Ястия от Хасково

The katma, which is consumed in any possible way – with marmalade, with something salty, at breakfast ot tea-time is one of the most important items on the Edirne cuisine menu list.

Ingredients:

1 kg of flour
1 kg of fresh milk
2 eggs
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 packet of fresh yeast

Baking instructions:

The cooled milk is added to the flour, sugar, salt and to the wet and already slightly fermenting yeast. Everything is stirred with a mixer to achieve boza consisteny. Allow the mixture to rise. After rising, in the middle of a ceramic pan or a metal frying pan without any fat, heated on a stove, some dough is poured in the desired measure and baked until bubbles appear on the surface and the mixture gets slightly pink on bottom. Served still hot and topcoated with butter.

With this dish, the chefs during the Ottoman times were tested to be decided whether they were good enough to be sent to the Sarai. Cut the chopped onions and caramelize them, then add the eggs.

Ingredients:

2 kg of old onion
8 eggs
1 tsp. black pepper
salt
3 tbsp of butter

Baking instructions:

The onion, cut in crescents, is fried in butter until caramelized. The scrambled eggs and salt are added to the onion by constant stirring. After everything is removed from the kitchen stove, add some black pepper and leave it to rest for 5 minutes.

A type of soup, prepared in different ways in Central Asia, Anatolia and the Balkans. It is assumed to have originated from the Turkic tribes of Central Asia. Soup of healing properties, which is also prepared in Edirne in summer and is often consumed in winter.

Ingredients for home-made trahana:

2 kg of tomatoes
1 kg of red pepper
1 kg of old onion
0.5 kg of raw chickpeas (to be used after blanching)
1 kg of yoghurt
3 tbsp of salt
Half a bunch of parsley
1 bunch of mint
5 kg of flour (approximately)

Baking instructions:

Wash the tomatoes, onions, parsley and fresh mint and then cut them finely. Add 1 liter of water and boil until the mixture gets completely soft, then add the blanched chickpeas. Blend with a blender and pass through a strainer. Add the yoghurt to the mixture and stir. With the sifted flour, thick dough is prepared. The prepared in this way dough is placed in a glass or metal container and closed under a lid to rest for 6-7 days. The dough is stirred every morning, noon and night. If it is sticky, some flour can be added. After the expiry date, crush the dough into small pieces on a table cloth.

Prepare some dough from flour, fresh milk and eggs, which dough is cut into long narrow strips. One of the most important winter foods, prepared at home. In Thrace, it is known as Kesme

Ingredients:

300 g of flour
3 eggs
1 tsp of salt

Baking instructions:

Sift the flour on the table and open a circular well in the middle. Place the eggs in the well, after which, stir the eggs and the flour with circular moves with the help of a fork from the inside out. Once the eggs and flour are mixed, add some olive oil and salt and mix the dough. Shape out a ball and cover it with a damp cloth and then leave it to rest on the table. In about half an hour, use a rolling pin to roll out a pastry sheet. Once sufficient size and thickness are achieved, the layer is cut into strips. The cut ​​macaroni are placed in a baking tray, sprinkled with some flour; then they are topped with flour and left to dry.

A type of Rumelian banitsa, which contains only a mixture of a lot of milk and eggs between the banitsa sheets.

Ingredients:

1 glass of water
1 tsp. of salt
Flour as much as necessary

For the mixture between the pastry sheets
1 glass of liquid fat

For the milky mixture:
4 eggs
1 tbsp of flour
3 glasses of milk

Baking instructions:

Knead the dough first. Leave it to rest for half an hour. Then divide it into 6 balls. Each ball is rolled up to fit a round baking tray. After the first sheet is spread on the oiled tray, spread the other sheets as well and oil each sheet with some liquid fat. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 ° C. During this time, put the whole of the milk mixture in a saucepan. Boil till it thickens by stirring it constantly. When out of the oven, the milky banitsa is removed from the tray. Pour the mixture into the pan and place the already baked banitsa on top of it. Serve by cutting with a spoon.

A dish, made from meat and fruit, similar to “Mutanjana”, which was given to the population at the orphanages of “Fatih” and “Suleymanie” Mosques in Istanbul and at “Bayazit IInd” Mosque in Edirne on Friday evenings and on the first day of the religious holidays.

