Nothing could be more refreshing than a crisp cucumber salad – perfect for Australia’s sticky and humid summer days.

Served as a pre-meal appetiser with a ‘rakija’ if you so desire, or simply in place of a garden salad with whatever you’re having for lunch or dinner, I could easily eat this salad every night of the week during summer, and the beauty of it is that it only takes a few minutes to whip up.

The secret to a really good salad is super fresh and cold cucumbers, old and rubbery ones that are served at room temperature just don’t seem to have the same impact. The cucumbers I often use are from my mum’s veggie garden, they’re a long white fruit with thin skin that doesn’t require peeling (although I prefer them peeled), I think the variety is called ‘Armenian cucumbers’. You can also use nice fresh Lebanese cucumbers as most supermarkets don’t seem to stock the Armenian variety.

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Recipe

Serves 4

Ingredients
2 large cucumbers, peeled and sliced into thin rounds
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar (or to taste)
Sea salt to taste

Method
1) In a bowl add sliced cucumber, oil, vinegar and salt. Toss to dress evenly and serve immediately.

Tips:

- Use fresh cucumbers that are stored in the fridge.

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.

I have some explaining to do…there’s a reason why my posts have been a little sparse over the past few months. I’ve been feeling ridiculously tired, my taste buds have drastically changed, and to my surprise, some days cooking is the last thing I feel like doing! If you’ve guessed that I’ve got a bun in the oven, you’re absolutely right…I’m pregnant!!!

So beloved feasters, I hope you can forgive me for my infrequent recipe posts, and I hope you’re still happy to follow me on my journey as an eager village cook and first time mum to be. The recipe posts will continue, but they may be tad less frequent, and they may become a little simpler over the coming months.

In keeping with the theme of simplified cooking, I’d love for you to try my Mum’s lemon and paprika chicken, it’s an old favourite and perfect during summer on the BBQ served with a simple garden salad or taratur.

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Recipe

Serves 4-6

Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons paprika
1 garlic clove, finely grated
Juice and zest of half a lemon (zest is optional)
Sea salt to taste (or dried vegetable stock e.g. Vegeta/Massel)

4-6 chicken thigh or breast fillets, skin removed

Method
1) Combine olive oil, paprika, garlic, lemon and salt in a medium sized glass or plastic bowl. Add chicken and toss to completely cover with marinade. Cover and marinade in refrigerator for 2 hours.

2) Preheat BBQ plate/chargrill or large frying pan (medium to hot). Cook chicken for 5 to 7 minutes on each side or until cooked through.

3) Serve chicken with salad.

Tip: Leftover chicken is delicious the next day on sandwiches with green oak lettuce, tomato, bacon and aoili (see recipe).

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.

Kadaif or Kataifi is a curious shredded pastry, similar to a fine vermicelli noodle. Originating in the Middle East, kadaif is used to make numerous desserts and occasionally savory dishes too.

Often made with similar ingredients to baklava, that is, nuts, sesame seeds, filo pastry and sugar syrup, this ‘like baklava but not-baklava’, as a friend likes to call it, is delicious and relatively easy to make.

My mums recipe for kadaif is vegan and requires little fat. Once baked, the sweets need to be drenched in the sugar syrup and left overnight, otherwise the filling will be too dry. I recently made the mistake of not pouring enough syrup over, sadly the end result was too dry, and to my embarrassment I delivered a tray for a party…eeek!

Allowing the kadaif to stand overnight will ensure the shredded pastry absorbs all the liquid and plumps up, making a deliciously moist and moreish dessert.

Making kadaif

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Recipe

Serves 40

Ingredients
375g packet filo pastry sheets, thawed at room temperature for 2 hours
375g packet Kataifi shredded pastry, thawed at room temperature for 2 hours
2 tablespoons (20g) sesame seeds, lightly toasted
1 cup (250ml) vegetable oil
1.5 cup (180g) walnuts, crushed

Sugar syrup
5 cups (1.1kg) caster sugar
7 cups (1.75L) water
1 teaspoon vanilla sugar (or vanilla bean paste)
Lemon wedge, seeds removed
3 tablespoons (65ml) honey

Method
1) To toast sesame seeds, preheat oven to 150°C, place sesame seeds on a tray and toast for 5-10 minutes or until lightly golden and fragrant, allow to cool.

2) Preheat oven to 180°C and brush a large rectangular baking tray (or two smaller trays) with oil. If necessary cut filo sheet length to fit into tray snugly and cover with a damp tea towel to prevent from drying out.

3) Lay 2 sheets of filo on clean work surface with the longest edge facing you (cover remaining filo with tea towel). Working quickly, scatter over 1/10 of kataifi, sprinkle 1/10 of the walnuts and drizzle with oil. Gently roll lengthwise into a long cylinder, being careful not to squeeze too tightly, if necessary brush the exposed pastry edge with extra oil to seal, then place in baking tray with the bottom down, brush top with oil. Repeat with remaining filo and filling, to finish brush top with oil.

4) Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly golden, then turn oven down to 160°C and bake for further 30 minutes.

5) Meanwhile, for syrup, combine sugar, water and vanilla sugar (or vanilla bean paste) in large saucepan and bring to the boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until syrup thickens. Take off heat, add lemon wedge and stir in honey. Allow to cool to lukewarm (blood temperature).

6) Cool kadaif slightly (2-3 minutes), remove lemon wedge from syrup and evenly pour over 3/4 of the liquid. Allow to stand for 30 minutes, then turn over each roll, if still dry pour over extra syrup and refrigerate for 1 hour. Remove from fridge and turn each roll over again, checking to see if the syrup has soaked through, if not add remaining syrup and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (preferably overnight). Use a sharp knife to cut into equal lengths, approximately 7cm long.

7) Serve at room temperature with an espresso or Turkish coffee.

Tips:
- Kataifi shredded pastry can be found in the refrigerated section of select supermarkets and delis.
- Kadaif will keep refrigerated in it’s tray for up to 2 weeks, or frozen in plastic containers for for up to 3 months.
- Freeze fresh walnut halves in an airtight bag for up to 3 months.

Who would have ever thought that a fussy, borderline vegetarian like myself, would one day become a passionate foodie! My family never ceases to remind me that I only ate the most boring and unadventurous foods in my youth, like plain pasta, rice, potatoes and…my favourite…Maggi two minute noodles! It’s a disgrace knowing that I caused my poor mum so much grief. To her amusement, one meal I did enjoy back then and still do now, is her yummy baked chicken and red rice. It’s definitely far from being bland or boring, it’s actually bursting with delicious flavour.

I often make it with homegrown leek and free-range chicken, but you can substitute with brown onion if you can’t get your hands on leek. You might also try pork rather than chicken. The inclusion of sundried tomatoes is a recent addition by me, so feel free to leave them out if you prefer.

By making a big batch, it makes for a quick and easy reheat dinner, perfect for early Spring with a dollop of natural yoghurt.

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Recipe

Serves 6-8

Ingredients
8-10 assorted chicken pieces, e.g. drumstick, thigh and breast (or replace with chicken thigh fillets)
2 bay leaves
Sea salt
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 leek, white and light green part chopped, dark green outer leaves discarded (replace with onion if leek is unavailable)
8-12 sundried tomatoes, roughly chopped (optional)
2-3 mild dried whole red chillies, seeds and stem removed and roughly chopped (optional)
1 small red capsicum or 2-3 red bullhorn chillies, seeds and stem removed and roughly chopped
2 cups (440g) medium grain rice, washed and drained
2 teaspoons mild paprika
4 tablespoons (80ml) Italian style tomato passata sauce
Dried vegetable stock e.g. Vegeta/Massel (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper

Method
1) Soak chicken pieces in cold water for 30 minutes to remove impurities then discard water.

2) Bring 2 litres water, bay leaf, 1 tablespoon salt and chicken pieces to the boil, reduce to simmer for 20-30 minutes (10-15 for boneless pieces). Remove chicken pieces and cover to keep warm. Continue to gently simmer chicken cooking liquid.

3) Preheat oven to 250°C.

4) Heat a medium frying pan over low-medium heat. Add oil, leek and a sprinkling of salt, saute without colouring (5 minutes). Turn heat up to medium, add sundried tomatoes, dried chillies, capsicum and saute (3-5 minutes). Add washed rice and stir to coat (2 minutes). Add paprika, once fragrant (1-2 minutes) add tomato passata and mix through (2-3 minutes). Season with 1-2 teaspoons sea salt (or a dried vegetable stock e.g. Vegeta/Massel) and black pepper to taste.Transfer to large baking dish, arrange chicken pieces over rice, pushing down slightly to avoid the meat from drying out.

5) Remove bay leaves from cooking liquid and arrange over rice. Ladle over enough liquid to completely cover rice.
Note: Do not discard remaining cooking liquid.

6) Place in hot oven and cook for 5 minutes then reduce temperature to 220°C and continue to cook for further 25-30 minutes or until rice is cooked and chicken is golden. If rice dries out add an additional 1-2 ladles of the cooking liquid. If rice and chicken brown too quickly cover loosly with a sheet of foil.

7) Allow to stand for 10 minutes and serve while hot with a dollop of natural yoghurt.

Tips:
- Replace chicken with pork.
- For a vegetarian version omit chicken and use a good quality vegetable stock.

I have no recollection as to why or how my family came to call this delightful sweet treat ‘Queen Cake’. Mum claims that I have been calling it this since I was six or so….come to think of it, I do recall including it in my primary school’s annual recipe book and calling it ‘Queen Cake’…perhaps it’s because I thought it tasted so good that even the Queen would love it!

