Zucchini phyllo pie

My mother-in-law is the best cook I know. She is not a professional chef, but she knows such increadible recipes and she respects food so much, that she can turn every single ingredient into something absolutely delicious. This is one of her masterpieces. Zucchini phyllo pie - it is a sweet phyllo dough pie, which holds the fresh taste of yound early-summer zucchinis. Two weeks ago when I spent a spent a week with her in her country house she prepared for me her soft zucchini phyllo pie and I took some pictures of her during work. Here is the recipe she is famous for.

Taramosalata

Have you heard about the omega-3 acids? Of course you have. These unsaturated acids are included in many facial products and are sold separately as food supplements. Human body can not generate them and this is the reason why we reach for the foods which are known for containing them.

Doctors claim, our bodies need them for growth and development and they protect us against stroke and heart disease. Omega-3 acids affect mood in positive way by beating depression and lowering the symptoms  of the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). 

Omega-3 acids can be found in varying concentrations in the fish roe of the different varieties of fish. And since ancient times, long before anybody has thought about omega-3 acids and their health beneficial properties, people have enjoyed the salted fish roe of different types of fishes, because it is very, very tasty. 

The roes of Beluga, Ossetra, Sevruga, Salmon, called caviars are delicacies, which have no place on the common people everyday's table. But the fish roe of many other fish varieties is eaten in many countries of the world, salted, fried or processed in another way. 

Greeks and Bulgarians love to eat taramosalata. This is a spread, prepared from salted cod  fish roe. You can find taramosalata in the menu of nearly every Greek reastaurant. In Bulgaria you can find taramosalata in the big food chains, but my mummy has always prepared home-made taramosalata, because it is far better.

This creamy smooth paste, result of emulsification of roe with olive oil, lemon juice and onion, requires a lot of bread. One slice as an ingredient of the recipe to make mixture less greasy and to provide puffiness to it. But also far more slices to be covered with this delicious spread. This is my mother's recipe for preparing taramas:

Pumpkin cake with sliced fresh pumpkin and rice

A pumpkin cake prepared with slices of pumpkin instead of pumpkin puree. You can feel not only the taste of the pumpkin, you can enjoy its texture with your tongue, its crust above the velvety inside. What is also good about this pumpkin cake? The grains of rice which have absorbed as much sweet vanilla milk as possible. The smell of cinnamon. This pumpkin cake reminds me on my childhood and on my beloved Granny, who prepared it many times every autumn and winter. Here is her recipe for you.

Spinach with Feta cheese and croutons

This is a light vegetarian dish, which is good for the times there is fresh spinach at the farmer's market. Of course, lightness depends on the amount of butter and croutons into the dish. So you can play with these amounts  according to your diet limits. According to me, it tastes better if you allow all the ingredients to do their jobs. 

Yellow cherry jam with fragrant geranium

Granny prepared jams every summer. 

Cherry, yellow cherry, sour cherry, apricot... a lot of jams. I loved to be around her in the kitchen and to observe her skillfull movements which turned the fresh ripe fruits into jars full of summer. Especially the cherry jams, they really required patiency. We had no cherry pitter and she removed the pitted all the cherries with the ears of small hairpin, used only for these purposes. One after another. Gently touches, careful pressing of the little fruits in order not to destroy their tender structure. I was always around ready to eat any torn fruit which did not meet granny's criteria. But she was always very good and I had to rely on my fast reactions to take one while she turned her back to me. The best fruits of summer intended to send the summer message to all the other seasons. I really love to recall these moments. And inspite the fact that the shelves of the supermarkets are full of jams I prepare some home-made jams every summer and present them to the people I love. Like hitchhiking a time-machine which moves me back to the time I was a kid, Granny was alive and we were both in the kitchen surrounded by cherries. 

And I know from her - yellow cherry jam has to be flavored with fragrant geranium leaves. The scent of geranium provides the jam with rose-vanilla aromas and makes it taste homy. 

Pork and leek stew (Kavarma)

If you sit in a restaurant in Bulgaria and ask for something typical for the country, Kavarma will be most probably one of the dishes offered. It is a rustic stew for meat lovers which pairs soft pork and leek. 

Leek and tomato salad

This is a rich and tasty salad, one of our favorites for winter. It is created for the cold months when all the fresh tomatoes have bland and undeveloped taste, but you miss the sweetness of good ripe tomatoes. The oniony taste of leek is by far slighter than the one of onion and garlic, despite they all belong to same family of vegetables and the velvety texture of the chopped canned tomatoes adds softness to the dish. The salad brings summer colors to the table - bright green and white of the leek meets red vibrant color of good quality canned tomatoes. 
My mother-in-law prepares it when she wants to please her hubby. So do I.

A little health info: With its high fiber content and low calories amount leek is a good part of a healthy diet plan. Eating fresh leek reduces the risk of cancer, stroke, heart disease and many other health problems. It supports the healthy digestion. 
Canned tomatoes are more beneficial than the fresh ones because they contain more lycopene - carotenoid responsible for the red color of tomatoes which helps to decrease the risk of hearth disease.   
But the taste of the salad does not need additional reasons to enjoy this simple salad - it is a spicy salad for those who like the heat even into cold dishes.

Nettles soup

Stinging nettles. 

The name suggests why many people do not prepare nettles at home - who will dare to clean nettles with bare hands? Many otherwise brave men and women won't. I remeber the wild swans fairy tale Granny read me when I was little. I still remeber how I sympathised with the little girl who had to spin and weave eleven coats with long sleeves to break the spell made to her brothers. The pain caused by the stinging nettles was described as a burning fire. Pure little girl, I thought, only a great love and the desire to safe somebody's life can make me handle nettles. But time changed, I grew up and my unsatiable appetite makes me brave enough to prepare stinging nettles soup many times a year. 

For me nettles is a symbol of spring, I really wonder who and where has found nettles in this cold February - everything around is covered with snow, but anyway, I saw some packages of fresh nettles in the greengrocer's store and I took them. 

Nettle is rich in minerals and very, very rich in Vitamin K, it also boosts the immune functions of the body and is accepted as a remedy for rheumatism. I really like foods, which are tasty and healthy, they do not make me guilty when I pour myself a second serving. 

Apple beet salad

This is one of my favorite autumn salads. It is very proper for diet times, because honey satisfies the craving for sweet and apple and red beet are good for the health.