Bulgaria

Bulgarian Pork Kavarma Kebap with Shopska Salata and Potato Moussaka with Cheese

Oh, how refreshing to have a delicious meal after the atrocity that was Brunei! I made this meal on Monday, June 14 for me, my sister Sarah, my sister Betsey and my brother-in-law Cody.

There are three components to this dish: a salad, a pork stew and a potato dish. I originally only planned to make the pork dish (Pork Kavarma Kebap), which is one of the national dishes of Bulgaria. I later added on the shopska salata, another national dish, and in searching for that recipe, I found the potato moussaka one. I couldn't resist. I'm glad that I didn't. All three components turned out very well. I would highly recommend all of the dishes.

The shopska salata is a mixed vegetable salad that is refreshing and tasty. I used this recipe . Other recipes I found included cucumbers, but I did not. The recipe calls for Bulgarian feta and I found a European foods shop in Saint Paul called Kiev Foods whose website says that they carry Bulgarian feta; when I got there, they only had Romanian feta. Bulgaria and Romania share a border, so I felt it was close enough. This salad is easy and delicious.

The pork kavarma kebap was also very easy to prepare and also very delicious. I was a little worried about it because, where I keep all of my spices, some coconut extract had spilled. I thought that the Hungarian paprika was safe from this spill, but it carried a little bit of the aroma and taste. It didn't affect the dish much though. I followed this recipe to make this dish. It was a little heavy on the oil. I think that the recipe would still turn out using half as much.

The final component of this dish was the potato moussaka with cheese. This dish was so good (albeit oily!)! I was able to fins Kashkaval cheese at Kiev Foods, so that components was authentically Bulgarian. The cheese is strong, but good; it tastes like a strong provolone.

Shopska Salata

Ingredients:
-1 green pepper, thinly sliced
-1 red pepper, thinly sliced
-2 large tomatoes, thinly sliced
-1 onion, thinly sliced
-1/4 c. olive oil
-1/8 c. red wine vinegar
-1 T. Italian parsley, chopped
-salt and pepper
-1/4 lb. Bulgarian feta, cubed

Directions:
1) Combine the vegetables, sprinkle with oil and vinegar, top with parsley and season.
2) To serve, and the cheese and toss.



Pork Kavarma Kebap

Ingredients:
-1/2 c. vegetable oil
-2 lbs. pork, cubed
-4 leeks, chopped
-1 T. tomato paste
-1 tsp. Hungarian paprika
-1 tsp. black pepper
-salt
-1/2 c. water
-1/3 c. white wine
-1/2 onion, chopped
-1/4 c. Italian parsley, chopped

Directions:
1) Heat oil in a medium saucepan to medium high. Add the pork and fry until brown on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon.
2) Add leeks to oil and cook until brown.
3) Add tomato paste, paprika, pepper and salt. Mix well.
4) Add water and wine and mix well. Add the pork.
5) Turn heat to low and simmer uncovered until the sauce reduces (this took probably about 20-30 minutes).
6) To serve, sprinkle with chopped onion and parsley.


Potato Moussaka with Cheese

Ingredients:
-2 lbs. potatoes, peeled and sliced
-2/3 lb. Kashkaval cheese, grated
-2 eggs, separated
-1/3 c. sour cream
-1/4 c. vegetable oil
-salt, pepper
Directions:
1) Boil potatoes in salted water until soft. Drain and cool.
2) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
3) Mix the grated cheese with the egg yolks and salt to taste. Add half of the sour cream and mix. Whisk the egg whites until stiff. Carefully fol in the egg whites with the cheese mixture.
4) Grease an ovenproof casserole. Put a layer of potato slices, cover with a layer of the cheese and add salt and pepper. Repeat, making sure you end with a cheese layer.
5) Sprinkle with oil and the rest of the sour cream.

Right before going in the oven
6) Bake until brown, about 40 minutes.