CoolCat Countries Macedonia

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	22. Macedonia (North Macedonia-Country in the Balkans) The capital is Skopje. “Officially the Republic of Macedonia is located in the Balkan Peninsular and was previously part of Yugoslavia until they gained independence in 1991.” “Macedonia is the only country that got independence from Yugoslavia without shedding any blood.” -traveltalktours.com “The Greek region of Macedonia lies in the northern, mountainous part of the country and includes its second-largest city, Thessaloniki, as well as the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Philippi.” -cnn.com “Macedonia most commonly refers to: North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, founded in 1991 and known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity Macedonia (Greece), a traditional geographic region spanning three administrative divisions of northern Greece Macedonia (region), a geographic and historical region that today includes parts of six Balkan countries (see map)” Text and Photo credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macedonia In 2019 Macedonia and Greece reached an agreement to refer to the country as “North Macedonia.” “It is a spectacular landlocked country that has an abundance of mountains, lakes, national parks and ancient towns with Ottoman and European architecture.” “The Cyrillic alphabet, official in Macedonia, is based on the alphabet developed by two Macedonian brothers in the 9th century. It was taught by their disciples at a monastery in Ohrid, and from there it spread across the eastern Slavic world.” “Ohrid Lake is the oldest and one of the deepest lakes in Europe. It is estimated to be around 4 million years old and has 200 endemic species that haven’t been found at any other place in the world. It was also declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1979” -traveltalktours.com The dishes we made: Ajvar (Dip/Spread), Spinach and Feta Burek, Tavche Gravche (Baked Beans Dish) and Gibanica (Quick Pastry with Eggs & Cheese). Ajvar (Roasted Red Pepper Dip/Spread/Sauce) VERY, VERY Good! Our version (not altered too much) 2 Red Bell Peppers 1 Eggplant 3 Garlic cloves ~1/4 cup Olive Oil 1 Tbsp White Vinegar 1 tsp Salt or to taste Freshly ground Black Pepper or to taste Oil, salt and pepper vegetables, wrap garlic cloves, with skins, in foil. Grill vegetables to char the skin some, ~10-15 minutes. Finish roasting in 400 oF oven for about 20 minutes. Let cool enough to handle. Remove stem and seeds from bell pepper, scrape eggplant off skin, squeeze garlic out of skins and put all in food processor. Pulse until roughly chopped. Add in oil, vinegar, and salt and pulse until incorporated and peppers are finely chopped. Transfer to saucepan and cook for ~30 min. We skipped this stage and enjoyed it right after mixing and it was fantastic. Season with salt and pepper. Spinach and Feta Burek VERY Good! Eggier than Spanakopita. 10 sheets phyllo dough thawed 3 Tbsp Olive Oil ½ cup Milk 1 large Egg 2 Tbsp plain Yogurt or Sour Cream ½ tsp Salt ¼ tsp Pepper Filling 20 oz. Spinach washed and dried or Frozen chopped 1 medium Onion, chopped 1 Tbsp Olive Oil ¼ tsp Salt ~2 spoonful Ricotta Cheese 2 Tbsp Sesame Seeds 1 cup Feta Cheese crumbled Egg yolk or Olive Oil for wash on top before baking. Whisk together olive oil, milk, egg, yogurt/sour cream, salt, and pepper until thoroughly combined. Sauté onion with salt & pepper a few minutes, then add spinach and some sesame seeds. If cooking fresh spinach, squeeze out excess juice. If cooking frozen, you probably won’t need to do that. Add some ricotta and then feta, off heat and let cool some. Assemble: Place parchment paper in baking pan and spray with oil or just spray metal or glass pan/dish with oil. DO NOT USE WAXPAPER!!! Begin by layering 2 sheets of phyllo dough and brushing it with 3 Tbsp milk mixture. Repeat one more time before placing one sheet of phyllo on top and spreading the spinach-feta filling evenly over the top. So, a total of 5 phyllo sheets. Continue the same process as above, minus the feta-spinach filling. Place the last sheet on top and brush with the last of the milk mixture. Total of 5 sheets. Cover the whole thing and allow to rest