain it well push out some of the excess water

Mash the pumpkin then add the sugar & cinnamon & cook together over a very low heat stirring till all the water has gone.
Cool.

Add the walnuts to pumpkin & mix it through well.

Layer the filo pastry & mixture oiling the filo on each layer don’t forget to drizzle with honey if you are using it!

end with a layer of filo & oil the top.

Cook in a pre heated oven 220c 425f till slightly brown then
180c 350f for 40-50 mins
Fan oven 200c then 160c

I cooked this today & got the thumbs up from my neighbours in fact they wolfed it down, so it must compare very well :D

Potato & Vermicelli soup or Kartofi e Fide Soupa

This simple soup is a firm favorite with the our friends in the village if you have any leftover Goat or Chicken you can bung that in too!
A very rustic simple dish that is delicious I love it & will be making loads this winter but without the oil as it will be a frequent visitor to my table.

It's actually one of my favorites & very filling so if your having it as a starter you may want to dish up just a little. As with most village recipes there are no fixed weights & measures its mainly done on knowing or if like me, pure guess work!!! It always comes out perfect. I would have this as a main or a light lunch with crusty rolls from Kaufland Mmmm If I have friends from the village for dinner it will be the second course after the salade then would be followed by a meat dish. I serve it hot but most Bulgarians don't eat hot food,  so you would be very fortunate to get it barely warm, serve it with Limontus although i have it with fresh ground black pepper :D

1 kg potatoes, Peeled & cut into small cubes
4 x Spring onions ( if like me you can't eat onions use Garlic instead)
3 x Eggs
Fide/Vermicelli
Handful Chubritsa/Savoury or Oregano
Salt
Oil For Bulgarian taste use Sunflower oil but you can use olive etc or if you want a healthier option it won't hurt to leave it out!
2 x Chicken stock cubes (if your using Bulgarian stock cubes leave out the salt)
3/4 tsp Limontus
Parsley, fresh if you have it

In a large pan of water bring to the boil salt, oil, & onions or garlic. When boiling add the potato boil until soft, then add the fide/vermicelli. In a separate large bowl whisk 3 eggs with the limontus (if you can get it) & add the chubritsa/oregano & whisk.

When the soup is ready add the stock cubes.

Take the soup of the heat & ladle some liquid slowly into the egg mixture stirring all the time,

 then tip back into soup & whisk.

Serve with limontus, black pepper & crusty bread!

Can use this recipe as a base for chicken or other meat soup just add precooked meat & bones to the mixture but I would recommend as is!!!

Simple Summertime Tomatoes

Some of us need recipes in order to cook, while others can take a handful of mushrooms, some leftover sweetened condensed milk, a wad of wilted lettuce and somehow magically transform them into dinner.

My sister's one of the latter.

This is her summertime dish, a delightful combination of garden tomatoes, onions, and basil. There are not many specific measurements here as, alas, she does not need them. So just do your best; add ingredients until it looks and tastes right. It's hard to go wrong with this, especially if you're starting with garden fresh tomatoes and basil. Bon appetit.

MATERS
Cut tomatoes into bite-sized chunks. Slice an onion into rings. Cut basil with scissors. Combine all, and add 1 T. sugar. Cover with balsamic vinegar and some olive oil (optional). Let stand a few hours on the counter so tastes blend and onion loses its acidity.

So how about you? Are you a recipe cook? Or do you have the gift?

Bourkanche krastavitsa e Otset or Pickled Gherkins

 Gherkins & peppers are a staple part of the Bulgarian diet always on the food table while the borkans are in the cellars & the shops are always full of the processed variety. Part of village life grow them then pickle them & put them on the table whenever anyone visits, these make up a messe with fresh laid hard boiled eggs sprinkled with paprika pepper. Mmmm I tell you we have a good life here! 
This is my village way of pickling & very nice they are too, you can add more sugar for a sweeter pickle, these are quite tart but go down lovely with a chasha of Rakia & a nice shopska salade

You will need.... per jar
Gherkins
5 cloves of garlic
fennel head
5 pepper corns 1 dsp sugar
1 dsp salt
5 dsp vinegar
1 asprin... optional

Fill jars with gherkins Add all ingredients & fill to top with water.
Seal jar & turn to mix all ingredients together. Stand jars in sun for 5 days & rotate the jars every day.
If you do not add the aspirin...... Place a cloth in the bottom of a large pan place the jars of pickles on & fill till jars covered bring to the boil & boil for 10 mins.
These pickles keep for at least a year longer actually, I am still eating the ones I canned last year & they are delicious!

