Recipes

  • Potato Gratin Dauphinois

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    Elegant dish of Potatoes au Gratin

    This dish is the crème de la crème of all potato recipes. Also known as Dauphinois potatoes. With layers upon layers of finely chopped potatoes baked in cream and butter (use cheese for more richness), with a hint of nutmeg, it is luxurious and utterly simple.

    The potatoes should fall apart and become soft under a golden crust, so be sure to use starchy potatoes.

    Gratin Dauphinois is a comforting recipe that, thanks to its great blend of the creaminess of the gratin, the fondant of the potatoes can be enriched by the earthy and musky aromas of the truffle.

    Suggested pairing

    Potatoes au Gratin is a classic comfort dish featuring thinly sliced potatoes baked in a creamy sauce. The richness of the dish calls for wines that can either cut through the creaminess or complement its savory flavors. BRATANOV 3-Blend White Chardonnay & Viognier & Tamyanka, with its citrus and oak notes, provides a balanced contrast, and mirrors the dish’s richness.

    Photo courtesy of Joana Petrova

    Recipe from Home made food Joana's culinary blog

    Ingredients for 6 servings

    1 kg potatoes, peeled and sliced into 3 mm thick slices
    300 ml whole milk
    300 ml cream with 30-35% fat
    3 cloves garlic, peeled and left whole
    1-2 bay leaves
    2-3 sprigs fresh thyme
    ⅛ Tsp freshly grated nutmeg
    salt and freshly ground black pepper
    a knob of soft butter for greasing the pan

    Preparation of the recipe

    In a saucepan, combine fresh milk and cream. Add the whole garlic cloves, bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium to high heat. When it boils, remove the saucepan from the heat and cover with a lid. Set aside to infuse the flavors while you prepare the potatoes.

    Peel the potatoes and cut them into 3mm thick slices. It is best to use a V-shaped grater or a mandolin type grater.

    When the potatoes are ready, strain the milk ingredients from the spices and return them to the pot. Add the nutmeg, salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Add the potatoes. Place the pot on medium to high heat and let the liquid with the potatoes boil. Cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring the potatoes from time to time with a silicone spatula from the bottom up to prevent them from sticking. The mixture should not boil vigorously, so if necessary, reduce the heat.

    During this time, preheat the oven to 160ºC with the top and bottom heat option. Prepare a baking dish measuring 25x15x5 cm, the bottom and walls of which are greased with soft butter.

    When the potatoes have boiled for 2-3 minutes, remove them with a slotted spoon and arrange them directly in the baking dish, aiming to cover them in a tiled pattern and evenly throughout the dish. Pour over the milk mixture in which they were boiled. The level of the liquid should be about 5-6 mm above the level of the potatoes. Place them on the middle level in the preheated oven and bake for 45 minutes. Check for doneness with a wooden skewer, which when inserted into the potatoes to the bottom should feel soft, and when the skewer is removed there should be no resistance.

    Remove them from the oven and leave at least half of them to cool and firm up in the remaining liquid. They can be prepared earlier in the day or the day before and warmed in the oven before serving.

  • Crackers with cheese and herbs

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    Crispy, spelt and yellow cheese crackers

    Cut into thin slices and sprinkled with a dash of sesame seeds, they’re a next-level addition to a cheeseboard.

    Serve a bundle of these rustic bread rolls with wine as an aperitivo alongside cheese, cured meats, and olives, or dunk them into soups and dip

    Wine suggestion

    BRATANOV Rosé Pamplemousse

    Photo courtesy of Joana Petrova

    Recipe from Home made food Joana's culinary blog

    Ingredients for for about 50 crackers

    80 g wholemeal spelt flour
    100 g white flour
    ¾ teaspoon baking powder
    180 g butter, softened
    160 g coarsely grated semi-hard or hard yellow cheese such as cheddar, gouda, asiago, gruyere, parmesan
    1 egg
    ¼ to ½ teaspoon salt (the amount will depend on the saltiness of the cheese and personal taste)
    freshly ground black pepper
    1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
    1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
    20 g sesame seeds + 10 g nigella seeds for rolling

    Preparation

    In a bowl, mix the wholemeal and white flours, and the baking powder.

    Beat the butter with a mixer until fluffy and light. Add the grated cheeses and beat again. Add the egg and beat until incorporated into the mixture. Season with salt, freshly ground black pepper and the herbs. Finally, add the flour mixture and knead everything until it comes together into a dough. Shape the dough into a wick about 4 cm thick.

    Place a piece of cling film on the counter and scatter the seeds on it. Place the wick on them and roll it out, shaping it at the same time. Wrap it with cling film and chill in the freezer for 30-40 minutes or in the refrigerator overnight. It can be prepared in advance by storing in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months.

    Preheat the oven to 180ºC with the top and bottom heat option. Cut the cooled wick, whether from the freezer or the refrigerator, into crackers 3-4 mm thick. If the wick has been stored in the freezer for a long time and it is difficult to cut crackers from it, then leave it in the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes or at room temperature until it relaxes slightly, but it should not be soft.

    Arrange the cut crackers on a baking sheet on baking paper and bake immediately on the middle level in the preheated oven for 14 minutes or until golden brown. After removing from the oven, leave them in the tray for 5-6 minutes and then move them to a wire rack until they cool completely. Store in a box at room temperature.

