Easter is characterised with certain food and rituals. In Orthodox tradition, these are the sweet bread and dyed eggs. In Bulgaria, Kozunak, the traditional, braided, sweet bread, symbolising the body of Christ, is a necessary item of the Easter table everywhere. Here is how we make it.
Traditionally, the Easer festive dinner starts with fresh green salad. There is only one important thing in preparing green salad - drying the lettuce leaves before tossing them, because the extra water will dilute the dressing.
When it comes to cooking stinging nettle, the maxim "no pain, no gain" is totally valid in the kitchen. That is, of course, if you, like me, do not follow the popular advice of using latex gloves when handling the nettles. My fingertips are numb from the tiny needles but the dish is totally worth it. Today, I made a quick and easy appetizer.
Pelmeni are the Russian equivalent of the Italian ravioli and the Chinese dumplings. Actually, almost every cuisine has it's version of dough balls stuffed with sweet or savory filling. The word pelmeni literary means "ear bread." Back in the days, peasant women in Siberia used to make hundreds of pelmeni, stuff them into canvas bags, and hang them outside to freeze.
It has been snowing all day today and I couldn't help thinking about the summer with a little bit of nostalgia. I decided to perk myself up by cooking a dish I enjoyed very much during my vacation in Afythos - Shrimp Saganaki. The word saganaki refers to the single-serving frying-pan it is cooked in. I do not own such dish, so I cooked it in shallow ramekins. Here it is.
