Ellie Great: 2020

Agnessa

You’ll need –

200 gr butter

2 cups of powdered (icing) sugar.

1 cup of ground walnuts

1 cup of flour

4 eggs

½ teaspoon of backing powder

1 teaspoon of vanilla

How to make –

1. Separate the egg whites and beat them to snow with 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar

2. Mix the butter with 1 cup of icing sugar until the mixture is white preferable with a mixer for about 10 minutes.

3. Add the flour, baking powder, ground walnuts, egg whites and fold together with a spatula.

4. Pour the mixture in a deep pan (the width at the bottom shouldn’t be more than 20 cm). Bake on high (around 170⁰ Celsius) for about 40 minutes.

5. Beat the yolks with the rest of the sugar and add the vanilla. Add this topping to the baked base after it has cooled off and back in the oven at 80⁰ – 100⁰ Celsius for around 10 minutes to solidify (or leave in the fridge overnight for the same effect).

Merry X mas

Christmas Eve Menu

Peppers Stuffed with Beans

Products for 4 people:

10 red peppers

2 – 3 leeks

200 gr finely ground or chopped walnuts

1 – 2 potatoes

4 – 5 cans of beans

3 – 4 stalks of mint

3 – 4 stalks of parsley

½ cup of olive oil

Salt

Preparation:

Boil the potatoes.

Steam the peppers for about half an hour.

Finely chop the walnuts, leeks, parsley and mint in a deep bowl. Add the drained from the water beans, the boiled potatoes and add the salt and oil.

Mix with your hands and stuff the peppers with the mixture.

Arrange the peppers in a baking tray add half a glass of water and bake on medium for 30 – 40 minutes.

Bon appetite!

Syruped Sponge Cake

6 eggs 1 cup of sugar 2 cups of semolina, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, 1 teaspoons of vanilla

For the syrup: 2 cups of sugar, 3 cups of water, 1 lemon

Preparation:

Beat the eggs with the sugar and add the semolina. At the end add the vanilla and the baking powder and mix thoroughly.

Pour the mixture in an oiled baking pan. Bake for around 30 min on 180 C. After it is ready leave to cool.

Bring the water with the sugar add the lemon cut in slices and simmer for 10 min.

Remove the lemon slices and pour the syrup over the cake.

Kachamak

You need:

400 gr corn flour

1.5 l water

100 gr butter

1 spoon salt

400 gr feta or ricotta

For fry:

100 gr butter

1 spoon paprika

How to prepare:

Pour half of the water in a pot and while it is boiling mix the corn flour in the other half. When the is already boiling add salt and butter and pour the corn flour with the rest of the water while mixing constantly for about 30 – 40 minutes or until it starts separating from the walls of the pot.

When it is ready pour into a serving dish and sprinkle with the crumbled feta or ricotta.

Heat the butter in a pan and fry the paprika.

Pour over the cheese and the kachamak.

Bon appetite!

Beef with Potatoes and Green Beans

You need:

½ kg beef

1 kg small potatoes

2 carrots

1 onion

100 mushrooms

1 small can of vegetable stock

1 tomato or 3 spoons tomato puree

1 glass of water

Parsley

2 hot peppers

Salt

How to prepare:

Sear the meat in a pan with some oil.

Cut the vegetables in a roasting pan and add the stock and the tomato puree.

Add the salted meat and leave it in the oven on medium (150-160 C) for about 2 hours.

Once it is ready sprinkle with finely chopped parsley and serve.

Bon appetite!