The irony of this is that my favourite cake in the entire world, may also qualify as the easiest cake to make in the world! Seriously, this cake is good and so easy that even my husband could make it!

Serve it warm with the optional dusting of icing sugar, or allow it to cool and spread with cocoa flavoured whipped cream and a generous scattering of chopped walnuts.

Making the cake

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Recipe

Serves 10-12

Ingredients
3 cups (375g) self-raising flour, sifted
1 cup (220g) caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla sugar
3 organic or free-range eggs, room temperature
1 cup (250ml) full cream milk, room temperature
1 cup (250ml) vegetable oil (e.g. canola or sunflower)
Zest of 1 lemon
2-3 teaspoons cocoa
1/2 cup (60g) chopped walnuts

Method
1) Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a 22-32cm rectangular tin with vegetable oil and line the base with baking paper.

2) In a large mixing bowl combine flour, caster and vanilla sugar, make a well in th centre and add eggs, milk, vegetable oil and lemon zest. Use a fork to mix until just combined.

3) Pour 3/4 of the mixture into the prepared cake tin. With remaining batter add cocoa and mix until well combined, stir in walnuts and spoon over plain batter. Use a fork to swirl through the cocoa batter. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden on top and cooked through.
Note: Check if the cake is ready by inserting 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.

4) Allow to cool slightly then cut into diagonals. Serve while warm or at room temperature with a dusting of icing sugar or a dollop of cocoa flavoured whipped cream.

Tip: Keep in fridge for up to 5 days.

The word strudel no doubt conjures up thoughts of stewed apples, flaky pastry and dusted icing sugar. Unlike the Austrian kind, this Bosnian ‘Poppy Seed Strudel’ is more like a sweet bread than an apple strudel, but delicious nonetheless.

The filling is particularly noteworthy, a ground poppy seed paste. I can hear you thinking, poppy seeds…dessert??? Admittedly, it took my taste buds a little getting used to, but after a few bites I couldn’t get enough of the curious but tasty filling.

Apart from poppy seeds, there are other Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian strudel fillings, such as walnuts, apples and cherries. I’ll hopefully have the walnut recipe posted for you all to enjoy in the next few months.

Making strudel

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Recipe

Serves 16

Ingredients
Dough
1 x 7g sachet dry yeast
350ml (1 1/3 cup) milk, warm
70g (1/3 cup) caster sugar
1 free-range or organic egg and 1 egg yolk, room temperature
70g butter, melted
400g (4 cups) plain flour, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla sugar
Zest of 1 lemon (leave a pinch of zest for the filling)

Filling
250g poppy seeds, finely ground (to grind poppy seeds use a herb or coffee grinder)
20g (1/4 cup) raisins, roughly chopped
60g (1/3 cup) caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla sugar
125ml (1/2 cup) milk, hot
70g butter, softened, plus extra for greasing

Egg wash
1 free-range or organic egg
1 tablespoon milk
Pinch of sea salt

Method
1) In a small bowl dissolve yeast in 5 tablespoons of warm milk. Allow to rise and double in size (7-10 minutes).

2) While yeast is fermenting whisk sugar, egg and egg yolk until just combined. Add melted butter and lightly whisk.

3) In a large bowl add sifted flour, vanilla sugar, 3/4 of lemon zest and make a well in the centre. Add sugar and egg mix, yeast and remaining warm milk. Use your fingers or a fork to slowly incorporate the wet and dry ingredients. Once the dough starts to come together knead in the bowl or on a lightly floured surface for 5-8 minutes, or until the dough feels smooth but still a little sticky. Place dough in bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel, allow to rest in a warm spot (45 minutes – 1 hour).

4) While dough is proving prepare filling. In a medium bowl combine ground poppy seeds, raisins, caster and vanilla sugar, milk, butter and remaining lemon zest. The filling should be smooth and spreadable, if it’s too dry add a little extra hot milk.

5) Grease a rectangular loaf tin (approx. 12 x 40cm).

6) Lightly whisk egg, milk and salt in small bowl.

7) Knock air out of dough then roll out on lightly floured surface to 1cm thick (approx. 50cm wide and 60cm long). Evenly spread the poppy seed filling over the dough, leaving a 2cm boarder. Fold the short edges and gently roll into a log, brush the exposed edge with egg wash to seal. Place strudel in baking tin, cover with damp tea towel and allow to prove for further 30-45 minutes.

8) Preheat the oven to 180°C.

9) After 45 minutes brush strudel with egg wash and bake in centre of the oven for 35-40 minutes or until golden and cooked through. If strudel browns too quickly loosely cover with sheet of foil to avoid burning.

10) Allow to cool for 10 minutes in tin before turning out. Slice into 2cm thick pieces and serve while warm or at room temperature.

Tip:
The strudel will keep for 3-5 days in the fridge if wrapped well or 4-6 weeks in the freezer.