It has always been a family tradition to regularly enjoy a warming bowl of fruit compote on chilly winter nights. Not only is it quick and easy, it’s also sugar and fat free!

There are no hard rules with compote, you can add whatever fruit takes your fancy, I like a combination of dried prunes, sultanas, fresh pear, apple and quince. Feel free to experiment, you may like to add dried figs or apricots.

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Recipe

Serves 2-4

Ingredients
3 cups (750ml) water
1/2 quince, peeled, cored and diced (optional)
2/3 cup dried prunes
1/2 cup sultanas
1 cinnamon stick (if unavailable add 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon)
1 pear, peeled, cored and diced
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and diced
1 Pink Lady apple, peeled, cored and diced

Method
1) Combine water, quince, prunes, sultanas and cinnamon stick in a medium saucepan, bring to the boil then reduce heat and simmer for 5-8 minutes. Add diced pear and apples, bring to the boil and simmer uncovered for further 5 minutes. Remove cinnamon stick, spoon into serving bowls and enjoy while hot.
Note: Drizzle with honey if you prefer your compote a little sweeter.

Tips:
- Fruit can be left unpeeled with skin on.
- For an easy dessert serve fruit without liquid along with double cream or custard.

Recipe

Serves 2 as side dish

Ingredients
400g can of white cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup black olives (I prefer Kalamata)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 Spanish onion, finely sliced lengthways
3 teaspoons dried mild chilli flakes
3 teaspoons dried mint
Sea salt to taste

Method
1) In a medium bowl combine all ingredients and mix well. Serve with fresh bread or grilled meat/fish.

Tips:
- This salad can be prepared ahead of time.
- Serve as a rustic appetiser along with fresh bread.

You’re probably thinking that I’m apple obsessed, as this is the third apple recipe I’ve posted in the last four weeks. You are absolutely right, I love apple desserts and I particularly enjoy apple cakes on cold winter days with a hot coffee.

With fasting being such a big part of the Orthodox religion and Macedonian culture, there seems to be an abundance of vegan and vegetarian recipes for a variety of sweets. This recipe calls for semolina, the gritty coarse particles of unbleached wheat with a beautiful yellowish colour, often used to make pasta and gnocchi. Using a relatively small amount of oil and sugar, this cake is healthy-ish and almost guilt free.
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Recipe

Serves 8-10

Ingredients
2 apples, peeled and coarsely grated
Zest and juice of 1 orange (juice strained)
1/2 cup (110g) caster sugar
1/2 cup (125ml) vegetable oil (e.g. canola or sunflower)
1/3 cup (80ml) water
3/4 cup (95g) self-raising flour
1/2 cup (90g) semolina flour
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup (75g) walnuts, chopped

Icing sugar for dusting (optional)

Method
1) Preheat oven to 180°C. Oil and line a rectangular loaf tin with baking paper.

2) In a bowl combine grated apples, orange zest and juice and set aside. In another bowl sift self-raising flour, semolina, bicarbonate soda and cinnamon.

3) In a large mixing bowl combine sugar, oil and water. Use an electric hand-held mixer to whisk until emulsified and the sugar granules dissolve (2-3 minutes). Use a spatula or large spoon to fold in sifted flour and semolina, mix until just combined. Add the grated apples with orange juice and zest, chopped walnuts and mix well (1 minute) .

4) Spoon the mixture into your prepared tin and bake for 45-50 minutes or until golden on top and cooked through. Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack.

5) Serve at room temperature with a dusting of icing sugar and a hot tea or coffee.

Tip: To check if the cake is ready insert a skewer, leave it for 5 seconds and if it comes out clean the cake is cooked, if it’s slightly sticky cook for a further 5 minutes and check again.

For many, Friday is a day of fasting. Although a summer recipe, this dish fits with today being Friday. Submitted by Leni from Illinois, USA, she has fond memories of her baba’s Vegan Baked Rice with chilli and tomatoes.