Panevritmia

You may already know this story, city girl goes out into the wilderness, but let me tell you how it felt. You may be familiar with the celebration of the Cosmic New Year on the 19th of August. Well this year I decided to partake in the dance called Panevritmia, performed at the Rila lakes in Bulgaria. The night prior to the event I was overwhelmed with excitement and could barely sleep. I woke up at 5am and got up to go to the bathroom. I took a shower and returned to my room where my friend, who had taken me to take part in this year’s dance, was still asleep so I went outside to wait for her to wake up. I sat on a bench outside the chalet and looked out at the peaceful mountainside. Slowly beams of light pierced through the tips of the pine trees and illuminated the dark sky. The rays gradually got thicker and eventually an orange arc emerged and pushed the fingers of light up till it formed a full golden circle - the sun. It looked like it was smiling at me as if to tell me “Today will be a day like no other.” by now my friend had woken up - she came out to join me outside. The cafe had just opened, so we went in an ordered our morning coffees. The time came for us to head on up to the lakeside where the celebratory dance takes place annually. We headed over to the lift since as I mentioned, I am a city girl and don’t know my way around these mountains. As the lift took us higher, I saw birds waking up and singing their morning songs, I watched the dew roll off the leaves and the glorious wonders that we’ve been blessed with witnessing. As we reached the end of our ride, I stepped off the lift car and realized there was still a fair bit of climbing even though we have traveled with the lift halfway up the mountain already. I thought to myself “There’s no way I can handle this hike.” I turned around and noticed the sun still smiling at me and with a wink it told me I could do it. So, I faced the mountain and started walking. Slowly but surely, step by step, slippery stone by prickly twig I crept up the mountain. Along the way hundreds of others passed by some stopped and talked to me others cheered on my dedication and there were those who motivated me with the sheer resolve that they powered up the hill with themselves. In the end we reached the lakeside where the dance takes place and I looked around at all these people who just this morning seemed like strangers and saw them now as brothers and sisters instead. We sat down to take a little break and one of the organizers came by to tell us that if we were going to take part in the dance we needed to take off our shoes and be wearing only the white robes we had brought with us. “Barefoot on this freshly cut grass?” I thought to myself. “If take off my shoes and dance in bare feet I’ll get back with bloodied feet.” I gave the sun another look to see what he thought of all this. He laughed at me and gave me a slight burn on my cheek as though to say “Come on don’t be such a sissy.” I figured “Well I’ve come all this way I might as well take my shoes off otherwise that whole walk will have been for nothing.” So I took one shoe off and lowered my foot to the ground. As soon as it touched the grass the fear in my heart was washed away with a warm sensation as it felt as though I just stepped into a field of cotton. I got up and we got into partners in a circle. I was a little timid because I didn’t know the moves but my partner smiled at me and said; “Don’t worry, just follow me and do as I do.” Reassured I started copying her movements. Pretty soon I noticed that the dance consisted of a short choreography that repeats so the first time round I watched my partner and copied. The following times I strived to sense the movements and feel what was happening to and around me. Every time I brought my hands in I could feel the cosmic energy flowing into me and every time I opened up my arms again I felt as though my energy was going out into the world. It was like I was breathing this cosmic energy and each movement was an inhalation or an exhalation. I was a conduit for this exchange of breath between the universe and the Earth. Eventually when the dance was over we all took out some food that we had brought with us to share. We ate and talked about what we had just experienced. I felt so close to everyone as though we were one. Once the time came for us to return to the chalet we hiked down the mountain and I could no longer feel the prickly twigs and slippery stones, I felt as though I was floating along the path and glowing. I have to say that this was an experience I never expected and I recommend wholeheartedly that each and every one of you go and experience the wonder and the magic of the Panevritmia dance at the Rila lakes that is performed annually on the 19th of August. It showed this city girl a whole new world and I’m positive it can change your life as well.

Cool Mask

Enjoy!

Flower

1 Egg

7 s Icing Sugar

7 s Flour

Enjoy!

Beautiful Melbourne

Simple Hash Browns – good for Monday breakfast

Simple Hash Browns – good for Monday breakfast J

Ingredients:

Potatoes

Preparation:

Boil the potatoes

Shred

Leave in the fridge overnight

In the morning fry in butter till they are brown

Serve with love and imagination.

Bonn Appetite!

Mekitsi

Ingredients

1 cup of flour

1 glass warm water

20 g yeast

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar

Frying oil

Preparation

Mix add sugar and yeast to the water mix and leave for 10 minutes. Add the salt and mix again. Add the flour knead and leave the dough to ferment for about 20 minutes. Pull out small balls from the dough pull into flat circles and fry.

Serve sprinkled with sugar or you may prefer to add marmalade.

Beef with potatoes and green beans

Ingredients:

½ kg beef
1 kg potatoes (I prefer baby potatoes)
200 gr green beans
2 carrots
1 onion
100 gr mushrooms
200 ml vegetable stock
1 tomato or 2-3 tablespoons of tomato sauce
1 glass of water
Parsley
2 hot chilli peppers

Preparation:

Sear the meat.

Cut the vegetables and arrange them in a pan with the meat and add the stock and the tomato puree.

Cook in an oven at 150-160 C for about 2 hours.

When it is out of the oven sprinkle with freshly cut parsley

Bon Appetite!

Sunday Bread

Ingredients:

1 Kg flour
1 packet (or tablespoon) yeast
A pinch of salt
A pinch of sugar
200 – 300 warm water

Preparation:

Add the yeast, sugar and salt to the warm water and leave it for about 10 – 15 mins to develop.

Sift the flour in a mixing bowl and add the above mixture.

Knead into dough and leave to rise for about an hour.

Bake at medium heat for about 30 – 40 minutes.

I tried a slice with ricotta and jam – delicious.

Tell me about your experience?

Eat well!

You never walk alone

You never walk alone!

A man had a strange dream. He saw himself walking in the sand with God. Simultaneously different events from that person’s life flashed in his mind. Then he noticed that there were two rows of footsteps but for the hardest moments in his life.

“I knew it!” – he thought – “God has been abandoning me exactly when I needed help most! I knew it then and now it is confirmed.”

In the morning he sadly turned his eyes to heaven and asked: “Why God, you’ve always told me that you will never abandon me and now I see that in the most difficult times of my life you were not beside me?”