Ingredients:

0.5 kg lamb or chicken
200 g almonds
1 small bunch of grapes or 5-6 large grapes
1 tbsp of honey
5 dates
10 dried apricots
2 figs
1 tbsp of starch
4-5 black plums
Poppy seed
Saffron

Baking instructions:

The meat is placed in a saucepan with a glass of water, and when it changes its color, a glass of warm water and salt is added. Boil it until it’s ready. In a separate container, place some starch, diluted in water, some heated honey, peeled and slightly blanched almonds, finely cut and slightly blanched apricots, peeled and seedless grapes, peeled prunes and saffron, all of which is added to the meat. Stir constantly until it thickens. Remove from the cooker, then top with some poppy seeds and wait for 10 minutes. After that, it is ready to serve.

Ingredients:

1 medium – sized sauerkraut
1 cup of rice
1 cup of liquid fat
Salt
1 glass of water

Baking instructions:

The sauerkraut is finely cut and squeezed. Add some liquid fat and fry for about 30 minutes. Then add the water and boil for another 15 minutes. After the sauerkraut gets soft, rice is added and boiled until it begins to swell. Sprinkle some black pepper on top and serve.

A type of banitsa made from corn flour, leek or fresh onion. Also known as onion banitsa.

Ingredients:

4 cups of corn flour
1 bunch of leek
1 water glass of liquid fat
1.5 cups of yoghurt
1 tsp. of soda bicarbonate
ground pepper, salt, sesame

Baking instructions:

The leek is washed and cut into circles for cooking, then it is fried in a frying pan with liquid fat. Add some ground pepper to taste to avoid making it very hot and salty. Remove from the cooker and let it cool off.
In a deep bowl, mix the semi-liquid dough (cake dough) with corn flour, 2/3 of the liquid fat, yoghurt, salt and water.

Note: The consistency of this dough can be adjusted so that when the stuffing is placed on it, the dough won’t sink. A little more than half of the dough, of boza thickness, is spread as a not too thick a layer into a baking pan with oiled bottom and sides. In case of a thick layer, the baking of the middle part is difficult, and the moisture from the filling, placed above, can make it even more difficult.
On the bottom dough layer, the leek filling is spread out as not too thick a layer. If you find that the filling is low in fat, you can pour some more fat on top. The remaining corn dough is diluted in lukewarm water to the consistency of thick ayran. In doing so, to your taste, some more yoghurt and liquid fat can be added to improve the flavour. The thus prepared dough is spread over the filling to cover it. This is the most important knack of this recipe – the top layer of dough should be of lighter consustency than the bottom one. On the very top, some liquid fat can be added with a brush or by hand. Optionally, it can be decorated with sesame. Bake for about 1 hour at moderate temperature. Bake until the surface obtains a pomegranate color, and the leek turns red. Once out of the oven, cover with a kitchen towel and leave it to rest. Then slice it and it is ready to serve.

Type of halva with flour, prepared from flour, butter and sugar and decorated with peanuts.

Ingredients:

1 measure of butter
2 measures of flour
3 measures of sugar or 2 measures of honey
2 measures of fresh milk / water
Almonds

Baking instructions:

The oil is fried until slightly caramelized in low-fat butter. At a certain point, the peeled almonds are added to the flour to be caramelized. The syrup, made from milk / water and sugar / honey, prepared in a separate container and already cooled off, is then added to the flour and the the almonds by stirring it. Once the water is absorbed, the dish is removed from the stove and let to cool for about 3-5 minutes. Then it is ready to serve.

A traditional cake, made from rice, turmeric, saffron and sugar. One of the irreplaceable sweets of the Ottoman cuisine.

Ingredients:

1 cup of rice
9 glasses of water
2 g of saffron
1 tsp. of turmeric
1 tsp. of rose water
5 cups of sugar

Baking instructions:

Put the rice in cold water and boil it. In about 40 minutes, when the rice begins to thicken, add some sugar and boil it for about 4-5 minutes, so that the dissolved in the water saffron and turmeric and the rose water are added 2 minutes before the dish is removed from the kitchen stove. While still hot, pour it into bowls to serve. Top with some fried peanuts and “Black Corinth” grapes and it is ready to serve.