Malko Godishninata Keyk or Anniversary Muffins

Its my Anniversary today so in the absence of my husband (who's working away in UK) & no outing to celebrate I developed this recipe & hope its nice!!!
The fruit is from my Garden

Malko Godishninata Keyk/Anniversary Muffins

230g Apples peeled & chopped
130g Plums large purple chopped
225g Plain flour
100g Caster Sugar
75g Butter or Margerine
3tsp Baking powder
Pinch Salt
2 tsp Vanilla sugar
1tsp Vanilla essence
225g Milk with dash of lemon juice or Buttermilk (I have never used Buttermilk)

Makes 10 muffins Preheat oven 200c

Toss chopped fruit in vanilla sugar.
Cream together Butter & sugar.
Lightly mix in flour, baking powder & salt.
Make a well & add milk mixture with vanilla essence, only moisten do not beat as you want the floury bits to make the muffin fluffy.
Fold the fruit into the mix lightly.
Spoon into Muffin cases
bake in preheated fan oven for 20 mins otherwise 25 mins
These muffins are best baked the day before eating as this enables the muffin to soften & the fruit to develop its flavour.
Enjoy xxx

Mocha Frappuccino

I post this recipe as a public service to all those former frapppuccino lovers who have been suffering severe withdrawal these last months after Starbucks changed its formula from icy, chocolatey, coffee perfection to a drink that, alas, while still icy, no longer tastes like either chocolate or coffee.

After much weeping and gnashing of teeth -- and yes, a few beseeching phone calls to Starbucks headquarters -- we, here at the castle, have moved on.

Ok, by we, I mean me.

Ongoing experimentation, aided by other bereft, recovering SB addicts (thank you, LJ), has yielded this recipe, which I happen to love. I hope you will love it, too.

MOCHA FRAPPUCCINOS
This recipe starts with a "base" mixture you stir together and keep in the fridge. When you're ready for your drink, you simply pop 3/4 c. of the mix into the blender, add a dollop of chocolate sauce (about 1 T.), and about 10 frozen coffee cubes, and you're all set.

FRAP BASE
14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk (about 1 1/4 c.)
2 1/2 c. double-strength coffee (for this, I use instant espresso powder mixed with water, according to the package directions -- about 2 heaping tablespoons in 2 1/2 c. water)
2 1/2 c. milk

Mix the base together and keep in the fridge until you're ready for your yummy drink.
Handy hint: My blender doesn't do a great job at grinding up ice. If yours doesn't, either, use your meat tenderizer hammer-thingie to smash up the coffee ice cubes before putting them in the blender. I don't do this on my tile countertops because I wish to crack the ice, not the tile.

Another handy hint: Any extra hot coffee Kahuna leaves in the pot in the morning gets immediately whisked away and frozen into cubes. If you want to lighten the coffee flavor, you can use 5 coffee cubes in your drink and 5 regular ice cubes.

Cheers.

Courgette, Marrow, Cucumber & Apple Chutney or Tikvichka, Krastavitsa & Yabulka Chutney

My Bulgarian friends don't have an equivalent of chutney & have no idea what it is. They eat bread dry with every meal no butter or marg, chutney or jam, Although they do know jam & their Baba's used to make it, but  they don't seem to nowadays.
This is made from garden produce everyone grows
I have masses of apples in my garden & I'm not an apple eater so I do other things with them as I can't stand the thought of them going to waste. Last year we fed loads to the neighbours pig but this year I was determined to do as much as possible with what I have. So there will be various chutneys, cake, Rakia & Muffins along with any other recipes I can find, I may even do an apple pie mmmm.
Anyway back to this......
This is my own Chutney recipe & packs a bit of a punch, if that's not to your liking leave out the Cayenne pepper!
I gave the small jar to my friends & they said it was very hot, not many Bulgarians like hot!!! I left mine stored for a few months & it was not hot

2lb Apples

1 x Cucumber

1 med Marrow

1 x Courgette or 1lb if you can only get tiddlers

1lb 8oz Onions

1 pint Malt Vinegar

1lb Brown Sugar or golden sugar

1tsp Salt 1 tsp Cayenne Pepper

2tsp Ginger, ground

Peel, core, chop the apples. Finely chop the onion. Cut cucumber, marrow & courgette/s  in half, scoop out the seeds & peel off skin. Chop finely.

Place apples onion & veg in pan with the vinegar & bring to the boil, simmer till its soft.

