Tag Archive for: Europe

Albanian Byrek

 

Albanian Byrek

Pavlina Bishka - National Pastor's Wife in Albania
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Course Dessert
Cuisine Albanian
Servings 20

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 lb baked peta
  • 5 eggs
  • 1 cup butter melted; scant
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp Greek yoghurt
  • 3 cups milk

Instructions
 

  • Mix together the eggs, salt, yoghurt and milk.
  • Grease a large baking pan (traditionally byrek is baked in large, round, metal pans).
  • Begin layering: cover the pan with peta, then the milk mixture, then drizzle butter/oil on
  • Keep layering (peta, milk, butter) until you run out of ingredients.
  • The top should be melted butter/oil.
  • Bake for 40 minutes at 375 F.
  • Remove from the oven. Cover the byrek with a wet dish towel. Let sit until cool.
  • Remove the towel. Place a large pan upside down over the byrek pan. Flip over the byrek so that it comes out upside down onto the other pan. This will ensure that the top of your byrek is soft and not crunchy.
  • Cut the byrek into small squares or diamonds and serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

Byrek is a delicious pie very common in Albania and other Balkan countries. "Peta" is not the same as "pita." Peta is a dry, baked, very thin, tortilla-like dough. It soaks up a lot of moisture in this byrek recipe. If you can't get baked peta, and you don't want to make your own (it is a very time-consuming process!), you can use phyllo dough. However, then you must cut down on the milk/egg mixture significantly because the phyllo does not absorb nearly as much liquid as the peta does.

 

Finnish Carrot Bake

 

Finnish Carrot Bake

Johanna Adriansson - National Pastor's Wife in Sweden - Europe mission team
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Course Side Dish
Cuisine Finnish

Ingredients
  

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs carrots
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream, sour cream, or creme fraiche
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp ground anise
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1/4 cup butter melted; scant

For Topping

  • fine dry breadcrumbs
  • butter

Instructions
 

  • Peel carrots and boil until soft.
  • Finely puree or mash the carrots.
  • Mix in the other ingredients except for the topping ingredients.
  • Pour the carrot mixture into a greased casserole dish.
  • Sprinkle breadcrumbs on top.
  • Add several pats of butter to the top.
  • Make optional patterns on the surface with a fork.
  • Bake at 350 degrees F for about 60 minutes.

Notes

This is a traditional Finnish dish for a Christmas buffet, but it is easy and tasty to make at other times as well. It goes well with ham, meatballs, sausages, or ribs. 

 

Swedish Chocolate Balls

 

Swedish Chocolate Balls

Johanna Adriansson - National Pastor's Wife in Sweden
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Course Dessert
Cuisine European, swedish
Servings 20

Ingredients
  

  • 1 3/4 cup quick oats
  • 3/4 cup + 3 tbsp butter room temperature
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 tbsp cocoa
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 tbsp cold, strong coffee
  • coconut or granulated sugar to coat each ball

Instructions
 

  • Mix butter and sugar until fluffy.
  • Mix in the other ingredients.
  • Form small balls.
  • Roll the balls in oats, coconut, or granulated sugar.
  • Place the balls in the fridge to harden.

Notes

"Fika" is coffee time, which includes not just a cup of delicious, strong coffee, but cookies, cakes, and more. This is a favorite Swedish sweet to have at Fika.

 

English Coronation Chicken

 

English Coronation Chicken

Philip Parker - member of the new WELS mission in London, England
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Course Main Course
Cuisine English, European
Servings 8

Ingredients
  

  • 4 chicken breasts
  • 2-3 tsp mild curry powder
  • 2/3 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/2 cup plain yogurt or sour cream
  • 1 tbsp mango chutney or 1/2 cup fresh mango
  • 1 tsp worcestershire sauce
  • 1 celery stalk
  • 1/2 cup dried apricots
  • 1/3 cup sultanas or raisins
  • handful of fresh coriander or cilantro
  • salt to taste
  • pepper to taste
  • 1 tsp lemon juice

Instructions
 

  • Put the chicken breasts into a large pan, and boil.
  • Finely slice the celery and chop the dried apricots and mango (if using fresh rather than chutney) into small pieces.
  • Combine the mild curry powder, mayonnaise, yoghurt, mango chutney/fresh mango, Worcestershire sauce, celery, dried apricots, and raisins into a mixing bowl. Then mix in the coriander.
  • When the chicken breasts have cooked through, let them cool then chop or shed them into small pieces.
  • Combine the chicken with the mixed ingredients.
  • Add a dash of salt and pepper and the juice of ½ to 1 whole lemon to taste.
  • Refrigerate for 2 hours.
  • Serve on a bed of fresh lettuce leaves, cucumber slices and tomatoes, or enjoy as a sandwich with lettuce. It would also work well mixed with pasta as a chicken pasta salad.

