Bulgarians have a lot of tasty recipes, most of them based on vegetables and herbs. They are well known for their healing properties and the traditional dishes, such as Bulgarian Musaka. Like in the Romanian kitchen, Parsley is very used, almost in every dish. There is no soup without spearmint, the wild mint being one of their favorite too. For meat and potatoes, they use basil and oregano, while time it’s used as a spice, but also for its medical properties (colds, bronchitis, rheumatism, and heart disease).
Bulgarian Musaka
Bulgarian Moussaka (мусака) is a particular dish, maybe one of the most well Bulgarian known dishes and what makes it stand out are the local mushrooms and nutmeg used. Greeks use eggplant rather than mushrooms, but there are also recipies with potatoes. and rather A real treat for the taste buds, this baked dish may remind you of a lasagne but has a lot more vegetables and eggs.
Ingredients:
3/4 pound ground beef (85% lean)
3/4 pound ground pork
1/2 cup olive oil,
1 large carrot, finely chopped
1/2 yellow onion,finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1/4 bunch fresh parsley, stems and leaves chopped separately
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
2 tablespoons paprika
Topping:
2 eggs
2 cups plain yoghurt
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
Preparation:
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add ground beef and ground pork and cook until brown and crumbly, 5 to 10 minutes. Drain and discard fat. Add 1/4 cup olive oil, carrot, onion, celery, parsley stems, and tomatoes. Mix to combine. Stir in bell pepper and season with paprika, salt, pepper, bay leaves, and cayenne pepper. Cook until vegetables start to soften, about 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
- Transfer meat mixture to a large baking pan.
- Heat remaining 1/4 cup olive oil in a large skillet and cook potatoes until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer to the baking pan and mix well with the meat mixture.
- Bake moussaka in the preheated oven for 45 minutes. Remove baking dish from the oven and mix in chopped parsley leaves.
- Stir eggs, yogurt, flour, and baking soda together in a bowl until it turns into a spreadable mixture. Pour over the meat mixture in the baking dish.
- Return baking dish to the oven and cook until the top is golden brown, about 15 more minutes.
- Enjoy the tasty musaka recipe and also try the recipe with eggplants.