in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight. When you're ready to bake, heat your oven to 350°F. Slice the borek in your preferred pattern, then brush with egg yolk or oil and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. Bake until golden brown, about 30-35 minutes. Serve and enjoy! NOTE: Alternative assembly brushing with oil or a little of the egg mix: Lay as many phyllo sheets as you have room for end-to-end (overlapping a little) and add spinach mix along the bottom and roll up into a long log, then spiral into a baking dish (see graphic below). Or Make triangles or eggroll sized. Tavche Gravche (Baked Beans Dish) VERY, VERY, VERY Good! It is one of the most famous Macedonian dishes and traditionally made in clay pots. The name translates to beans cooked in a pan and the ‘pan’ part coming from the Turkish word, ‘tava’. Historically, this comes from cooking foods over open flames in clay pots for hours or days. White Beans (2 cans or 16 oz (1 bag) or 500 grams) 1 Onion, chopped 1 clove Garlic, diced 1-2 Tbsp Paprika (or more to taste) Olive Oil Salt Black Pepper Parsley Thyme Bay leaf Tomato Paste (about a squirt or 2; equivalent to ~1 tsp) Red Pepper Flakes Sauté onions and garlic, then add all other ingredients. Cover and simmer on stove for at least 30 minutes. Stir occasionally. Note: Could also put into oven (350 oF) for 30 min.). Gibanica (Quick Pastry with Eggs & Cheese) VERY, VERY, VERY Good! This is a very popular and traditional pastry that’s made with eggs and cheese. Phyllo Dough ~1 cup Ricotta Cheese 2 Eggs ½ cup Yogurt or Sour Cream ½ cup Sparkling Water (or plain water with 1 tsp Baking Powder) ¼ cup Oil ½ tsp Salt Heat oven to 350 oF. Mix eggs, cheese, sparkling water (or plain water + baking powder), oil, yogurt/sour cream and salt. Grease glass baking dish. Place 2 layers in the baking dish. Take 2 layers, dip them in the egg mixture and place on the dry phyllo layers. Place 1 dry layer. Then repeat this process until you have about half to 2/3 of the dish filled. If there's any egg mixture left, pour evenly on top. Place one dry layer on top and brush with oil. Bake for about 30-35 minutes or until brown on top. NOTE: Halfway through the assembly I added small chunks of ricotta cheeses and then continued with phyllo dough. The flavor is very egg custardy. We added honey at the table. It would be fun to try different flavors in this pastry! Macedonian Wine History: “Macedonian wine story has its roots from the 13th century BC. Ancient Macedonians made wine from grapes grown and mixed with honey because sugar helped its preservation. The wine was kept in amphoras in which olive oil was poured on top to stop wine breathing. Then amphorae was buried in the ground and thus it remained cold and matured respectively. During the Roman Empire, Romans were responsible for spreading vines throughout Europe. They believed that the wine is a source of wealth and luck. During this period, Macedonia was one of the most famous regions for growing grapes in the Empire.” “During the Ottoman Empire (from XIV to the XX century) viticulture and wine-production in Macedonia extinguished since wine was forbidden according to Islamic laws. Thanks to Christian churches, wine making continued.” “After World War II, with the beginning of socialism, barrels and equipment for the production of wine which were owned by different families and small producers of wine, were nationalized. 13 wineries producing mainly bulk wine were established in Republic of Macedonia.” “After separating Macedonia from Yugoslavia in 1990, the process of privatization of the oldest wineries began.” -Macedoniancuisine.com We tried 2 Macedonian Wines (the varietals: Malagousia and Assyrtiko): Gerovassiliou Malagousia 2019 and Biblia Chora Areti White 2017 These were 2 VERY different wines, but both very good in their distinct ways. The Malagousia (mah-la-gooz-ee-uh) was very flowery on the nose, like white flowers (gardenia, jasmine) and strong aroma of very ripe mango. On the palate was rich lemon peel or Meyer lemons with a touch of creamy mouthfeel. The Assyrtika (aa-seer-tee-kuh) was lemon-citrusy with some light volcanic-sulfur funk. This is probably indicative of the terroir as the vines were grown in volcanic soil. On the palate was lemon, minerals, slight saline.