Video

 

Russian Chicken and Potato Pie

 

Russian Chicken and Potato Pie

Marina Bayanova - Member of the Lutheran Church in Novosibirsk, Russia
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Course Main Course
Cuisine Russian
Servings 12

Ingredients
  

  • 3 carrots grated
  • 6 medium potatoes boiled and thickly sliced
  • 1 1/2 lbs raw chicken or turkey breast cut into short strips
  • 2 lbs white mushrooms chopped and fried in a little oil
  • 6 medium onions diced and fried separately in a little oil
  • 4-5 raw potatoes peeled and very thinly sliced
  • 8 eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese
  • salt

Instructions
 

  • Pre-heat the oven to 400° F. Grease a 9 x 13 baking dish.
  • This is a layered casserole. In between each layer is a layer of “egg pancake”. To make an “egg pancake”: beat one egg in a cup with a fork, pour onto a hot, greased skillet and tilt the pan so the egg covers the bottom of the skillet. Do not turn over the egg.
  • When the egg has cooked, carefully remove the “egg pancake” from the skillet.
  • For a 9 x 13 baking dish, you will need 2 “egg pancakes” to cover each layer.
  • You can be making the “egg pancakes” while you are preparing the other ingredients.
  • Place the carrots in the bottom of the baking dish. Lightly salt the carrot layer. Cover the carrot layer with 2 egg pancakes.
  • Place the boiled potato slices on the egg. Lightly salt. Cover the potatoes with 2 egg pancakes.
  • Place the chicken or turkey on the egg. Lightly salt. Cover the chicken with 2 egg pancakes.
  • Mix together the mushrooms and onions. Place the mushroom and onion mixture over the egg. Lightly salt. Cover the mushroom mixture with 2 egg pancakes.
  • Place the thin potato slices on top. Stick thin potato slices vertically around the edge of the casserole and push them down so they aren’t sticking up above the top of the dish, forming a border around the casserole. Lightly salt the top of the casserole.
  • Bake for 40 minutes, or until the potatoes are done. Top with shredded cheese and return to the oven until the cheese is melted and golden brown.

Notes

During the week we eat simple food like potatoes and eggs, but on the weekend we make it fancy by putting it all together in a casserole! You can also add black pepper or provincial herbs to this casserole.

 

Russian White Radish Salad

 

Russian White Radish Salad

Marina Bayanova - Member of the Lutheran Church in Novosibirsk, Russia
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Course Salad
Cuisine Russian
Servings 8

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups daikon radish sliced into thin sticks
  • 2 cups ham or cooked chicken sliced into thin sticks
  • 6 eggs
  • 1 cup onion sliced into thin half circles
  • Mayonnaise
  • Salt

Instructions
 

  • Begin by making “egg pancakes”.
  • Heat a little oil in a skillet.
  • Beat one or two eggs in a cup with a fork and pour the egg into the skillet.
  • Tilt the skillet so the egg covers the bottom.
  • Do not turn over the egg.
  • When the egg is cooked, remove it carefully to a cutting board.
  • You should have a stack of either 6 small “egg pancakes” or 3 larger “egg pancakes”.
  • Let the eggs cool for a few minutes. Then roll up the “egg pancakes” and slice them thinly.
  • Stir together the daikon radish, ham or cooked chicken, “egg pancakes” and onion.
  • Add salt to taste.
  • You can prepare these ingredients a couple hours ahead of time.
  • Just before serving, stir in mayonnaise.