Recipe

Serves 4-6

Ingredients
5 hot banana chillies, seeds and stems removed, roughly chopped
3 ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped (blanch and remove the skin if you prefer)
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 cup (60ml) of olive oil
2 tablespoons sea salt
2 cups (440g) long grain white rice, rinsed and drained
4 cups (1L) water

Method
1) Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F).

2) Prepare chillies, tomatoes, garlic and set aside. Heat olive oil in a medium frying pan (medium-high heat), add chillies and stir frequently to avoid from burning or browning too quickly, fry until fragrant (5-7 minutes). Add garlic and tomatoes, stir through and fry for an additional 5 minutes. Add salt, followed by washed rice and mix well, remove from heat.

3) Transfer vegetable and rice mix to a 13 x 9” baking tray/dish, add water and bake for 30-40 minutes or until the water is absorbed and the rice is cooked. If necessary, add an extra 1/4 cup of water during baking if the rice dries out.

4) Remove from oven and cover with foil until ready to serve. Serve while hot or at room temperature with  a fresh garden salad (or grilled meat).

Tips:
- Banana chillies/peppers are also known as Hungarian or bullhorn, if unavailable replace with 2 capsicums and 1 finely chopped Birdseye chilli.
- To de-seed chillies, cut the top off and discard the stem, then cut in half lengthwise to remove the seeds and membrane, you’ll find a helpful image within the Rustic Fried Chillies with Eggs and Cheese recipe.
- To blanch tomatoes, cut an ‘X’ into the base no bigger than 2cm and no deeper than 3mm and place into a pot of boiling water no longer than 1-2 minutes. Remove from water and when cool enough to handle remove skin and stems.

With no sugar or fat, this recipe for baked apples is super easy, healthy and tasty too!

It’s a perfect winter treat and a great way to use up apples that are a little older and have become floury. Coring the apples is not traditional however definitely an option, you can even chop in half and remove the seeds if you prefer. I felt like being old fashioned and sticking to my families village recipe of leaving the apples whole. You’ll just need to remember to avoid the seeds when eating.

Once baked, the soft and mushy flesh is perfectly complimented with ice cream or warm custard.
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Recipe

Serves 6-8

Ingredients
6-8 apples, washed and dried
Ground cinnamon (optional)
Water

Method
1) Preheat oven to 180 °C.

2) In a medium ovenproof dish pour in enough water to completely cover the bottom of the dish and sprinkle with ground cinnamon (optional). Sunggly place the apples upright in the dish and bake for 45-60 minutes or until the apples are tender. Remove from oven and drizzle over the syrupy cooking juices.

3) Serve while warm with a scoop of ice cream or warm custard.

Tips:
- The length of baking will depend on the size and type of apples, test by inserting a fork into the flesh.
- During baking, be sure to check regularly and add more water if necessary to avoid the apples from drying out. If the apples begin to burn cover with a sheet of foil and/or reduce the oven temperature.

Although a vegan Easter recipe, I enjoy these biscuits all year round. The Greeks, Turks and other Balkan nations have similar recipes which are more biscuit-like. This recipe, although a biscuit is more cake-like and delicious!

Shaping each biscuit
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Recipe

Makes 24 biscuits

Ingredients
Syrup
1 cup (220g) caster sugar
1 1/2 cups (375ml) water

Dough
2 cups (250g) self-raising flour, sifted
2 cups (250g) plain flour, sifted
1 cup (220g) caster sugar
1 cup (250ml) freshly squeezed orange juice (juice of 3-4 oranges), strained
1 cup (250ml) light olive oil (or vegetable oil)
Zest of 1 orange (optional)
1/2 cup (75g) walnut halves
1/2 cup (75g) ground/crushed walnuts, for sprinkling

Method
1) For syrup, bring water and sugar to the boil, then reduce to a simmer for 10-15 minutes until slightly thickened, take off heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

2) Preheat oven to 180°C. Line 2 trays with baking paper.