     

  • Wine Braised Beef Short Ribs over Creamy Cheese Polenta

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    Luscious, melt-in-the-mouth short ribs call for robust reds

    Above all, choose bone-in meat like ribs or a large piece of meat with firm muscles. Beef short ribs have a lot of fat content and marbling or connective tissue, so they’re a popular choice for hands-off, low-and-slow cooking methods. Braised dishes are slow cooks, designed to melt the interior fat and collagen in tougher cuts of meat. As a result, the collagen breaks down under the heat and long time cook, making the sauce thick and very flavorful.

    Slow cooking is like a love that has already begun, which grows stronger with time. With it, every sharpness is smoothed out, doubts are dispelled, impatient anticipation turns into delight, because you know that something very good is coming. In this case, a very delicious combination with wine, for which every moment of waiting is worth it until the last second.

    Wine suggestion:

    Try pairing this dish with a rich, full-bodied, peppery red wine from Bulgaria, such as BRATANOV 3-BLEND RED Merlot & Cabernet Franc & Rubin.

    This intense, full-bodied wine are robust in flavor and high in tannins, making it a perfect counterpart to recipes like Wine Braised Short Ribs, which also calls for a bottle of dry red wine for the braising liquid.

    Wine Braised Beef Short Ribs
    Photo courtesy of Joana Petrova

    Recipie from Home made food Joana's culinary blog

    Ingredients for 4 servings

    For the ribs:

    1.5 kg smaller cuts of rib meat. Short ribs tend to have a layer of fat on top of them
    flour for rolling
    2-3 Tbs oil or light olive oil
    2 medium onions, finely chopped
    2 medium carrots, diced
    1-2 stalks celery, diced
    3-4 cloves garlic, sliced
    2 Tbs chopped fresh rosemary
    2 Tbs chopped fresh thyme
    2 Tbs concentrated tomato paste
    1 bottle (750 ml) dry red wine, preferably light, with fruity flavors
    2 Tsp fish sauce
    salt and freshly ground black pepper

    For the creamy yellow cheese polenta:

    200 g cornmeal
    1,200 ml water
    1 ½ Tsp ground sea salt
    50 g butter
    60 g grated semi-hard yellow cheese such as mature Gouda, Cheddar, or Gruyere
    freshly ground black pepper

    To serve:

    chopped fresh parsley
    grated lemon zest

    Preparing the short ribs:

    Pat the ribs with kitchen paper and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roll in flour, shaking off excess.

    In a large saucepan, preferably cast iron, heat 2 tablespoons of the fat over high heat. Fry the ribs in batches on all sides, about 6 minutes. After that, remove to the side. If necessary, add more fat to the saucepan, reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion, carrot and celery, sauté for about 5 minutes until softened. In the meantime mix up frequently. Next, add the garlic and herbs. Stir for about 30 seconds until they release their flavors.

    After that, blend the tomato puree with the vegetables and stir briefly. Pour the wine into the pan and return the ribs to it. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 25 minutes until the wine is reduced by half. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180ºC with the top and bottom heat options.

    When the mixture has reduced, pour 1 liter of water, enough to almost cover the ribs. Finally, add the fish sauce, season everything with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bring the liquid to a boil. Cook the ribs in the oven for 3 hours.

    The nature of the slow cooking style mean dish actually taste better if you make them ahead of time. But, the porridge is made shortly before the dish is served. The preparation is done in a large saucepan, preferably with a double bottom. The water is salted and when it boils, the corn semolina is poured into it. The stove is reduced to medium to low and the porridge is cooked for 30 minutes, stirring frequently. The result should be a thick mixture, but creamy enough. When it is ready, add the butter, cheese and freshly ground black pepper.

  • Bulgarian Cheese Dip

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    The buttery flavors of healthy Bulgarian yogurt and signature White cheese

    Get ready to dive into a delightful and creamy dip that’s sure to be a hit at any get-together. Sweet, creamy, and savory all in one, this dip is perfect for whether it’s a weekend or a weeknight dinner. Inspired by Bulgarian yogurth, this dip boasts the sweet and buttery flavors of a hearty texture signature of any cheese-based dip. To save time without sacrificing any flavor, serve this with corn chips, toasted baguette slices, or your favorite fresh vegetables.

    Wine suggestion:

    A noble, polished aromas of ripe apricots, toasted nuts and honey, such as Tsarev Brod Riesling Amber Harvest, balances the rich and creamy texture of the dip.

    Photo courtesy of Joana Petrova

    Recipe from Home made food Joana's culinary blog

    Ingredients For 4-6 servings

    • 200g Bulgarian cow’s white cheese, crumbled
    • 60g cream cheese, ricotta or cottage cheese
    • 100g Bulgarian yoghurt
    • 1 tbsp olive oil
    • ¼ tsp garlic powder
    • 1 tbsp each chopped fresh parsley, dill and mint
    • salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

    Ingredients for decoration

    • olive oil
    • coarsely chopped walnuts
    • flaked red pepper
    • saffron
    • fresh parsley, dill, mint leaves

    Directions

    All the ingredients for the dip are mixed in a food processor and ground until a paste is obtained. Be careful with the salt, because the cheese can be quite salty!
    Once ready, transfer it to a jar or box with a lid and store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
    Before serving, you can sprinkle it with olive oil and make a combination with walnuts, red pepper, saffron and fresh green spices.
    It is suitable for serving with fresh or roasted vegetables, with crackers, breadsticks or toasted bread.

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