Prepared out of grilled and cut into cubes aubergines and red peppers; salt is added, olive oil and then – it is ready to serve.

Ingredients:

1 kg of red aubergines
4-5 tomatoes
green pepper Sivria
1 bunch of parsley
olive oil, lemon

Baking instructions:

The aubergines and the peppers are baked and cut into big pieces. The tomatoes are peeled and cut into small pieces. Add some parsley, crushed garlic, olive oil and lemon and stir everything.

Prepared from wild duck, goose or chicken meat – wrap in pastry sheets and bake in an oven. Type of Manta, typical of the Balkans.

Ingredients:

1 wild duck / goose / chicken
1 kg of flour
2 packets of butter
1 egg
½ kg of rice
Salt, black pepper
2 kg of onion

Baking instructions:

Prepare soft dough from flour, eggs and a little salt and let it rise. Prepare some filling from rice, 1 medium onion and lots of black pepper and leave it to cool off. Cut the onion into thin crescents and fry them in a packet of butter until slightly caramelized. Place the the duck or chicken in plenty of salty water. The meat is separated from the bones and fried in a spoonful of butter.
From the dough, balls of medium-size are shaped out and then, using a rolling pin, not very thin pastry sheets are rolled out. The pastry sheets are cut into squares of approximately 5 cm. In the middle of each square, a 1.5 teaspoon of stuffing is placed, the four edges are attached together and the pieces are arranged in an oiled baking tray.
Pour the pan over with the melted butter and bake for approximately 30 minutes in a pre-heated oven until it is ready on top and bottom. While the baking continues, the fried onion is mixed in the chicken water and in a teaspoon of black pepper and boiled for 5 minutes. This mixture is evenly poured over the manta tray as soon as it is taken out of the oven. The meat is also evenly arranged over the entire tray and then placed again in the oven. Bake for approximately 30 minutes until the water absorbs. Serve hot.

Ingredients:

2 kg of flour
1 kg of bulgur for pilaf
2 kg of sheep’s cheese
5 eggs, salt, 1 tbsp of liquid fat

Baking instructions:

Prepare some soft dough out of eggs, salt and fat and leave it to rest for 15 minutes. Blanch the bulgur and after it cools off, add 3 eggs and mix everything well. The dough is rolled out into thin big pastry sheets, which are divided in two. The bulgur stuffing is placed as a strip on the sheet, and then, the layer is rolled up. The rolls are arranged in an oiled tray, starting from its middle. Top with some yolk and bake for approximately 45 minutes in a preheated oven, so that it can be baked on both sides – bottom and top.

Ingredients:

2 kg of flour
2 packets of butter
2 kg of almonds
200 g of yoghurt
3 tbsp of yoghurt
2 tbsp of liquid fat
2 kg of sugar
2 kg of wheat starch
a little salt
average-sized baking tray with high-rise sides

Baking instructions:

Dough is kneaded from eggs, yoghurt, a packet of soft butter, liquid fat, 2 tablespoons of sugar and a little salt and then it is left to rest. In about 15 minutes, at least 65 balls are shaped. Starch is sprinkled on top and bottom the balls, and very thin pastry sheets are rolled out with a rolling pin. The tray is oiled and, firstly, 4-5 sheets are spread out. Meanwhile, the almonds are placed to stay in lukewarm water; then, they are peeled. After that, they are fried in a pan and crushed. The dough balls are rolled out, one by one. Each pastry sheet is sprinkled with almonds on top, and over the last sheet with almonds, 4-5 more sheets are to be placed. The baklava is cut into small diamonds or squares and poured over with melted butter. Then it is baked in a pre-heated oven at moderate temperature until it is ready on top and bottom.
The syrup is prepared from 2 kg of sugar and 2 kg of water with a few drops of lemon juice. The cold baklava is poured over with the hot syrup and it is left to rest for a few hours. After that, it is ready to serve.

It is bred in the lagoons and lakes of the town of Enez, one of the rare breeding grounds in the country. The eel is a preferred choice for the visitors to Enez.

