Indian Sloppy Joe (Vegetarian)

This outright weird experiment is the result of a Naan accident, where my Naan bread ballooned into a bun 😦 The Sloppy Joe mix is lentils, onions, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, green peppers, garlic, cumin, coriander. Topped with crispy fried onions, plus a side of spicy Giardiniera cauliflower instead of pickles. If you have vegetarian or vegan friends, they will appreciate if you did this for them 🙂

As a sad side note, I can never score the perfect Naan, it is never bubbly, or the crust is not necessarily crispy. If someone wants to share the secret to good Naan, SOS!

Kale Scones with Currants, Pine Nuts, and Parmesan

Yes, this is as confusing as it sounds, but it is insanely tasty. I can’t say if it is savory or sweet, it truly is both! It is a bit like a fancy-schmancy biscuit that might be served with your barbecue dish at a pop-up foodie hipster joint.

All yours -> http://food52.com/recipes/38371-cheesy-kale-scones

Banana Coffee Mini-Tarte Tatin

Saw a recipe for banana tarte tatin, and then I saw a recipe for bananas in coffee bean syrup, and so I had to have both. But, I simplified – just added instant coffee to the sugar & melted butter, and it turns out coffee and caramelized bananas were meant to be. There was no ice cream on hand, but some merengue helped topped the tarte.

I know this might be blasphemy, but I think bananas work better than apples in this tatin thing.

Here are both recipes:

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/bananas-in-coffee-bean-syrup

http://www.perpetuallychic.com/2013/02/butterscotch-banana-tarte-tatin/

Pan-fried gnocchi with jalapeno gravy and bacon

Going for an American South theme here. My friend is introducing me to Southern foods and food objects, like the bacon grease keeper and this jalapeno gravy idea. Instead of biscuits or hash browns I went for the gnocchi. They are made from scratch with tons of nutmeg and parmesan and are fried instead of boiled, because, honestly when your potato dough is too dry or too wet, frying the gnocchi is more forgiving. Otherwise you can see the gnocchi “dissipate” and disappear in front of your very eyes in the boiling water.

The gravy – onions, bacon grease (from the canister!), milk, jalapeno slices and … buckwheat flour (which gives it that rustic look and taste). Adding the jalapeno bits while frying the onions was a big mistake because it became unbearably spicy and I had to keep pouring milk to save it. Adding them at the very end, or just topping it off with fresh jalapenos would have probably been more effective.

Cauliflower slaw from smitten kitchen​​​

I am forever ruined. Coleslaw, or broccoli slaw, or any other slaw will always seem inferior from now on. This is sliced raw cauliflower with toasted almond slivers, flash-fried capers, vinegar-soaked dry currants, green onions, cilantro and a lemon vinaigrette.

Lately, I look at every food in terms of its potluck-friendliness, and this salad’s potluck coefficient is high! The only downside to this recipe is the use of a mandoline slicer, which invariably results in injury.

http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2014/09/cauliflower-slaw/

Turkish Delight Pastry

This is a recipe from the best Bulgarian cooking blog out there awkwardly translated to “Tasty with Yoli”. You chop Turkish delight and walnuts spread them on a sheet of puff pastry. Roll and tuck in the edges. Spread some egg whites and sugar on top and bake for 20 minutes in a 380F oven. The Google-translated recipe is here: http://www.yoli.bg/entry/lokumeno-rulo. Her photos are, no doubt, way better 🙂

Polenta Fries with “Chunky Gypsy” Ketchup

Almost guilt-free comfort food/snack for grown-ups – seasoned polenta fries, dipped in Gypsy or Zigeuner sauce. You may have heard of Zigeunerschnitzel – the German (original :)) version of country fried steak with a spicy tomato-based sauce that has everything but the kitchen sink. At least the version of Gypsy sauce I have tried – chunks of tomatoes, celery, carrots, paprika  (some add peppers) and … pickles. The pickles sweeten it, so it becomes the perfect substitute for ketchup. I see tons of Zigeunerschnitzel variations in the foodie blogosphere, and the bottom line is that this sauce goes pretty well with fried stuff.

Vietnamese Coffee Panna Cotta

This experiment involved adding agar-agar to evaporated sweetened goat milk, and separately to espresso, and then swirling the two together when the liquid thickened mildly. The panna cotta is topped with anise sugar and nut brittle. To be honest the anise flavor doesn’t really come out in the brittle. Next time I will add anise to the milk itself.

Per one can of Meyerberg evaporated goat milk I used two tablespoons of agar agar. But next time I might just use plain gelatin, because the agar agar took too long to dissolve.

Mediterranean Blackened Green Bean and Feta Salad

We, Bulgarians, regularly eat cucumber, tomato and feta salad, often with roasted peppers (i.e. the (in)famous Shopska salad). Occasionally, you do get tired of eating this everyday, and crave a departure.

When you chop green beans and fry them to the point when they blister and get a nice brown crust, something magical happens – they sweeten, and start tasting a bit like fried zucchini or roasted peppers.

This salad contains tomatoes, green onions, chopped dill, feta crumbles and blackened green beans (of course olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper). But also one extra addition – crushed garlic. The first time I tried this, I added the garlic to the green beans while they were frying. While that was good too, a little bit of fresh garlic just brought it home.