22. Macedonia (North Macedonia-Country in the Balkans)

The capital is Skopje.
“Officially the Republic of Macedonia is located in the Balkan Peninsular and was previously part of Yugoslavia until they gained independence in 1991.” “Macedonia is the only country that got independence from Yugoslavia without shedding any blood.” -traveltalktours.com

“The Greek region of Macedonia lies in the northern, mountainous part of the country and includes its second-largest city, Thessaloniki, as well as the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Philippi.” -cnn.com

“Macedonia most commonly refers to: Macedonia_Map_2

North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, founded in 1991 and known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity
Macedonia (Greece), a traditional geographic region spanning three administrative divisions of northern Greece
Macedonia (region), a geographic and historical region that today includes parts of six Balkan countries (see map)”

Text and Photo credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macedonia

In 2019 Macedonia and Greece reached an agreement to refer to the country as “North Macedonia.”

“It is a spectacular landlocked country that has an abundance of mountains, lakes, national parks and ancient towns with Ottoman and European architecture.”
“The Cyrillic alphabet, official in Macedonia, is based on the alphabet developed by two Macedonian brothers in the 9th century. It was taught by their disciples at a monastery in Ohrid, and from there it spread across the eastern Slavic world.”
“Ohrid Lake is the oldest and one of the deepest lakes in Europe. It is estimated to be around 4 million years old and has 200 endemic species that haven’t been found at any other place in the world. It was also declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1979” -traveltalktours.com

The dishes we made:

Ajvar (Dip/Spread), Spinach and Feta Burek, Tavche Gravche (Baked Beans Dish) and Gibanica (Quick Pastry with Eggs & Cheese).

Ajvar (Roasted Red Pepper Dip/Spread/Sauce) VERY, VERY Good!
Our version (not altered too much)
2 Red Bell Peppers
1 Eggplant
3 Garlic cloves
~1/4 cup Olive Oil
1 Tbsp White Vinegar
1 tsp Salt or to taste
Freshly ground Black Pepper or to taste

Oil, salt and pepper vegetables, wrap garlic cloves, with skins, in foil.
Grill vegetables to char the skin some, ~10-15 minutes.
Finish roasting in 400 oF oven for about 20 minutes.
Let cool enough to handle.
Remove stem and seeds from bell pepper, scrape eggplant off skin, squeeze garlic out of skins and put all in food processor. Pulse until roughly chopped.
Add in oil, vinegar, and salt and pulse until incorporated and peppers are finely chopped.
Transfer to saucepan and cook for ~30 min. We skipped this stage and enjoyed it right after mixing and it was fantastic.
Season with salt and pepper.

Spinach and Feta Burek VERY Good!
Eggier than Spanakopita.

10 sheets phyllo dough thawed
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
½ cup Milk
1 large Egg
2 Tbsp plain Yogurt or Sour Cream
½ tsp Salt
¼ tsp Pepper
Filling
20 oz. Spinach washed and dried or Frozen chopped
1 medium Onion, chopped
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
¼ tsp Salt
~2 spoonful Ricotta Cheese
2 Tbsp Sesame Seeds
1 cup Feta Cheese crumbled

Egg yolk or Olive Oil for wash on top before baking.

Whisk together olive oil, milk, egg, yogurt/sour cream, salt, and pepper until thoroughly combined.
Sauté onion with salt & pepper a few minutes, then add spinach and some sesame seeds.
If cooking fresh spinach, squeeze out excess juice. If cooking frozen, you probably won’t need to do that.
Add some ricotta and then feta, off heat and let cool some.
Assemble:
Place parchment paper in baking pan and spray with oil or just spray metal or glass pan/dish with oil.
DO NOT USE WAXPAPER!!!
Begin by layering 2 sheets of phyllo dough and brushing it with 3 Tbsp milk mixture.
Repeat one more time before placing one sheet of phyllo on top and spreading the spinach-feta filling evenly over the top.
So, a total of 5 phyllo sheets.
Continue the same process as above, minus the feta-spinach filling.
Place the last sheet on top and brush with the last of the milk mixture. Total of 5 sheets.
Cover the whole thing and allow to rest in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight.
When you're ready to bake, heat your oven to 350°F.
Slice the borek in your preferred pattern, then brush with egg yolk or oil and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.
Bake until golden brown, about 30-35 minutes.
Serve and enjoy!

