Is there such a thing as a ‘banana bread connoisseur’? If there is, I think I’m one of them, as I’ve certainly consumed my share of banana bread, especially during pregnancy!!

This is a seriously good banana bread, adapted by Tana Ramsay’s banana and apple loaf recipe, the only difference being that I prefer pear over apple and enjoy the crunch of walnuts too.

If you’re planning a brunch or afternoon tea for your Christmas celebrations, this would make a lovely addition. Bake the day before and toast before serving with a knob of butter and dusting of icing sugar. Alternatively, you can always save this recipe for another day when you need to use up bananas and pears on the turn.

Be sure to have a gorgeous Christmas and New Year!!

Love, Suzanna

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Recipe

Serves 10-12

Ingredients
1 cup (115 grams) walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
4 medium-sized ripe bananas, mashed
1 pear, peeled and coarsly grated
2 large free-range eggs, beaten
3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated brown sugar
1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, softened
1 3/4 cups (250 grams) self raising flour, sifted
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
pinch of salt

Icing sugar to serve (optional)

Method
1) Preheat oven to 150°C and toast walnuts on a tray for 5-10 minutes or until fragrant. Once cooled, coarsly chop and set aside.

2) Preheat oven to 175°C. Grease and line a rectangular loaf tin (approx. 12 x 40cm).

3) In a bowl mash bananas with a fork or potato masher, add grated pear and mix to combine.

4) Using an electric hand-held mixer (medium setting), beat the eggs, sugar and butter until pale and creamy (approx. 5-7 minutes).

5) Stir in the mashed bananas and pear and sieve in the flour and other dry ingredients.

6) Once well mixed, tip into the loaf tin and bake for 40-45 minutes.

7) Remove to a wire wrack and cool in the tin for 20-30 minutes. Remove from the tin onto the rack and finish cooling completely before slicing.

8) Serve toasted with a sprinkling of icing and knob of butter.

Tips:
- Replace walnuts with pecans and pear with apple or carrot.
- Freezes well for up to three months.

I was the kind of child that didn’t care what others thought, I proudly took mum’s home cooking to school for lunch. This included anything from maznik, sandwiches with salami, feta and olives, or during winter I’d take a thermos of kompiri mandza (potato stew). To my surprise, I was the envy of my friends who were stuck with devon sandwiches…yuck!!

Similarly, Gjurgia, this weeks guest recipe contributor was called ‘fancy’ buy her school mates when she feasted on her mums Macedonian ‘French Toast’. The irony for her was that her packed lunch was a cheap alternative for her mum to make, especially since they didn’t have much money in the early days.

Although this is a breakfast dish, I’ve been know to enjoy it for a quick lunch or dinner. Unlike ‘French Toast’, this Macedonian alternative is served savory rather than sweet. So instead of drizzling with honey or maple syrup, its a crumbling of feta cheese. Try this for an easy and impressive brunch for friends, they’ll never go back to sweet French Toast again!

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Recipe

Serves 4

Ingredients
6 organic or free range eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup (180ml) full cream milk
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 slices of thick day old bread
Olive oil
Butter (optional)

50g feta cheese, coarsely crumbled to serve

Method
1) Combine eggs, milk, salt and black pepper to taste in a shallow bowl. Whisk with a fork until well combined.

2) Preheat oven to 180°C.

3) Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Dip 2 bread slices in egg mixture for 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side or until well soaked. Hold over dish to drain. Add soaked bread to pan. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes on each side or until golden. Transfer to a baking tray and keep warm in oven. Repeat with remaining bread, remembering to heat a little extra oil each time.

4) To serve, place two slices of toast on each plate and crumble with feta.

Tips:
- Depeding on the size of your eggs and the type of bread used you may require more or less eggs and milk.
- Also serve with slices of fresh tomato.

Who would have thought that it’d take me five months to find the time to start cooking again! Up until now I’ve been in survival mode, learning how to be a mum, and I’m sure you’ll forgive me for choosing sleep over cooking.

So the good news is that I’m back. I’m also totally loving being and mummy to my little bear, and the even better news is that like his mama, bebe Bastian has a hearty appetite and loooves to eat. And thank goodness, as it’s nice knowing that I’ll have some help eating all my kitchen experiments in the years to come.

Thought I’d kick off with a lovely recipe for these delicious Walnut Shortbread Biscuits. Anna, a long time family friend was kind enough to bake a batch when Bastian was born and I kept them in the freezer for unexpected drop-ins. And seeing that Christmas is just around the corner, I think they’d make a perfect Christmas treat too!

