Skip to main content

Macedonia

Tucked behind Albania and just north of Greece is Macedonia. It's a little country that rarely makes the news. The food is similar to Greek and Bulgarian and it's delicious.

I was quite ambitious and made Tavce Gravce, Shopska Salata, and Baklava.

Tavce Gravce is a traditional dish and every family has their own variation. It's essentially baked bean colored with a large amount of paprika. I served it along side grilled polish sausage. Shopska Salata is the Macedonian version of feta, tomato and cucumber salad. Super simple but amazing if you use really excellent quality olive oil and red wine vinegar. My Bakalava was a cardamon/fig version and wonderful. I used less sugar for the sherbet (sugar syrup poured over the top at the end) and it was wonderful. Didn't even have the my-teeth-are-going-to-fall-out sensation that I usually have with the sweetness of traditional baklava. 

 We invited friends and laughed and ate and drank and enjoyed the meal. 

 Tavce Gravce
H's Rating: Solid 8 (probably  because I knew how much work was involved)
T's Rating: 7-7.5
Toddler M's Rating: 6
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Micronesia

Micronesia is a federation of small islands that includes Guam, Wake Island, Marshall Island and a few others. There doesn't appear to be a distinctly "Micronesian Cuisine" but there are some notable dishes from the individual islands. I chose Chicken Kelaguen which comes to us from Guam.  The dish is found anywhere you can find Guamanians, they love it and I do too. To be classified as "authentic" one must make the finadene marinade and BBQ the chicken after it has marinated overnight. (Some sources say to use a store bought rotisserie chicken and recommended Costco.--Yeah, I love that chicken too, but last time I checked, there were no Costcos in Micronesia.) Finadene 1 cup soy sauce 1 cup lemon juice 1 bunch of green onions (chopped) 5 hot red peppers (I used dried peppers) Chicken Kelaguen Naan bread (lightly grilled) 1 whole chicken 1/4 cup lemon juice 1 coconut 1 bunch green onions (chopped) 5 hot red peppers (chopped) salt and peppe...
1 comment
Read more

Equatorial Guinea

 (Yeah, I didn't know it was a country either) The dish tonight = chicken with peanut butter sauce and boiled plantains. If you're looking for a non-traditional/non-American carb, grab a plantain. They pack a punch.  They're deceptively starchy and bland. However, if you're hungry and you're in need of carbohydrate replenishment, they're amazing.  They're also pretty good as a side dish to a chicken peanut butter stew. The dish tonight was interesting. The relationship between peanut butter, tomatoes and oregano was incredible. It was a beautiful polygamous marriage that actually worked. Rating: 7 out of 10 [Note to self: Do not overestimate the power of a habeñero. Even though this is the devil pepper the entire thing is warranted in this recipe. Leave some out and you'll regret it.]
Post a Comment
Read more

Samoa

Samoa is a little island in the Pacific Ocean about 3,200 kilometers north of New Zealand. Lonely Planet calls it the place where "emerald shores meet azure waters." Sounds pretty much like every other island in the Pacific. We chose to make Masi Samoa which are coconut cookies. Please do not confuse these with the Girl Scout "Samoa" cookie. They are not  the same thing. At all.  The best part of this recipe is the way your house smells while the cookies are baking. The 4 year old walked into the kitchen just as the cookies were finishing up in the oven and proclaimed, " Hmmmm ça sent très bon !!" (It smells very good!).  Apparently these cookies come in neatly piled stacks tied with ribbon on the streets of Samoa. Whenever we make our way there I will gladly pick them up and devour them as fast as possible.  They're a cross between a shortbread cookie and a scone. Although delicious as they were, we found that slathering them with nutella ...
Post a Comment
Read more