Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Lithuania,

Palma de Mallorca, Poland, Sweden

PREPARED FOR THE PROJECT

4 SEASONS WITH ETWINNING

DECEMBER 2010

BULGARIAN RECIPES

Bulgarian Christmas Bread

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup warm water

• 1 package active dry yeast

• 2 tablespoons sugar

• 2.2 pounds all-purpose flour

• 4 tablespoons oil or softened butter

• 4 large eggs (reserving 1 egg yolk to brush on bread)

• 1 tablespoon salt

PREPARATION:

In small bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Stir in sugar and 2 tablespoons flour until well combined. Transfer to a stand mixer bowl, and add remaining flour, oil or butter, 3 whole eggs and 1 egg white (reserving remaining egg yolk to brush on the bread before baking), and salt.

Divide dough into 7 equal-size balls and place 1 ball in the center of a baking tray . Lightly brush the top of each piece with oil or melted butter.

Brush bread all over with remaining beaten egg yolk mixed with 1 tablespoon water. Bake about 50 minutes and cover top loosely with foil to prevent overbrowning.

Banitsa (Cheese pastry)

INGRIEDENTS:

• 1kg flour,

• 400g white brined Cheese,

• 4 eggs,

• 500g yoghurt,

• 1/2 a tsp baking soda,

• 100g butter,

• salt

PREPARATION:

1. Use the flour, salt and 3/2 cupfuls of water to make a hard dough which is divided into first-large balls.

2. Let stand for ~1hour, then roll into about 1mm thick sheets.

3. Line with melted butter and top with a mixture of beaten eggs, baking soda, yoghurt and crumbled Cheese.

4. Roll together and place in a lined dish, either Lengthwise or in circles.

5. Bake in a moderate oven and some water when ready.

6. Cover with a cloth to make it soft.

CZECH RECIPES Vánočka

INGREDIENTS: 6 cups of medium flour 9 teaspoons of sugar 4 ounces of butter 1 tablespoon of yeast 1 cup of milk 1 yolk a pinch of salt vanilla sugar a lemon rind a nutmeg nut star anise 3 tablespoons of raisins 3 tablespoons of almonds an egg for the icing PREPARATION:

Crumble the yeast into the room-temperature milk, add in 1 tablespoon of sugar, sprinkle evenly with flour, and then leave it in a warm place to rise. Put the rest of the flour, 8 tablespoons of sugar, the vanilla sugar, a pinch of salt, the lemon rind, the grated nut of nutmeg, one egg yolk, and the grated star anise into a bowl with the previous mixture when well-risen and mix well. After this, add in the softened butter and continue to mix well. When the dough no longer sticks to the side of the bowl, stir in the washed raisins and the cleaned, sliced almonds. Shape the dough in the bowl into a smooth loaf, dust it with flour, and leave it covered in a warm place to rise (with a larger amount of dough even all night.) When the dough has risen completely, divide it on a pastryboard into 9 parts to make the vanocka. The first layer is weaved from four strands, the second from three, and the third layer from two strands. Lay greased parchment paper on a baking sheet and gradually layer the strands of the vánoèka on it. Leave it for a while on the sheet to finish rising, and then, before putting it in the oven, baste it with the whipped egg and sprinkle it with chopped almonds. Finally, puncture the vánoèka at both ends and in the middle with skewers to prevent warping of the dough during baking. Bake slowly for about 45 minutes.

LITHUANIAN RECIPES Poppy milk

Poppy milk is a traditional Lithuanian drink or soup, one of the 12-disches Christmas Eve . Usually it is eaten together with kūčiukai, another traditional

Lithuanian Christmas Eve dish. To make poppy milk, one or two glasses of poppy seeds are needed. The poppy seeds are soaked in some hot water for a day or so, changing the water from

time to time, until the seeds become soft. Then the poppy seeds are crushed in a food processor (or with a pestle in a mortar), until a white liquid comes out. Some cold water is added (preferably water that has been boiled, and cooled), and the poppy seeds are strained and crushed once more. This process is

repeated several times in order to get a good poppy milk concentrate. Finally, the poppy milk concentrate is diluted with some cold boiled water (the quantity of the water used, is a matter of taste, and certain family preferences, but the flavor of the poppy seeds should be pronounced). Finally, some

sugar or honey is added to sweeten the poppy seed milk. Kūčiukai is a traditional Lithuanian dish served on the traditional Christmas Eve dinner in Lithuania. They are small slightly sweet pastries made from leavened dough and poppy seeds. There are variations in sweetness and, though usually served soaked in poppy seed milk, they can also be eaten without.

INGREDIENTS:

Kuciukai 0.5 kg of wheat flour, 1 glass of water, 50g of vegetable oil, 20-30g of yeast, 100g of sugar, Some salt. Poppy milk 1 glass of poppy seeds 2 litres of water Some sugar

POLISH RECIPES Moczka INGREDIENTS:

300 grams honey gingerbread

½ big celery (optional)

1 medium sized parsley (optional)

300 grams prunes

2 bottles of caramel beer (optional)

10 dried figs

50 grams walnuts

20 almonds

100 grams raisins

PREPARATION:

soak the prunes for 4 hours in lukewarm boiled water wash and peel the vegetables boil the vegetables until soft and take out of the water cut the gingerbread into pieces soak the pieces in the vegetable stock, adding beer boil the prunes in a small amount of water

pour in the prune to the gingerbread add raisins, chopped almonds, chopped walnuts and chopped figs sprinkle in salt and add lemon juice melt butter on a pan add flour and fry together stir the mixture in the soup “MOCZKA” is ready! Serve warm or cold in small serving bowls

Makówki Makówki is a traditional poppy seed-based dessert, most notably in Silesia where it is served almost exclusively on Christmas Eve (and perhaps on the following days, as long as the supply prepared for Christmas lasts). The main ingredient are: sweet white bread and finely ground poppy seeds boiled in milk with butter. Other important ingredients include: dried fruit (figs, raisins, apricots, dates, etc.) almonds and other kinds of nuts (the choice of nuts and dried fruit varies). It is flavoured with sugar, honey, vanilla, cinnamon and rum. The bread is cut into thin slices and layered in a clay pot or more often into a glass or crystal bowl. After each layer, the sauce of the boiled poppy seeds, with flavouring and nuts, is poured so that the bread is well soaked. The top is decorated with some extra nuts and fruit. The dish is served cold, at least several hours after preparation.