Bastian getting ready for a life of yummy village cooking

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Recipe

Makes 36

Ingredients
1 cup (250g) unsalted butter, softened
4 tablespoons (50g) caster sugar
2 cups (250g) plain flour, sifted
2 teaspoons (10ml) vanilla extract
2 cups (240g) walnuts, finely chopped (or coarsly ground with a food processor)

Icing sugar, sifted (for dusting)
Vanilla sugar (for dusting)

Method
1) Preheat oven to 180°C and line 2 large trays with baking paper.

2) In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy (I used an electric hand mixer).

3) Add flour to mix and use your hands or a wooden spoon to combine until smooth (5 minutes). Add vanilla extract, followed by walnuts and mix until well combined.

4) Take small teaspoons of the mixture and hand roll into small balls. Place on prepared baking trays, leaving a small gap between each biscuit. Bake for 30-45 minutes, or until lightly golden but not browned (turning and swapping the trays halfway through baking). Remove from oven and set aside for 5 minutes to cool slightly.

5) Place icing sugar in a bowl and cover the warm biscuits (one at time) with icing sugar, coat generously. Place on a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, recoat in icing sugar and lightly cover with a final sprinkling of vanilla sugar.

6) Serve immediately or store in an air tight container in the fridge for up to one week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Tip: Can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.

The lead up to Easter is a time of fasting, reflection and sacrifice, but come Easter Sunday, the celebration and feast is on!

As part of my families Easter tradition, in the early hours of Sunday morning, following midnight mass, we devour Baba Tala’s incredible kozinjak.

Kozinjak is a heavenly sweet bread that everyone adores, so much so that my cousin has renamed it kozin-’yum’! I like to think of kozinjak as Macedonia’s version of a hot cross buns, but oh so much better!

Baba Cveta, my grandfathers sister taught Baba Tala how to make kozinjak as a young bride. The recipe has been in the family for over 60 years and I’m extremely excited to be able to pass it on for others to enjoy.

Making kozinjak

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Recipe

Serves 16

Ingredients
Sponge (yeast mix)
3/4 cup (185ml) full cream milk
3 tablespoons (40g) dry yeast (or 6 x 7g satchels)
1 teaspoon (12g) caster sugar
1 tablespoon (6g) plain flour

Dough
6 large organic or free-range eggs, room temperature
1 1/3 cup (250g) caster sugar
2/3 cup (150ml) vegetable oil, plus extra for greasing
1 1/4 cup (310ml) full cream milk, room temperature
1 tablespoon (8g) vanillin sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
10 cups (1kg) white bread flour (‘00’), sifted, plus extra for dusting
3 drops yellow food colouring (optional)

250g raisins
1 organic or free-range egg, lightly whisked for brushing
Sesame seeds for sprinkling

Method
1) Gently heat milk to luke warm (blood temperature). In a small bowl combine milk, dry yeast, sugar, flour and mix until smooth (1-2 minutes). Allow to rest until double in size (7-10 minutes).

2) In a large bowl or pot combine eggs, sugar, oil, milk and vanillin sugar. Lightly whisk until well combined (3 minutes). Add lemon zest, plain flour and sponge (yeast mix). Use one hand to scrunch and knead the dough, while the other turns the bowl/pot. Continue kneading until the dough starts to feel smooth and moves as one (7-10 minutes). Dust the top with flour and make a cross using the edge of your hand (a tradition of baba’s to reminder us that bread is from God) and cover with a tea towel or lid. Allow to rest in a warm place until double in size (approx 60 minutes, depending on the weather).
Note: The dough should be quite wet, if it is too too dry add an extra tablespoon or two of milk.

3) Once the dough has risen knead for a further 3-5 minutes in the same bowl or pot, cover and allow to prove in a warm spot again (approx 30 minutes).

4) Oil a large round tin (40cm diameter) and line with baking paper.

5) Once risen, add raisins and knead for a further 5-7 minutes, scrunching and turning the bowl/pot until the raisins are evenly mixed through. Oil a large clean bench or table and turn out dough onto oiled surface. Divide into 3 equal portions, use your hands to roll and shape into long sausages (60cm in length). Gather at the top and gently fold over each sausage into a plait. Stretch out any sections that are thicker, so that the plait is the same thickness. Cut off the two end sections (these will be used for the centre). Shape the plait into a round ring and carefully place in baking tin. Combine the two cut off ends and roll into a sausage, then wrap into a knot and place into centre of the ring. Loosely cover with a clean tea towel and allow to stand in a warm spot for dough to relax (approx. 30 minutes).