Add sugar, salt & cayenne, stir till sugar has dissolved & continue simmering till the chutney has thickened.

make sure you stir it occasionaly to stop it sticking!

Pour into sterilised jars with airtight lids

Sterilise clean jars by 1/4 filling with water & heat full power in microwave for 4 mins, I do the lids by boiling them!

Enjoy! 

Easy Pickled Garlic Or Vinograd Bourkanche Otset Chessun

Garlic is a much grown vegetable here in fact there is two growing seasons, summer Garlic & winter Garlic & they have distinctly different flavours this is my winter Garlic, as yet I have not grown summer Garlic. Again Garlic is grown in every village & I think almost all houses. I know my friends eat it till its gone & will have skin permiating of the pungeant smell for weeks then all of a sudden its gone! Me I like to hang it & use it all year as I can't eat onions I use this instead so I have preserved it in different ways & also use it fresh from my garlic plaits hanging in my kitchen.
I have been waiting for my garlic to dry for a while now & have had it hanging plaited from hooks outside my kitchen. Well I finally got round to pickling some, talk about lots of faffing,
Here is the recipe, but it needs to be left in the fridge for two weeks to cure so be prepared!

Whole peeled Garlic Cloves

Whole Chilli

Red Wine Vinegar

Salt

Slices of Red Pepper

To peel the garlic, first break heads into cloves then place in boiling water for 30 seconds, then plunge into cold water. Drain well & pop garlic out of casing, do this by squeezing gently from the thin end.

Now sometimes it wont pop out but it will peel easier!

When you have peeled your Garlic fill jars, Putting in one whole Chilli & some sliced Pepper, up to you what colour or you can mix it.

Put in one dessert spoon Salt in a large jar adjust for smaller jars & fill to top with Red wine vinegar, in Bulgaria I used the one with the red grapes on the label.& place lid.

Shake the jar/s to dissolve the salt & store in fridge two weeks to "cure".

This should keep almost indefinitely if covered & kept in fridge

Italian Grape Cake or Vinograd Cherven Grozde Keyk

Oh my goodness this is theeeeee best cake EVER!!!! Thats if you like grapes of course.

Our grapes vines are mixed with both red & white, sweet & dry. I use the sweet red to make this cake & it is gorgeous. Its originally from the Italian vineyard area's of believe it or not, Italy :-)
My mum gave me this recipe, its one she procured years ago on her travels there, when not many people had travelled to destinations outside England ooh many moons ago. I fell in love with this cake the first time she made it & it has been my all time fave ever since along with the rest of the family. So this is my mums recipe, made now from my own vineyard & it brings me lovely memories every time I make it. My husband never had it till we moved here as it was always my mums special cake but with our vineyard I had to make it, it's now his favourite too along with the Yabulka!
I hope you enjoy this recipe, if you like grapes then I guarantee you will adore this cake, it's really moist!

12oz black grapes

Heaped tsp baking powder

7oz Margarine

7oz Caster sugar

4 Eggs

12oz SR Flour

First you need to de seed the grapes, unless you have bought seedless of course!

Cream together sugar & fat.

Add 1 egg at a time with 2oz of the flour till its all mixed in.

add baking powder then grapes mix well to a stiff mixture

Pour into the greased tin & bake for 40 - 45 minuets at 180c or 160c fan

If not ready check it every 4 mins till it is cooked

serve this cold on its own or with cream or mascarpone cheese, Enjoy!

At the moment with no proper kitchen or storage space all I have available are these round tins but if you have a square cake tin this is best as you can cut the cake into squares, then it goes further!!!!

Vinograd Yabulka Torta Or Dorset Apple Cake

This is a traditional English recipe but I now live here & use village eggs & my home grown apples. I am not a fan of the apple as it is which is such a shame as we have masses & I would love to just pluck one & eat but ne dobre!
I have cooked many an apple cake here & it goes down very well with my Bulgarian friends so I proclaim it a soon to be traditional Vinogradian recipe  The recipe has been asked for & given to quite a few Bulgarians & is spreading round the region, the last one I took to a big celebration was talked about for weeks :-)
This cake is delicious on its own sprinkled with icing sugar or served warm with ice cream & cream if you can get it or make it! So, perfect with café, as a hot or cold desert or just a quick snack.
It freezes well to so if like me you have a glut of apples batch cook & freeze to enjoy all winter!