“You are wrong, dear child,” – came the answer – “I love you and will never abandon you. When you were facing your worst challenges and suffering in life and you saw only one row of steps in the sand… Those were my steps – I was carrying you in my arms…”

Rice and Milk Dessert

You will need:

1 teacup of rice
½ teacup of sugar
1 L fresh milk
1 pinch of salt
20 gr butter
Some cinnamon

How to prepare:

Boil the rice with the milk, sugar and salt.

When the rice is ready and soft pull the pot off the heat and add a little butter.

Serve in small cups sprinkled with cinnamon.

You may add cherry syrup.

Muu and Pickle

Two fluffy balls

Look like dolls

They every day

Make me LOL!

Flowers

I love my flowers

They give me superpowers!

Every morning

I look at them for hours!

Pork with chilli

Ingredients:

500 gr pork
4 – 5 red onions
250 – 300 ml tomato puree
4 – 5 large peppers
3 – 4 hot chilli peppers
Salt
Parsley

Directions:

Heat some oil in a big pan and sear the chopped pork.

Add water and cook for a while.

Add the diced onion and peppers – including the hot ones and cook for about 10 minutes

Add the tomato puree and simmer for another 15 minutes.

Add salt.

Add the chopped parsley and turn off the heat.

Bon appetite!

Potato salad

Ingredients:

Potatoes
Spring onion
Lemon
Salt
Olive oil

Preparation:

Boil the potatoes

Peel off the skin, after they have become cooler, cut them in fours and put into a bowl

Cut the spring onion.

Add the salt, lemon and olive oil and mix

Bon appetite!

Baked Pears

Ingredients:

4 pears
150 ml honey
2 teaspoons sugar (preferably brown)
50 gr butter
4 sprigs of thyme (or about 1 teaspoon)
½ teaspoon of cinnamon
50 gr walnuts

Preparation:

Cut the pears in half lengthwise and cut out the seeds

In a pan put the honey, sugar, butter and the thyme sprigs

Boil for 2-3 minutes

Arrange the pears in a pan – cut part facing down

Cover with the sauce

Bake on 200 C for about 15 - 20 mins (fan on if your oven has that function)

Serve turned cut side up sprinkled with cinnamon, crushed walnuts and meringue.

Enjoy!

Salmon Mezze

Products:

Salmon
Red onion
Carrots
Celery
Pepper
Tomato sauce or puree
Parsley
Cooking oil

Preparation:

Dice all vegetables and fry them lightly in the oil. When they have softened a bit add the diced salmon. After stirring all together for some time add a bit of water (about half a cup) and put the lid on the pan.

After 15-20 minutes take the lid off and add the tomato sauce and stir.

Simmer for a couple of minutes and it is ready.

Add some chopped parsley and serve.

Bone appetite!

Pork with Beans

And now the ultimate protein booster – Pork and Beans – the food of the Titans

Products:

Half a kg of pork

3-4 cans of beans – (not baked beans and butter beans are best) or you can boil your own.
4 carrots
3 celery sticks
2 onions
1 capsicum (I like the red ones most and the yellow least)
1 chilli
Tomato sauce around 200 ml
Mint
Parsley
100 – 150 ml cooking oil

Preparation:

Cut the meat into small cubes.

Dice the vegetables and the mint.

Heat the oil in a big pot.

Add the diced onion followed by the carrots, celery, capsicum, chilli and mint.

Fry until they are soft.

Add the diced meat to the fried vegetables and after searing it a bit – add water just enough to cover it.

Simmer on low heat (with the lid of the pot on)

When the meat is nearly cooked add the tomato sauce and simmer for another 10 minutes.

Add the drained boiled beans (you can use canned beans for quicker results or boil your own)

Simmer for another 10 minutes

Add salt.

Add diced parsley and mint close the lid and switch of the heat.

Bon appetite!

White Jelly

White Jelly

Products:

25 g gelatine
300 ml milk
Sugar to taste
5 g vanilla
Jam, fruit and nuts you like

Preparation:

Pour the gelatine into one half of the milk. Stir and leave it for 20 – 30 min. Warm the rest of the milk on low heat and add the sugar and vanilla.
Add the rest of the milk with the gelatine while stirring to achieve a homogeneous mixture. Be careful not to let it boil up.
Pour the creamy mixture into muffin forms and leave it in the fridge to settle overnight or for about 8 hours.
Before serving turn the forms upside down on a plate and garnish with jam or fruit.

Enjoy!

Happy Mather's Day!

Lyutika – an easy side dish or dipping sauce

Lyutika – an easy side dish or dipping sauce

Products:

Potatoes
Tomatoes
Peppers
Onion

Preparation:

Roast the peppers and peel off the skin.
Boil the potatoes.
Chop the onion in small pieces – add a pinch of salt and pound with a pestle until it is in the form of coarsely ground puree.
Add the roasted peppers and continue mixing and pounding.
Add the chopped tomatoes.
Finally add the potatoes and continue pounding wile mixing with the onion.

Use quantities as required and experiment with increasing or decreasing the relative part of a particular ingredient.
Add a roasted chilly pepper if you like it spicy. If preparing it for a particularly large crowd you can use a rolling pin as a pounder and a large plastic vessel.

Bone appetite!