 

Portuguese Hot Pot (Cozido à Portuguesa)

 

Portuguese Hot Pot (Cozido à Portuguesa)

Artur and Isabel Villares - National pastor and wife from Portugal
This is a delicious, traditional, and healthy Portuguese meal for the whole family. Every region of Portugal has it with small differences. We eat it mainly in cold months.
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Course Main Course
Cuisine Portuguese
Servings 6

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 lb beef
  • 1/2 lb pork spareribs
  • 1/2 lb pig's forefoot
  • 1/2 lb pig ear
  • 1/2 chicken
  • 1/2 lb bacon (toucinho)
  • 1 chourico sausage
  • 1 black pudding (morcela)
  • 1 flour sausage (farinheira)
  • 6 medium sized potatoes
  • 3 turnips
  • 1 Portuguese cabbage
  • 3 carrots
  • salt

Instructions
 

  • Boil everything together in water in a large stockpot on the stove for about 1 ½ hours.
  • To serve, arrange all the ingredients on a large platter.

 

French Quiche Lorraine

 

French Quiche Lorraine

Jutta Weiss - National pastor's wife in Germany
Enjoy Quiche Lorraine warm with a salad for a main dish or cold as a starter. A French woman who belongs to our congregation gave me this recipe from her homeland.
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Course Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine French
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 1 roll puff pastry
  • 1/4 lb bacon
  • 4 eggs
  • 14 oz crème fraiche
  • 3 cups grated cheese
  • salt and pepper

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350° F.
  • Place pastry in a pie pan and pierce with fork.
  • Place the bacon on top of the pastry.
  • Beat the eggs and add some salt and pepper.
  • Add the crème fraiche and beat gently.
  • Mix in half of the grated cheese.
  • Pour the egg mixture on the bacon. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
  • Bake for 25-30 minutes.

 

Bulgarian Paunch Soup (Shkembe Chorba)

 

Bulgarian Paunch Soup (Shkembe Chorba)

Iliyan and Kirilka Itsov - National pastor and wife in Bulgaria
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Course Soup
Cuisine Bulgarian
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 1 1/4 veal paunch
  • 1 cup milk
  • black pepper
  • chili pepper
  • salt
  • garlic
  • vinegar

Instructions
 

Step 1

  • Prepare the paunch for cooking. If you manage to find prepared paunch, continue with step 2.
  • Boil the paunch with boiling water for 3-4 min then immediately clean the inner part with a knife.
  • Boil it again for another 3-4 min and clean the outer part with a knife; remove the skin too.
  • Wash the paunch, put it in a saucepan and cover it with cold water.
  • To be ready for cooking, the punch should be boiled about 3 hours.
  • While boiling, it should be always covered with water.
  • After that, take it out and chopped it in small pieces.

Step 2

  • If you manage to purchase prepared paunch, then start here.
  • Wash the paunch, chop it and start to boil it with 1 quart water.
  • Wait 20 min, add the milk.
  • Wait 10 min, add salt and some cooking oil.
  • Boil for 5 min.
  • In an additional small pot, mix the chopped garlic and the vinegar.
  • Serve the soup and flavor it with the garlic mixture and the chili spice.
  • If you like black pepper spice, you can add it to flavor the soup.
  • For best taste, the soup must be consumed hot.

 

Bulgarian Kavarma

 

Bulgarian Kavarma

Iliyan and Kirilka Itsov - National pastor and wife in Bulgaria
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Course Main Course
Cuisine Bulgarian
Servings 5

Ingredients
  

  • 1 1/2 lbs chicken or pork meat
  • 3/4 lb mushrooms
  • 2 lbs onion
  • 5-6 green and red sweet peppers
  • 2 lbs tomatoes
  • salt
  • cooking oil
  • 1 cup wine

Instructions
 

  • Roast and peel the peppers, then chop them in small pieces.
  • Boil the mushrooms in boiling water with 1 Tbsp vinegar. Drain.
  • Slice the onion into thin half-circles.
  • Slice the meat and boil it.
  • Add the chopped peppers and tomatoes to the meat and continue to boil.
  • When the tomatoes begin to melt, add the boiled mushrooms and sliced onions.
  • After the onions are soft, add salt and cooking oil. Boil for another 3 – 5 min.
  • Pour the meal into a baking dish and add the wine.
  • Cover it with cooking foil and bake in a preheated oven for 15 min.
  • Serve the kavarma decorated with parsley leaves.