225g Butter or Margarine
450g Apples peeled, cored & chopped 1cm pieces
Finely grated rind zest & juice of 1 lemon
225g caster Sugar
3 large Eggs
225g SR Flour
2tsp Baking powder
1 - 2 tsp Cinnamon
Put oven on 180c or 160c fan
Grease & line a 23 – 24cm cake tin
Toss apple in lemon juice. I do this while I am peeling & chopping so it keeps its colour.
Using a hand whisk, cream butter, sugar & zest until fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time adding a little flour with each egg to keep it smooth.
Sift remaining flour, cinnamon & baking powder into the bowl & fold in.
Drain the apple well & stir into the mixture.
Spoon the mixture into cake tin, level & sprinkle with cinnamon.
Bake for 1 hour until well risen & brown. After 10 mins remove from cake tin & dredge with caster sugar or icing sugar.
If it starts to look a bit too brown while cooking cover with baking paper after 45 mins
ENJOY!!!!!

Rosemary-skewered Fish and Veggies

We swiped this flavorful bbq idea from Brownieville Girl, who blogs about food all the way from Ireland.

You simply use rosemary sprigs as your skewers, cut up chunks of fish (we used tuna), spear the little suckers alternately with cherry tomatoes, sprinkle with seasoning salt, and barbecue 'em up.

The skewers in the back are filled with garden onions and peppers along with the tomatoes.

Delicious. Thanks for the idea, Brownieville Girl.

Peach Nectar

In the epic 2010 battle over the backyard peach tree, with the teams the Castle Dwellers vs. the Stinkin' Squirrels and Blue Jays, I declare we Castle Dwellers the victors.

Exhibit A: We got canned peaches. A couple of batches. Exhibit B: We made off with enough peaches for a pie.

Exhibit C: Peach pit jelly. A minor victory as it doesn't include any actual peaches. But a victory nonetheless.

Let the record show we are not even presenting evidence for Exhibit D, peachy tart, for the simple reason we do not wish to condone the silly practice of peach blotting in any form.

Which brings us to:

Exhibit E: as in excellent. Peach nectar. So good you'll drink it almost as fast as you make it.

Take that, you lousy squirrels and blue jays. We win.

Ha.

You may cease your obnoxious squawking now.

SIMPLE PEACH NECTAR

My favorite way to use up an abundance of peaches, this is the recipe I go back to year after year. No need to can; you simply mix up a batch in your blender, pour into glass jars, and place lovingly in the freezer.

4 c. peeled, sliced peaches

4 c. water

1/2 c. sugar

1 T. lemon juice

Place peaches and water in large saucepan. Bring to boil and boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool for a bit. Place sugar and lemon juice in large bowl and set aside. Working in batches, whirl peach mixture in blender, then pour into bowl with sugar and lemon juice. Repeat until everything's blended. Stir well, then pour into glass jars and freeze.

Peachy Tart

Really, fussy little recipe from upscale food magazine?

After two and a half hours of constructing this orange juice-laced crust, a jam-liqueur glaze,

this pulverized almond, slowly-thickened cream center . . .

you're really gonna make me drain each and every peach slice on a paper towel then pat it dry?

This peach tart had better taste fine, is all I'm saying.

Mighty, mighty fine.

Flaming Omelet

I do love to play with my food.

So imagine my delight when I came across this book at a recent library book sale.

The Pyromaniac's Cookbook: The Best in Flaming Food and Drink (by John J. Poister). What could be more fun?

I'd never set my food on fire (on purpose, that is; the blazing toasted sesame seeds and the s'more pie's marshmallow topping hardly count, and I'd prefer we not mention those again, thank you for asking) until last fall, when I tried a banana, butter, and brown sugar number that you ignite with a touch of rum. Seeing as that was my first intentional kitchen conflagration, I had my son standing by with the fire extinguisher.

That experiment was a complete success, so it was with supreme confidence I set out this morning to flame my omelet, fire extinguisher snugly tucked away in its kitchen cabinet home.

I am happy to report that the flaming omelet was another complete success. All flames stayed in the pan where they belong. You'll note the lack of spectacular flaming photos because, well, I was a little busy there for a few seconds.

We have lots of these onions on hand at the moment, since we had to harvest them before the bunnies did. So I rejoiced to see this omelet called for onion. And also for blue cheese, which, if you check out this post, you will learn is a particular favorite of mine. I am sure, for the non-blue cheese lovers out there, you could substitute any kind of favorite cheese.

Now get out your little skillet, check the cabinets to see if you have any gin handy, find a nearby relative with a fire extinguisher if you're a tad nervous, and get cookin'.

Oh and please do not sue me if you happen to catch anything on fire.

