Three Bulgarian Recipes
Boyikos (Sephardic Cheese Pastries)
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ lb. Bulgarian feta cheese (block, not crumbled).
1/3 cup sunflower oil
1 ½ cups plain yoghurt (White Mountain Bulgarian yoghurt, if you can get it)
1 tsp baking soda
½ cup grated kashkaval (optional)
In a big bowl, crumble the feta cheese with a fork and add the oil. Sprinkle in the grated kashkaval (if using).
In a separate cup, add the baking soda to the yoghurt and stir until it foams up. Add the bubbling yoghurt to the cheese mixture and gently fold in with a spatula. Gradually sieve in the flour as you continue folding it with the spatula.
Form the dough by hand into 2” balls and place them 1” apart on a baking tray lined with baking paper.
Preheat oven to 375F. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce to 350F and bake for another 20min.
Place on cooling rack. Serve warm with yoghurt on the side.
Guevos Enhaminados (Sephardic Hard-boiled Eggs)
Add lots of onionskins and your eggs to a pot of water and bring the boil. Let simmer for a very long time (a good few hours). Alternatively, you can do the same in a clay pot in the oven. The onionskins should color your eggs brown, inside and out.
Bulgarian Shopska Salad
Combine diced cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, and peppers. Top with a generous amount of grated Bulgarian feta cheese. Decorate with an olive on top and a few parsley twigs. Dress with olive oil, vinegar, and salt.