Tavce Gravce

Tavce Gravce is a traditional Macedonian recipe which origins are from Macedonia and most of the Balkan countries have taken and changed the recipe by their needs. Many households in Macedonia make this dish by their own taste but this is the basic recipe, and to this you can add more vegetables or spices if you like. This is what you'll need:

500 gr. white beans
250 gr. white onion
meat (optional): bacon, sausages, smoked ribs etc.
1 clove of garlic
80 gr. sunflower oil
2 tablespoons of flour
1 tablespoon of red paprika (powder)
fresh mint, and parsley.
1 tablespoon vegeta (optional)
salt and pepper

First wash well the beans then place them in a pot and add water to cover well the beans (let the water be 5 cm over the beans), then put them to boil. When it comes to a boil, boil them about 1-2 minutes then pour the water and add new water to it. Chop the onion in big pieces and add it to the beans. Also you add the meat choped in a bitesize pieces. Boil the beans until they are ready, but be careful not to overboiled it. The beans must be whole and soft inside, not a mush. Then to a hot pan add the oil and the flour and mix it well until golden. Then add the paprika, mix fast and add this to the pot. Add the minced garlic and the choped mint. Add salt, pepper and vegeta. Stir well and cook for 2 minutes. turn off the heat and preheat the oven to 250 C. Add the beans to a terracota baking pan and put them into oven. Bake them until the beans have little liquid and over the beans have formed a thin crust. Sprinkle with finely chopped parsley.
If you want you can add tomato, or dried peppers, or some other vegetables.

Ajvar

Ajvar is a popular Macedonian appetizer or side dish made of roasted paprika (peppers) and eggplant. It is popular in many Balkan countries, with slightly varying recipes.

Ingredients

• * 8-12 fresh red paprika (mild or medium-hot, to taste)
• * 4 medium-size eggplants
• * 1/2 to 3/4 cup olive oil
• * 1 large onion, minced
• * 3 large garlic cloves, chopped
• * 1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice (or 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar)
• * salt and pepper to taste
• * Chopped fresh parsley for garnish

How to make it

Roast the paprika and eggplants over charcoal or a gas flame, or bake them in a preheated 475 F oven, until the skin is blistered and darkened. Place the roasted vegetables in a paper bag and let them steam in their own heat for 10 minutes. Peel off and discard the burnt skin along with the stems and seeds. Mash the peppers and eggplant pulp together to form a slightly chunky mass. You can do this with a fork or in a food processor.Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet and saute the onion until very soft. Add garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the pepper-eggplant pulp, mixing well. Slowly drizzle the remaining oil into the mixture, stirring constantly to incorporate all of the oil. Add lemon juice or vinegar, and salt and pepper, to taste. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with parsley.Serve as an appetizer to spread on thick slices of country-style white bread or flat pita bread with chunks of feta cheese, or use as a side dish to accompany grilled or roasted meats.Yield: 6 to 8 servings, as an appetizer or side dish.

Tarator

Tarator is a cold salad (it looks like cold creamy soup), and it's eaten mainly in summertime because it's light and refreshing. But you can eat it anytime through the year. It's very simple to make, and many Balkan kitchens have their own version of this salad. This is the Macedonian recipe:

1 large cucumber
500gr sour milk
1 clove of garlic (or spring garlic)minced or finely chopped
salt, pepper
dill or parsley
optional 1 tablespoon oil

Wash and peel the cucumber, then chop it into very small cubes. Add the sour milk and stir it well until there's no lumps of the sour milk. Add the minced garlic (or chopped spring garlic), finely chopped dill or parsley, salt, pepper and the oil. Mix everything until well combined.
That's it! And eat:-))

Stuffed peppers

• 8 medium green peppers
• 2 T butter
• 4 small onions, finely chopped
• 2 small green peppers, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 c chopped ham
• 1 can tomato puree
• salt and pepper
• 4 c fine bread crumbs
• 2 eggs

Cut a thin slice from steam end of each pepper. Remove seeds and wash. Drop peppers into boiling, salted water and boil 5 min. Drain thorouhgly. Melt butter in skillet. Add onions, garlic and chopped pepper and saute until limp. Add tomato puree, ham, salt, and pepper to taste. Simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in bread crumbs and eggs. Stuff mixture into pepper shells. Sprinkle tops with cracker crumbs. Bake in oven of 350 for about 25 min. or until stuffing is firm and delicately browned on top.