6) Preheat oven to 200ºc.

7) Once the dough has relaxed, brush with lightly beaten egg (you may not need it all) and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

8) Bake for 10 minutes at 200ºc, or until the top starts to brown. Cover loosely with a sheet of foil and bake for a further 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 150ºc, bake for another 10-15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 100ºc, remove foil and bake for a final 15-20 minutes or until cooked through, test with skewer (approx. 50-60 minutes in total).

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

10) Serve while warm or at room temperature.

Tips:
- Eggs and milk must be at room temperature, if cold gently heat over a very low heat to blood temperature.
- If it’s a cold day, prove the dough in very low oven (100°C), keeping the oven door open.
- Freeze leftover kozinjak for up to 2 months and reheat in the microwave.
- For a smaller kozinjak half this recipe, use a smaller round tin and reduce the baking times slightly.
- If your eggs are not yellow enough in colour add 3-4 drops of food colouring.

There’s only a couple of foods I haven’t been able to stomach during this pregnancy, and one of them is mushrooms. Under non-pregnant circumstances I love, adore, and crave mushrooms, so you can imagine my confusion when my taste buds suddenly said “mushrooms – NO”. Why can’t I eat mushrooms?

After months of avoiding cooking them, I thought I’d attempt to make mushrooms again. Surely I’d enjoy them just the way my mum had always made them. Seeing her recipe is so simple to make and given the fact that David has been begging me make mushrooms for months, I gave it go.

So there I was, standing there with a beautiful looking pan full of deliciously golden mushrooms, determined I’d devour in a matter of moments, sadly it was quite the contrary, I just couldn’t do it! David on the other hand assured me that they were heavenly, I guess they must have been, considering he ate them all in one sitting!

Oh well, here’s hoping that post 13 June, I’ll be scoffing down yummy mushrooms again.

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Recipe

Serves 4 as a side dish

Ingredients
3 tablespoons (60ml) olive oil
450g mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
Sea salt to taste
1 small onion, thinly sliced lengthways
20g butter (optional)
Ground white pepper

Method
1) Heat olive oil in a large frying pan (med-high heat). Add mushrooms, sprinkle with salt and saute, stir frequently until liquid begins to evaporate (5-10 minutes). Add onion and continue to saute until the mushrooms turn golden (3-5 minutes). If you like that buttery taste, mix through a knob of butter and remove from heat to avoid burning. Sprinkle over ground white pepper and serve immediately as a side dish accompanying grilled meat.

Tips:
- Do not wash mushrooms, to clean use a cloth or kitchen paper.
- Fresh and firm mushrooms should not be peeled as the skin gives a more intense falvour.
- Store fresh mushrooms in a paper bag and never in a plastic bag.
- For another variation, try replacing the onion with a clove of crushed garlic.

If there’s one thing I’m going to miss about summer, it’s those juicy red garden tomatoes, especially the intoxicating smell of them gently blipping away on the stove.

So as the warm weather comes to a close, I felt it was essentially to celebrate the humble tomato, especially since I had a heap of tomatoes that were almost past their used by date.

I’m still baffled as to how something so simple can taste so damn amazing! The flavour is intense yet mellow, and perfect with feta and mounds of freshly baked bread.

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Recipe

Serves 4

Ingredients
1kg ripe tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar

100g feta cheese, roughly crumbled (optional)

Method
1) ) To blanch tomatoes bring a medium saucepan 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, stems and roughly chop.

2) Heat a a medium saucepan over medium heat, add peeled and chopped tomatoes and simmer until liquid has reduced (15-20 minutes). Mix through oil, salt and sugar. Add feta and stir through, then remove from heat.

3) Serve while warm with fresh bread and grilled kjofte, chevapi or kolbasi.

Tips:
- A great way to use up tomatoes that are too sloppy for salad.
- Freeze or store in airtight jars for use in winter.
- Leave out the cheese for a vegan option.

Firstly, a big thanks to everyone for your lovely pregnancy wishes – it’s wonderful to know how supportive you all are.

Cravings are synonymous with pregnancy and the one thing I can’t get enough of this pregnancy is salad, I guess I should thank my lucky stars I’m not craving a block of chocolate each night!

Here’s an exceptional salad recipe, which can also be prepared in advance for summer-time parties. It’s delicious served with grilled lamb or on it’s own.