Kutia Kutia is a sweet grain pudding, traditionally served in Russian, Ukrainian , Lithuanian, Belarusian and Polish cultures.

• 200 g (7 oz)of wheat grain without scales • 200 g (7 oz)poppy seed • 200 ml (6.8 fl. oz) fluid honey • 100 g (3.5 oz)chopped almonds • 100 g (3.5 oz)walnuts or pecans • 50 g (1.8 oz)raisins • 5 dates Preparation: • Place the wheat grain in a strainer and run plenty of water through it to clean it. • Soak the grain in cold water for 5-6 hours, and then cook on low heat around 3 hours. The grain should be soft, but not overcooked. • If you like, you can grind the cooked wheat grains, or use it whole. • Place the poppy seed in a small pot and pour boiling water on top. Cook for 15 minutes, then strain, grind 2-3 times, until smooth. • Chop the walnuts or pecans; soak the raisins in water or in rum. Chop the dates. • In a mixing bowl, mix the poppy seed, the wheat grain, honey, nuts, and fruits. • You can add more dates, raisins or nuts, if you like. You just have to taste it and see what you want to add. • Store kutia in a fridge, or freeze it. • You can exchange the fruits, but I just don’t recommend using figs.

SPANISH RECIPES

3 Kings Cake

Roscon de reyes

INGREDIENTS:

400g flour 3 eggs 100g butter 100g sugar 1/4 litre milk zest of 1 lemon dried mixed peel for decorating salt

PREPARATION:

1. Mix the baking powder in a glass with 4 tbsp of the milk then add this to 100g of the flour and mix together until it forms a dough type mixture - cover with a clean tea towel and set aside until it doubles in size

2. Place the rest of the flour (300g) in a bowl and add the eggs, sugar, pinch of salt, the rest of the milk and zest of the lemon - mix well then add the butter and continue mixing for a further 2 mins then add the dough mixture - once a smooth dough has been achieved cover and set aside for 2 hours

3. After 2 hours knead the mixture a little before placing it on a greased baking tray in the form of a ring. Put some little figures wrapped up in foil inside the mixture and also a broad bean. Whoever finds the bean, according to tradition, can expect to receive coal rather than presents from the Kings. Brush with milk, decorate using the mixed peel, lightly sprinkle with sugar and place in a pre-heated oven (160 degrees) for 15 - 20 mins

Polvoron

In Spanish, polvorón literally means powder cake. They are made using finely ground almonds, Iberico shortening, sugar and not much else, so they literally crumble in your mouth! The result is a sweet, slightly crunchy treat enjoyed throughout Spain during Christmas – and these are the highest quality available anywhere.

PREPARATION:

1. On a pan, toast flour in a moderate heat for about 15 minutes, or until light brown, stir constantly to avoid burning.

2. Remove the pan and transfer the mixture on a big bowl. 3. Add the powdered milk, toss for another 3-4 minutes. 4. Add sugar and melted butter. Mix well. 5. Fill the mould with the mixture, press it hard by using a spoon, then release it, if it is still too loose, add more butter or olive oil. Make sure that you

could pick up the polvoron without it crumbling straight away. 6. Place the polvoron in a airtight container, chill in the fridge until firm. 7. Carefully wrap the polvoron individually in japanese paper or cellophane.

Keep refrigerated until you want to eat them. You can store them on the fridge for about a week, or you can freeze them.

Mantecados

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cup vegetable shortening 1 cup vegetable oil 1 2/3 cup granulated sugar 4 egg yolks 2 shot glasses of anise (see note below for substitute) 1 lemon peel, grated juice from 1 lemon 1/2 tsp cinnamon 7 1/4 cup unbleached white flour 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 egg white, beaten for glaze

Preparation:

In a very large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to whip the vegetable shortening with the oil. Add the sugar and mix until smooth. Add the egg yolks, anise, lemon peel, juice and cinnamon and mix together. Add flour and baking soda to mixture, a cup at a time. Be sure to mix well. Dough should be very smooth and soft.

Preheat over to 325 degrees. Using a teaspoon, scoop out a dollop of dough. Form balls about the size of walnuts, using your hands. If dough is too sticky to roll into balls, mix in additional flour (from 1/4 to 1/2 cup). Place balls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Lightly press down on each ball to flatten slightly. Using the beaten egg white, brush on the top of each cookie. Bake cookies until they begin to turn light brown on the bottom edges - about 15-20 minutes.

Let the cookies cool 5 minutes before removing from the cookie sheet, as they are very delicate

SWEDISH RECIPES Knäck Ingredients 1 1/4 cups sugar 1 1/4 cups golden syrup 1 1/4 cups thickened cream 2 teaspoons butter 40g chopped blanched almonds PREPARATION: Combine sugar, golden syrup, cream and butter in a heavy based saucepan; bring to the boil.

Continue boiling on medium heat until a few drops of the mix poured into cold water can be rolled into a chewy or hard ball.

Add the almonds and pour the mixture into waxed paper cases and leave to cool.