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The Bulgarian holidays in early March inspired us to look for modern interpretations of our favorite dishes, or versions adapted to a healthier lifestyle. Three food bloggers with proven skill and imagination gave us fresh ideas for spring dishes that will make you feel right at home – only in 2023. Enjoy!
Let's start with a spring Rhodope-style patatnik (potato pie) by Petya Argirova. She lives in Germany, but her kitchen carries Bulgaria with her everywhere in the world. Petya has been running her food blog "It Smells Like…" for 10 years now, where she shares her 25 years of experience as a homemaker – "everything I've learned from great Bulgarian homemakers, like my mother and mother-in-law, and dishes from various European countries." She teaches cooking enthusiasts and makes cakes for special occasions. In 2021 she published a book of beloved traditional Bulgarian recipes: "It Smells Like… Bulgaria".
Photo: "It Smells Like…"
Spring Rhodope-Style Patatnik
Ingredients needed for a 28 cm pan:
7–8 thin phyllo sheets (banitsa pastry)
3 eggs
150 g white brine cheese (sirene)
150 g wild garlic
50 g fresh mint
800 g potatoes
1 onion (spring onion also works)
Salt and black pepper to taste
Hot red pepper to taste
100 g butter or fat of your choice
Method
Peel the potatoes and place them in cold water so they don't darken. Wash the wild garlic and chop it finely. Wash the mint as well and chop it finely too. Beat the eggs, crumble the cheese into them, and season with black and hot pepper. Quickly grate the potatoes on a coarse grater. Squeeze them well to drain off the excess liquid. In a bowl, combine the potatoes, wild garlic, mint, the egg mixture, and the finely chopped onion. Stir and season with salt. Melt the butter in the pan. Layer four of the pastry sheets, brushing butter between them, letting the edges hang over the sides of the pan. Pour in the potato mixture and smooth it out. Fold the overhanging edges of the sheets back over the middle. Add the remaining 3 sheets, brushing butter between them, and tuck their edges under the patatnik. Cover the pan with a lid and set the burner to medium heat. Time it for 20 minutes. At some point, lower the heat by a notch or two. The important thing is for the patatnik to cook slowly, so the pastry doesn't burn while the potatoes cook through. Meanwhile, prepare a second pan of the same size and grease it with butter. At the 20-minute mark, the edges of the patatnik should already be golden, and you'll notice the aroma. This means it's time to flip it. You can lift it slightly to make sure it's browned. Cover with the second pan and flip. If you don't have a second pan, use a lid and then simply slide the patatnik back into the pan. Time another 20 minutes on low-to-medium heat. Once the 20 minutes are up, turn the patatnik out onto a board to cool. Don't leave it in the pan, or it will get soggy. It's delicious both warm and cold.
Erma is a cooking and photography enthusiast. Her blog "Healthy Recipes with Erma" offers a variety of original and traditional low-carb and gluten-free recipes. "I believe we can improve our health by shifting to a more balanced way of eating," she says. Here is her take on bulgur-stuffed peppers – a delicious spin on the classic meat-and-rice stuffed peppers.
Photo: "Healthy Recipes with Erma"
Bulgur-Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients needed:
10 medium-sized peppers
10 tbsp coarse whole-grain bulgur
250 g beef mince, or 80% beef and 20% pork
1 carrot
1 onion
2 tbsp tomato paste
Salt, black pepper and parsley to taste
Olive oil
Method:
Finely chop the carrot and onion. Sauté them in 3–4 tbsp olive oil.
Add the mince and stir well.
Add the tomato paste.
Rinse the bulgur under strong running water and add it to the rest of the ingredients. Pour in 1/2 cup of hot water. Wait until the bulgur has absorbed all the water.
Season with salt, black pepper and finely chopped parsley.
Clean out the peppers and fill them almost to the top.
Arrange them in a baking tray, pour in two cups of water and a little olive oil.
Bake for about 30–40 minutes at 180°C.
Garnish with fresh parsley
Gabriela Tsulin gives us an idea for turning kozunak (Bulgarian Easter bread) into delicious raw sweets. She has been running her blog https://gabrielatsulin.com/ since 2013, and on it you'll find healthy low-carb recipes as well as treats for food lovers. In 2020 she published her first book – "50 Healthy Keto Desserts". She is also involved in food styling.
Photo: Gabriela Tsulin
Kozunak Truffles
Ingredients:
200 g kozunak (Bulgarian Easter bread)
100 g date paste
100 g dried apples
1 sachet RealFood Hydrolyzed Collagen, or 2 measuring scoops
Method:
Grind the kozunak into fine crumbs and mix it with the date paste and the collagen. Grind the dried apples into small pieces. Shape the mixture into balls and roll them in the dried apples.
Arrange them on a plate and place in the fridge to firm up.