BLUE CHEESE AND ONION FLAMING OMELET FOR ONE

about 1 T. diced onion (or green onion)

1/2 T. butter

2 eggs

2 t. milk (or cream)

2 t. water

salt/pepper, to taste

1 T. crumbled blue cheese

about 2 T. dry gin, warmed in the microwave for 15-20 seconds

Saute onions in butter until soft, but not browned. Remove to small dish. Add a smattering more butter to your skillet, if needed. In small bowl, whisk eggs, milk, water, salt and pepper. Pour into skillet and cook over medium heat until top is pretty well set.

I like to use the wooden spoon to gently lift up the edges of the egg as it's cooking, tilting the pan so the runny part makes its way to the pan's edge. If the center of the omelet is still too gooey for my liking, I'll poke a couple small holes in the middle to let the egg run down to the pan's bottom to cook.

When eggs are pretty set, sprinkle on the onions and the blue cheese. (Poister also added green olives and chopped parsley here, but I did not.) While top of omelet is still creamy, fold over, add the warmed gin, and light on fire. Make sure your wooden spoon is not still on the edge of your pan (ahem). Serves one. Deliciously.

Quote from The Pyromaniac's Cookbook: "The pyrotechnical display connected with flaming dishes does and should have a positive psychological effect on both the server and the servee. At the very least it should be a treat, if not a feast for the eye."

Additional note: If you check out the Amazon link to this book, you'll see a very sweet review written by the author's son.

Traditional Baked Rice Pudding with Bulgarian Twist

Mmmmhmmm nothing better in winter or like today on an overcast day warming creamy smooth rice pudding, just like Mummy used to make! Oh but healthier I will put both healthy & unhealthy, has to be done occasionally, recipes here. Unfortunately I can't have the unhealthy one as I have not yet found what I need although I can get a litre of full fat Jersey milk from our friend Gosho the vet. made it with this once & it was truly lovely, I am always looking to make better & creamier rice pudding here in Bulgaria its a challenge!
Years ago there was a milk churner that turned full fat milk into cream, my Mum had one! Well I am desperate to find one as you cannot buy cream here not dairy cream its all long life made from vegetable fat??? Oh My Goodness!!!! You cannot substitute that for the real thing, so I get cravings! When I get to go back to UK I must go to Cornwall & have a proper clotted cream teas or if that's not possible I will get one in Rye or Battle when I visit my mum :D Right that's settled lets get on with the rice pudding!
I have one in the oven right now, can't wait!!!  I am looking forward to my soon to be born grandchild coming over to spend time with Nanna & feeding them traditional English heritage puddings I have such fond memories of my childhood based around food. Both my Mum & my Nan were cooks & my Nan always used to say "This is what they give mad dogs" ie; it calms the soul :D & I have to agree with her.

So, This is what you give mad dogs.....
For a healthier option.....
2 pints Semi Skimmed milk; or for even healthier Skimmed
4 oz Pudding rice; or if in Bulgaria just oris  :D
4 Tsp Sugar
Vanilla Essence
2 tsp Cinnamon or to taste
2 tsp Nutmeg or to taste the more nutmeg the better for the skin !!!!!
You can use mixed spice instead if your not making a skin.


Pre heat your oven to 170c
Grease a pudding bowl or dish with butter or margarine
Wash the rice & mix with the sugar & milk add vanilla, stir it well, mix into this the cinnamon depending on how much you like this spice its just as good without it but I love it, so for me I use lots but a little will do just as well.
Bake in oven 30 mins then give it a good stir then bake again 30 mins & another stir. After the second stir sprinkle over your nutmeg, a whole fresh grated nutmeg is best but ground nutmeg will do fine too.
Now bake for 1 - 1 1/2 hours undisturbed. Enjoy hot or cold. Depending on what consistency you like
For a Bulgarian twist serve with Plum compote (see recipe blog all things Sliva) you can also serve it with just the plum juice so one day plums next day juice.

Once in a while recipe.......
2 pints of milk made up with... 1 sml can Evaporated milk then make up to 2 pints with full fat creamy milk
4 oz Pudding Rice
4 Tbl Sugar, you can stick to Dsp if you don't want it sweet
1 oz Butter
Vanilla Essence
2 tsp Cinnamon or to taste
2 tsp Nutmeg or to taste
You can use mixed spice if your not making a skin

Follow the same directions for cooking but dot with butter after all the stirring has been done, Enjoy!!!!!!
If the Evaporated milk is too much just use milk & pour a little evap over your individual serving.
You can also use single cream instead of Evaporated milk, hey whatever works for you personally I would try them all :D