3) In a large bowl combine self-raising, plain flour and sugar. Make a well in the centre, add olive oil and orange juice. Using a fork or your fingers start to incorporate the wet and dry ingredients. When the dough starts to come together, use one hand to scrunch and knead until all the ingredients are well combined and you have soft-medium dough mix (3-5 minutes).

4) Scoop 1 heaped tablespoon of the mix into your hand, insert a walnut half into the centre, roll into a sausage shape between both hands to cover the walnut and place on baking tray. Repeat with remaining dough and walnuts.

5) Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven, while still hot quickly dunk each cake into syrup with a slotted spoon, remove from syrup and sprinkle top with crushed walnuts.

6) Eat while warm or serve at room temperature.

Tips:
- These biscuits keep for quite a while as there are no eggs or milk, they also freeze well.
- Add the zest of an orange to the dough for a more intense orange flavour.

It’s Easter this week and I have made it my mission to post as many traditional recipes as I possibly can.

While fasting, a staple is homemade bread, but my baba’s bread isn’t any bread. Many (including myself) have tried to replicate her recipe and technique and although it tastes good, we just can’t seem to get it as fluffy. Everyone in my family agrees that no one makes bread better than baba. We all love it so much that we’ve lovingly named it ‘Baba Bread’. There’s no mystery about the ingredients (flour, water, yeast, salt) but it’s the technique that makes this deliciously soft bread a favorite.

Making bread is easy, it’s an ancient technique and I’d love for you to give it a go. You’ll love the delicious and sweet yeasty smell that fills your home.

Baba making bread

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Recipe

Makes 1 medium loaf

Ingredients
Sponge (yeast mix)
1 tablespoon plain flour
1 tablespoon dried yeast (or 2 x 7g satchel)
1/4 cup (60ml) lukewarm water

Dough
4 1/2 cups (560g) plain white bread flour (‘00’), plus extra for dusting
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 1/4 cups (560ml) lukewarm water

Method
1) Stir yeast, flour and water in a small bowl until smooth (1 minute). Allow to rest (7-10 minutes) or until double in size.

2) Meanwhile sift flour and salt into a large bowl and make a well in the centre.

3) Once the sponge (yeast mix) has doubled in size add to the centre of the well and some of the lukewarm water. Begin to slowly incorporate with your fingers. Gradually add all the water and as the dough starts to come together use one hand to scrunch while the other turns the bowl until the dough starts to feel smooth and moves as one (7-10 minutes). Every so often scrape off some of the dough stuck to your hand with a spoon. To finish, pull the dough from the outside edge into the centre with your finger tips until you have a ball. Using the edge of your hand make a cross on top (baba’s tradition to reminder us that bread is from God). Dust the top with flour and cover with a tea towel. Allow to rest for 30-60 minutes (depending on the weather) or until double in size.
Note: The dough will be wet and sticky, however this makes a very soft bread. For a dry dough which is easier to knead add a little more flour.

4) Oil a 20-24cm round cake tin and dust the base with flour.

5) Once the dough has risen knead for a further 3-5 minutes in the same bowl. To finish, pull the dough from the outside edge into the centre with your finger tips until you have a lovely neat ball. Turn the dough over so that the top is smooth, dust with flour and place into the oiled and flour dusted cake tin. Loosely cover with a clean tea towel an allow to rest for a further 30 minutes.

6) Preheat oven to 200ºc.

7) Bake for 10 minutes at 200ºc. After 10 minutes the top should start to brown slightly, cover the top with a sheet of foil and bake for a further 10 minutes. Remove the foil and reduce oven temperature to 100ºc and bake for a final 10 minutes (30 minutes in total).

8) Remove bread from tin and eat immediately or wrap in a clean tablecloth (or a couple of tea towels) to keep warm.