This salad is also another that fits into the ‘Dave’s favourite’ category, so I often cook a big batch of sweet potato and onion, keep it in the fridge and quickly assemble for dinner or lunch. If your salad leaves are washed and ready to go, (I keep mine in a salad spinner) it takes less than five minutes to prepare, heck, it’s so easy that even David can put it together himself, and trust me, there’s not much he can put together in the kitchen!

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Recipe

Serves 4

Ingredients
Baked sweet potato
500g sweet potato (or kumera), peeled and diced
2-3 garlic cloves
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Caramelised onion
1 large brown onion, peeled and thinly sliced length-ways
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 heaped tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Dressing
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon water
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

100g rocket (arugula) and baby spinach leaves, washed and spun dry
80g goat’s cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons lightly toasted pinenuts

Method
1) Preheat oven to 250°C. Place chopped sweet potato and garlic cloves in a large baking tray tray lined with grease proof paper, drizzle over olive oil, add salt and pepper and mix well. Cover baking tray tightly with a sheet of foil and bake on high for 20 minutes. Remove foil after 20 minutes and reduce heat to 200°C, continue baking for further 30-40 minutes, turning the sweet potato half way through until lightly golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

2) For the caramelised onion, fry onion in olive oil over a low heat until softened (15 minutes). Sprinkle over sugar and fry for further 5 minutes. Turn heat up to medium and allow onion to caramalise to a lovely rich golden brown (5 minutes), add balsamic (1 minute) and remove from heat, allow to cool.

3) For the dressing, combine oil, balsamic, water, salt and pepper in a jar. Just before serving shake well to emulsify.

4) In a large serving platter arrange rocket and spinach leaves, scatter over baked sweet potato, caramelised onion, crumbled goats cheese and finally the pinenuts. Cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge until serving. Just before serving drizzle over dressing and enjoy with grilled meat or on it’s own.

Tips:
- Lightly toast pine nuts in a dry pan over a medium heat for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally until toasted and fragrant.
- Store left over caramelised onion in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to 4 weeks.
- For quick week night dinners, double the quantities and store everything in the fridge, then assemble each night.

With 2010 now behind us, I trust everyone had a joyous Christmas/New Year break and you’re ready for an exciting 2011!

Given I have an abundant supply of yummy garden tomatoes, cucumbers and chillies, I couldn’t resist making this years first recipe a colourful, yet traditional garden salad to enjoy during our Australian summer.

Shopsaka Salata is steeped in tradition and hugely popular in Macedonia and surrounding Balkan countries, namely Bulgaria. Often served as a summery pre-meal appetizer, this salad is somewhat like a Greek salad, but dare I say…it’s better!

The key to an exceptional Shopska Salata is using succulent vine-ripened tomatoes and crisp cucumbers and chillies. In-fact, I wouldn’t even bother making this salad during the off-season as the produce just isn’t up to scratch.

On a different note, tomorrow is the Macedonian Orthodox Christmas, and today is Koleda (Christmas Eve). So ‘Sreken Bozik’ to my fellow Macedonian’s! Remember, if you’re looking for a ‘Koleda Leb’ recipe, check out last years post http://www.villagefeast.com.au/2010/01/06/festive-bread-koleda-leb/

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Recipe

Serves 4-6

Ingredients
4 medium tomatoes, diced
1 large cucumber, peeled and diced
2 medium green banana chillies, seeded and diced (banana chillies are also known as Hungarian or bullhorn chillies, if unavailable replace with a green capsicum)
1/2 medium Spanish onion, diced
4-5 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Sea salt to taste
100g feta or Bulgarian cheese, crumbled (or coarsely grated)

Method
1) Combine chopped tomato, cucumber, chillie and onion in a medium bowl. Drizzle over olive oil and vinegar, sprinkle over a small amount of salt (not too much as the cheese is salty), gently toss.

2) Transfer to a clean serving bowl and sprinkle over feta. Serve immediately as a pre-meal appetizer with fresh bread to mop up the juices.

Tip: For a modern take on this old favourite, serve the salad in individual bowls or glasses – it makes for a cute cocktail party appetizer.

As always, December is a crazy time of year. Not only have I been busy getting ready for Christmas, but my day job as a designer has also been keeping me madly busy, leaving me little time to spend in the kitchen and post this month.

So here we are, Christmas Eve and the last recipe of the year, and what better way to end the year, than with delicious, melt in your mouth almond shortbread.