Pilaf, prepared from game, lamb or chicken. A special dish that is cooked during the Haderlez (The Spring Festival) and during religious holidays. It was given its name for the fact that it is baked under a lid.

Ingredients:

350 g of boneless lamb
3 pcs of fresh onion
1 cup of rice
1 medium old onion
50 g butter
2 pcs of mint
1 pinch of black pepper

Baking instructions:

Place the lamb in a saucepan and blanch with the chopped onion, adding a pinch of salt. Fry the rice in oil. Place the lamb, the onion and the water in which they are blanched on it. The water should cover the meat. If the water is not enough, pour some more. Place the fresh onion and the fresh mint on top. Add some pepper and put the dish in the oven. Bake for about 30 minutes. After that, switch off the oven, cover the baking tray and leave it inside the oven for 20 minutes. Then it is ready to serve.

Edirne meatballs belong to the group of the most popular dishes from the local cuisine, especially in craftman’s restaurants. Recently, these meatballs have become the most wanted dish by the tourists from Bulgaria and Greece who come here for a day.

Ingredients:

700 g of veal mince
300 g of lamb mince
1 grated onion
2 slices of dry bread
1 tsp of pepper and cumin (optional)
Salt

Baking instructions:

The meat should rest cold for two days. The veal becomes greasier by adding some lamb to it. First, grind the meat with a meat-grinder. Then, add the grated onion, the crushed dry bread, salt / pepper and mix everything. Shape out some flat meatballs and leave them to rest in the refrigerator. Oil the grill and put the meatballs on it. Mind the grill temperature and the time to turn the meatballs upside down so that they are sealed and the juice kept inside. Turn the meatballs frequently and make sure they get done well.
Serve with spicy sauce and sheep’s yoghurt.

“Baldo” and “Osmanjuk” types of rice, an indispensable ingredient in the Turkish cuisine, are grown in the fertile lands of Edirne-Ipsala Plain. The rice, cultivated there, constitutes one-third of the rice, grown in Turkey and is present in our cuisine due to its specific taste.
It is preferred in dishes such as pilaf – one of the most important dishes in the Turkish cuisine, in meat dishes and soups. You can choose from different types of rice, depending on the dish or on the pastry. Black rice of high nutritional value is also grown in Ipsala.

A type of pastry, made from butter, flour and whole almonds. The cookies the Sultan’s chefs cooked and served during special days.

Ingredients:

1 teacup of sliced almonds
1 teacup of flour
1 teacup of powdered sugar (for the inside)
4 tablespoons of butter
1 packet of powdered sugar (for the top)
1/2 vanillapacket
2 egg whites
1 tablespoon of baking powder

Baking instructions:

Bake the flour and the grated almonds and stir continuously until they give off a smell. Then leave them to cool off. After that, add one portion of powdered sugar, baking powder, 4 tablespoons of sugar, butter, vanilla and egg white to the mixture. Knead the dough and use a rolling pin to spread it to a finger-thick layer. Cut out the cookies with a crescent mold. Place the cookies on baking paper and bake in a preheated oven at 160-180 ° C. Roll the cooled off cookies into a bowl of powdered sugar and they are ready to serve.

The preparation of gypsy chicken is a method of baking a chicken-hen with specific for the area names and particularly pleasant sensations.
This method was developed for practical purposes in the mountain regions by hunters and shepherds who lived out of the populated areas for long and roamed mountains and forests or by peasants when they had to stay overnight around the fields.

Ingredients:

Chicken
Aubergines, peppers, old onion, tomatoes, fresh potatoes
Liquid fat
Salt, salsa, fresh milk, thyme – optional

Baking instructions:

Chickens are washed and dried; milk, spices, salsa and fat are mixed together. The chicken is smeared all over with this mixture and spiked.
Cut the peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, aubergines and onions in big pieces and put them in a large tray, then pour some fat over them. Make a small pit in the fire under the baking device and place the tray there. Arrange the chickens upright on a spit and place the spit so that the chickens are on the tray. Cover the baking device with a large torn and straightened tin from liquid fat. Stir the fire and cover with charcoal the places where the tin is grounded. Add cones and wood to the fire from time to time in order to keep it burning. Serve when the vegetables and the chicken are roasted.