Tips:
- The wetter the dough the softer your bread will be. For a firmer dough/bread, add more flour.
- Keep any leftover bread in the fridge for up to 5 days and reheat in the microwave or grill.

Most cultures have their special version of the humble crépe, in the Balkans they’re called palachinki. Like other traditional recipes this one calls for a couple of basic ingredients, so you can make them at any time. Unlike the French who like their’s Suzette, I like my baba’s unique garlic and walnut dipping sauce.

If your not up for the robust taste of raw garlic, you can always opt to eat them plain with homemade jam or perhaps smothered with nutella and rolled up. Occasionally I go for ajvar (chilli spread) and a generous amount of crumbled feta…yum!!! However you like to eat your palachinki I encourage you to try this recipe, the combination of garlic and walnuts is really interesting and delicious too.

With lent in full swing, many Christians are fasting and eliminating all meat and dairy for a vegan diet. The last week of lent calls for leaving oil out too! Palachinki are a common staple during this period. Simply leave out the egg and milk (and the oil during the final week) and add a little more water.

Layer the palachinki

Enjoy the interesting combination of garlic and walnuts

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Recipe

Makes 6-8 palachinki

Ingredients
Batter
1 cup (125g) plain flour, sifted
1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 3/4 cups (440ml) water (or 1 cup water and 3/4 cup milk)
1 tablespoon (20ml) vegetable or light olive oil, plus extra for greasing

Garlic dipping sauce
1-2 garlic cloves, finely grated/crushed
1 1/2 tablespoons (30ml) olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup hot water

1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely crushed for sprinkling

Method
1) Sift the flour, bicarbonate soda and salt into a medium mixing bowl and make a well in the centre. Break the egg into the well and work in some of the flour with a fork. Add water, olive oil and loosely incorporate with fork, then whisk until smooth and airy (I use a hand held electric beater for 3-5 minutes).

2) Heat a medium non-stick frying pan (low-medium heat). Wipe the pan with an oiled tissue/paper towel. Pour mixture into a jug or use a ladle. Lift pan from the heat, then pour/ladle in the batter and swirl to spread to the edges of the pan so you get a nice thin, even layer (only ladle in enough batter to cover the bottom thinly). Set back over heat, cook for 2-3 minutes until the batter appears dry on top, gently peel around the edges with the spatula and flip using your fingers to aid (be gentle as it will tear easily). Cook for a further 2-3 minutes until golden in colour and flip one more time, this time the palachinka will bubble and puff up as the moisture escapes. Transfer to a plate and keep warm in a low oven while you cook the rest. Oil the pan before frying each palachinka.
Note: Stir the batter every so often to avoid a gluggy mixture, it should be consistent and watery.

3) Once all the palachinki are cooked, prepare your garlic dipping sauce. Combine garlic, salt and olive oil in a medium bowl and mix well. Stir in the boiling water and allow to cool slightly (3-5 minutes).

4) Quickly bath/soak each palachinka in the garlic sauce, place on a plate then sprinkle with crushed walnuts. Repeat the process and finish with a final drizzle of the sauce, a sprinkling of extra walnuts and a drizzle of olive oil. Slice and serve while warm or at room temperature.

Tips:
- To make this a vegan recipe leave out the egg and milk and replace with extra water.
- Rather than stacking, roll each palchinka into a cylinder and cut in half to make easy to eat portions.

I’ve mentioned lutenka as an accompaniment in many recipes (chevapi, kjofte, maznik, pitulici) so I thought it was fitting to share my baba’s (grandmother) recipe.

There are oodles of mass produced options available in select delis, as lutenka, or lutenica as it is also referred to is popular across the Balkans, but nothing beats this homemade version.

Traditionally made with only red banana chillies, I had a heap of green ones lying around that I decided to put to good use and it tasted just as good. If you don’t have banana chillies, you can always use capsicums.