NOTE:
Alternative assembly brushing with oil or a little of the egg mix:
Lay as many phyllo sheets as you have room for end-to-end (overlapping a little) and add spinach mix along the bottom and roll up into a long log, then spiral into a baking dish (see graphic below).
Or
Make triangles or eggroll sized.

Spinach & Feta Burek-2

Tavche Gravche (Baked Beans Dish) VERY, VERY, VERY Good!

It is one of the most famous Macedonian dishes and traditionally made in clay pots.
The name translates to beans cooked in a pan and the ‘pan’ part coming from the Turkish word, ‘tava’.
Historically, this comes from cooking foods over open flames in clay pots for hours or days.

White Beans (2 cans or 16 oz (1 bag) or 500 grams)
1 Onion, chopped
1 clove Garlic, diced
1-2 Tbsp Paprika (or more to taste)
Olive Oil
Salt
Black Pepper
Parsley
Thyme
Bay leaf
Tomato Paste (about a squirt or 2; equivalent to ~1 tsp)
Red Pepper Flakes

Sauté onions and garlic, then add all other ingredients.
Cover and simmer on stove for at least 30 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Note:
Could also put into oven (350 oF) for 30 min.).

Gibanica (Quick Pastry with Eggs & Cheese) VERY, VERY, VERY Good!
This is a very popular and traditional pastry that’s made with eggs and cheese.

Phyllo Dough
~1 cup Ricotta Cheese
2 Eggs
½ cup Yogurt or Sour Cream
½ cup Sparkling Water (or plain water with 1 tsp Baking Powder)
¼ cup Oil
½ tsp Salt

Heat oven to 350 oF.
Mix eggs, cheese, sparkling water (or plain water + baking powder), oil, yogurt/sour cream and salt.
Grease glass baking dish.
Place 2 layers in the baking dish.
Take 2 layers, dip them in the egg mixture and place on the dry phyllo layers.
Place 1 dry layer.
Then repeat this process until you have about half to 2/3 of the dish filled.
If there's any egg mixture left, pour evenly on top.
Place one dry layer on top and brush with oil.
Bake for about 30-35 minutes or until brown on top.

NOTE:
Halfway through the assembly I added small chunks of ricotta cheeses and then continued with phyllo dough.
The flavor is very egg custardy. We added honey at the table.
It would be fun to try different flavors in this pastry!

Macedonian Wine
History:
“Macedonian wine story has its roots from the 13th century BC. Ancient Macedonians made wine from grapes grown and mixed with honey because sugar helped its preservation. The wine was kept in amphoras in which olive oil was poured on top to stop wine breathing. Then amphorae was buried in the ground and thus it remained cold and matured respectively.
During the Roman Empire, Romans were responsible for spreading vines throughout Europe. They believed that the wine is a source of wealth and luck. During this period, Macedonia was one of the most famous regions for growing grapes in the Empire.”
“During the Ottoman Empire (from XIV to the XX century) viticulture and wine-production in Macedonia extinguished since wine was forbidden according to Islamic laws. Thanks to Christian churches, wine making continued.”
“After World War II, with the beginning of socialism, barrels and equipment for the production of wine which were owned by different families and small producers of wine, were nationalized. 13 wineries producing mainly bulk wine were established in Republic of Macedonia.”
“After separating Macedonia from Yugoslavia in 1990, the process of privatization of the oldest wineries began.” -Macedoniancuisine.com

We tried 2 Macedonian Wines (the varietals: Malagousia and Assyrtiko):
Gerovassiliou Malagousia 2019
and
Biblia Chora Areti White 2017

These were 2 VERY different wines, but both very good in their distinct ways.

The Malagousia (mah-la-gooz-ee-uh) was very flowery on the nose, like white flowers (gardenia, jasmine) and strong aroma of very ripe mango.
On the palate was rich lemon peel or Meyer lemons with a touch of creamy mouthfeel.

The Assyrtika (aa-seer-tee-kuh) was lemon-citrusy with some light volcanic-sulfur funk. This is probably indicative of the terroir as the vines were grown in volcanic soil.
On the palate was lemon, minerals, slight saline.

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