This recipe is an old family favourite from my mother-in-laws village Perovo. It calls for only five ingredients, and as it’s relatively easy, it’s a great one for the kids to help out with, especially if you decide to make some last minute Christmas gifts. In fact, a couple of biscuits placed in clean glass jars, dressed up with pretty fabric and twine would make a perfect gift!

P.S. Merry Christmas and thanks for following this year, God bless and see you in 2011! Suzanna xx

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Making almond shortbread

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Recipe

Makes about 50

Ingredients
200g almond flakes (or store bought pre-ground almond meal)
375g unsalted butter, softened (room temperature)
600g plain flour, sifted, plus extra for dusting
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
Icing sugar, sifted (for dusting)

Method
1) Preheat oven to 150°C and line a large tray with baking paper. Evenly spread out almond flakes and bake for 5-10 minutes, or until lightly golden and fragrant. Allow to cool slightly, then pulse in a food processor until ground (not too fine, otherwise it will turn to almond paste).
Note: If you don’t have a food processor, use tore bought almond meal.

2) Increase oven temperature to 180°C and line 2 large trays with baking paper.

3) In a large bowl add butter and flour. Use your hands or a wooden spoon to combine until smooth (5 minutes). Add vanilla essence, followed by almond meal. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead until well combined and smooth, but not too stiff or dry (3-5 minutes).

4) Take small tablespoons of the mixture and hand roll into crescent shapes and circles (approximately 1cm thick). Place on prepared baking trays, leaving a small gap between each biscuit. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until lightly golden but not browned (turning and swapping the trays halfway through baking). Remove from oven and set aside for 5 minutes to cool slightly.
Note: If you prefer use a rolling pin to roll out dough and a circle cutter to make the crescent shapes. I personally prefer hand shaping as the dough is softer and the look is more rustic.

5) Place icing sugar in a bowl and cover the warm biscuits (one at time), with the icing sugar, coat generously. Place on a wire rack to cool completely.

6) Store in an air tight container for up to one week.

Tips:
- Cover excess dough in plastic and refrigerate for up to 3 days. To use, simply remove from fridge and bring back to room temperature, then follow steps 2, 4, 5 and 6.
- Give as Christmas gifts, place a couple of shortbread in a glass jar and wrap with brown paper or fabric and twine.

Yesterday was the first day of summer, yet I’m still wearing trackie pants and ugg boots, so I felt my readers would forgive me for posting a ‘non’ seasonal recipe. In fact, my northern hemisphere followers may really appreciate this winter warmer!

Borania is village comfort food and it’s dead easy to throw together. Made with a can of sauerkraut and basic pantry staples such as rice, paprika and flour, this healthy soup is a great one to add to your repertoire for last minute dinners.

If you like meat, feel free to serve borania with pan fried pork and extra dried mint and chilli flakes, it’s a match made in heaven!

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Recipe

Serves 4

Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
Sea salt
410g can sauerkraut, drained
1/2 cup medium grain rice, washed and drained
1 teaspoon mild paprika
6 cups (1.5 litres) water, boiled

Thickening sauce (zaprshka)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 heaped tablespoon plain flour
1/2 teaspoon mild paprika
1 cup (250ml) water, boiled

To serve (optional)
Dried mint
Dried chilli flakes (or Bukovsko Biber)

Method
1) Heat olive oil in a medium pot (low-medium heat). Add onion and season with salt, saute until translucent (5-7 minutes). Increase heat slightly, add sauerkraut and stir until liquid evaporates (3-5 minutes). Add washed rice, stir to coat (1 minute). Sprinkle over paprika, stir through until fragrant (1 minute). Add hot water, reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered (10 minutes).

2) Meanwhile, prepare the thickening sauce. Heat a small saucepan over medium heat, add olive oil then flour and stir frequently with a wooden spoon, being careful not to burn the flour (3-5 minutes). When the flour starts to smell like it’s cooking do the sizzle test by dropping a tiny amount of the flour into simmering soup, if it sizzles it’s ready, if not, continue cooking flour for another minute and test again. Turn down heat and stir through paprika, pour in 1/3 of the hot water and stir vigorously, once incorporated add another 1/3 cup of water and beat again again until smooth and incorporated, continue to do this until you have a smooth slurry-type roux. Incorporate the remaining water and add the thickening sauce to the soup, continue to simmer until rice is cooked through (10-15 minutes in total).

3) Check seasoning and adjust with extra salt. Serve while hot, sprinkle with dried mint and chilli flakes to taste.

Tip: This soup is also yummy at room temperature.