Mario Batali's tomato sauce with carrots - naturally sweet and tender

This is the perfect tomato sauce for spaghetti, pizza and meatballs in tomato sauce. There is a 'secret' ingredient which provides natural sweetness and silky taste - carrot. You do not see the carrots in the sauce, but you will deffinitely taste the difference. It is a basic tomato sauce and I've prepared it many times without remembering the source, but I read somewhere lately that this is a Mario Batali's recipe which is quite possible - he knows best how to prepare Italian food. The only difference between his original recipe and this one here is that I add some tablespoons of butter which, according to my opinion provide even more silkyness to the sauce. Enjoy!

Crispy Pork Cracklings for Saint Dimitrius Day

In spite of being one of the tastiests appetizers which match perfect with a glass of ice-cold beer, pork cracklings are not a type of food poets dedicate poems to.

Most of the women I know think that eating pork skin no matter how prepared, is disgusting. But I love to eat most of the things declinded by 'sophisticated people' - I prepare myself and order in restaurants where offered such things like crispy chicken cracklings (you can not imagine how crunchy they are), trippa alla fiorentina, pacha, the typical Bulgarian Shkembe chorba, pig trotter's soup...But let's go back to the pork cracklings. They are crunchy and dry on top and melting soft inside.  And something also important - they do not need much time to be prepared. My husband loves them and today I make them for him - he has a nameday. Today is Saint Dimitrius day - one of the most important Orthodox saints who is celebrated every year on October 26. Happy nameday, Dimiter! Wish you all the best!

Greek fried eggplants - Melitzanes tiganites

Along with crispy fried zucchini, Taramosalata and Tirosalata, fried eggplant - Melitzanes Tiganites (μελιτζάνες τηγανητές) is part of nearly every menu of a Greek restaurant, being one of the favorite Greek mezedes. Meze is not just an appetizer you order before the main dish. Close to the Spanish tapas, this is a dish, which accompanies a glass of alcohol - tsipuro, ouzo or just Retsina and people can spend hours enjoying meze and having long talks without moving to heavier dishes. 

One of the most important things while preparing eggplant is not to let it soak too much fat - so there are some important rules, which shall be kept.