Homemade butter and barkanitsa
Method:
Homemade butter is prepared in a burilka (a drawn-out wooden vessel with an opening in the middle and a churn-staff). In advance, soak the burilka in boiling water with juniper twigs, then rinse thoroughly. Pour inside the yoghurt which has been set aside for 2 days to turn sour. First put the cream of the yoghurt, then the rest of it, add the same quantity of lukewarm water and start churning with a churn-staff – first go fast, then slow down. Finally pour in some cold water on the inside of the burilka where butter has stuck. The product obtained is known as barkanitsa and is transferred to another vessel to keep the butter which has separated from the surface of the liquid. The butter is rinsed several times with cold water and is pressed with a spoon until the water clears. The barkanitsa is set aside in a cool place and is consumed as a refreshing drink during hot summer days.
Smilyan-style beans
Ingredients:
Smilyan beans, butter, 1 red pepper, 1 tomato (or tomato puree), salt, mint, parsley
Method:
Soak the beans for a day, then boil. Put the beans in a frying pan and fry in melted butter, the finely chopped red pepper, tomato (or tomato puree), mint and salt to taste. Finally, season with chopped parsley.
Parenik with meat, eggs and white cheese
Ingredients:
corn semolina, corn flour, water, salt, butter, 3 eggs, veal, white cheese, yellow cheese
Method:
In a pan, put the water and salt and bring to the boil. Add gradually the corn semolina, an equal amount of corn flour and melted butter, while stirring constantly to prevent from burning to the pan. Boil until a thin mash is obtained. Put melted butter at the bottom of a baking dish and the three eggs. Arrange inside thin slices of veal. Cover the mixture with the boiled thin mash, prick it and add butter in the holes. Top with crumbled white cheese and grated yellow cheese. Bake in the oven until golden.
