Ravanija

Ravanija is a cake like dessert. It is usually served for Prochka, which is The Forgiveness Day. Forgiveness Day is where the younger generation goes to the house of their elders, usually their grandparents and they ask for forgiveness( wether they have done anything or not- they always ask) and this is when their elders serve them Ravanija.

Ingredients needed: - 5 eggs - 1 cup sugar - 2 cups flour - 1 cup desiccated coconut - 1 cup milk - 1 sachet or 2 tsp. baking powder - a few drops of vanilla essence For the syrup: - 2 1/2 cups of water - 2 1/2 cups of sugar - cinnamon How to prepare: With the mixer we beat up the eggs with the sugar for about 5-6 mins until they become a thick substance. Then we add one by one the rest of the ingredients and we continue to beat up until we have a smooth - not very thick dough. We spread some butter in a baking tray, we put the dough in the baking tray and we put it in the oven for 45 mins approx. (150-175°C, Gas mark 6) until it becomes brown on the top. Then, we let it cool down while we prepare the syrup. We put the water, the sugar and the cinnamon in a pan and we let them come to the boil. We let them boil for about 5 mins or until the syrup starts thickening. We take the pan of the hob and we soak the "Ravanija" with the syrup, making sure that it covers the whole sponge. we sprinkle some more desiccated coconut on the top and we let it cool down before we serve it. Useful Tips: 1) NEVER EVER open the oven during the baking period. 2) when the baking period is over and you want to check if your "Ravanija" is properly baked, penetrate it with a toothstick or a knife and if it is clear when you take it out, then it is OK. If you see raw dough on it, then it means that it needs more baking. 3) In order to put the syrup on there must be different temperatures. This means that the sponge must be cold and the syrup hot or vice versa. NEVER put hot syrup on a hot sponge or cold syrup on a cold sponge.

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:-))