Before blanching cut an ‘X’ into the base of each tomato

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Recipe

Makes 1.5 litres

Ingredients
2kg red/green banana chillies (also known as Hungarian or bullhorn chillies)
1-2 hot chillies (optional)
1.5kg ripe tomatoes
1/4 cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for storing
3-4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/8 cup (30ml) red wine vinegar
1/3 cup (70g) caster sugar
Sea salt to taste
Handful flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

Method
1) Wash, dry and grill chillies. Allow to stand covered for 20-30 minutes. When cool enough to handle peel, remove stems and seeds and thinly slice flesh, set aside. For detailed instructions see Grilled Chillies (Pecheni Piperki) recipe.

2) To blanch tomatoes bring a large pot of water to the boil. Wash tomatoes and cut an ‘X’ into the base no bigger than 2cm and no deeper than 3mm. Gently drop half the tomatoes using a slotted spoon into the boiling water. Cover with lid for 1-2 minutes. Carefully remove remove from boiling water and place on a tray to cool. Repeat with remaining tomatoes. When cool enough to handle remove skin and stems and place peeled tomatoes into large bowl. Using a potato masher squash the tomato pulp and then pass through a coarse sieve until only the seeds remain (this will take you 5-10 minutes).
Note: Passing through a sieve is optional, removing the seeds will give you a smoother and richer taste.

3) In a large pot heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and gently fry until lightly golden and fragrant (1-2 minutes). Add tomatoes and increase heat to high then reduce to a simmer for 15-20 minutes, stiring every so often. Add chillies, vinegar, sugar and salt to taste and increase heat to high. Stir and reduce heat to medium, simmer 25-30 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Taste the sauce and add more salt and/or sugar if required. Remove from heat and allow to stand for 30 minutes.

4) Meanwhile steralise 6 jars (250ml capacity). Wash the jars and lids in warm soapy water, then put them in a pan of simmering water for 10 minutes. Remove the jars (not lids) and place them upside-down in an oven preheated to 140°C and allow to dry for 10 minutes.

5) Add chopped parsley to lutenka and stir through. Spoon into clean, dry and warm jars, cover the surface with 1cm of olive oil (this will help to seal and preserve the lutenka). Clean around the rim of the jar, remove lids from water and dry with a towel then use to seal. Store lutenka for up to 6 months in a cool, dark spot.

Tip: Enjoy with chevapi, kjoftinja, maznik, pitulici and on fresh bread with crumbled feta/goats cheese.

The secret to beautiful tasting eggplant is two-part. Firstly, select firm, medium sized fruit with unblemished skin, rather than extra large ones with wrinkly skin. Secondly, it must be cooked until the flesh collapses and is soft and mushy, under-cooking it will result in spongy and flavourless eggplant.

Grilling eggplant is a perfect way to enjoy its flavour. Team with thinly sliced garlic and a scattering of fresh parsley for a quick and delicious summer side dish.

Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt before grilling

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Recipe

Serves 4 as appetiser

Ingredients
2 eggplants, cut widthways into 1.5-2cm thick slices
Extra virgin olive oil for brushing, plus extra for drizzling
Sea salt
1-2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
Parsley, coarsely chopped to garnish (optional)

Method
1) Preheat a griddle pan or bbq grill over medium-high heat. Brush eggplant slices with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt on both sides. Grill eggplant slices in batches, turning once until cooked through and the flesh has collapsed slightly (5-7 minutes on the first side, 4-5 minutes on the reverse side). Place the cooked eggplant in a medium dish, sprinkle the first layer with some of the garlic slices, tightly cover with a lid or sheet of foil to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining grilled eggplant, sprinkling with garlic between each layer. Drizzle the final layer with olive oil, cover and allow to stand for 10 minutes, this will help the flesh soften.

2) Before serving drizzle with extra olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt and scatter with parsley. Enjoy while warm or at room temperature with grilled meat or fish, or on toast with a good quality goats cheese.

Tip: Grill eggplant in half the time on an electric cafe-like grill (similar to a sandwich press).