Originally uploaded by zannnielim
Time ago I made a salad and I called it the 'T.O.C' Salad. It was just because it was made from tomatoes, onions and cucumber. Originally, it is a Bulgarian salad and has to be with Feta Cheese. Today, this salad is also made with the same ingredients and it is the Croatian Shopska salad. I guess the shape of the goat cheese grated in this manner by the Croatians differs it from the Bulgarian (usually in cubes or crumbled). We had this Croatian Shopska in Zagreb before our trip to Plitvice Lakes.
Originally uploaded by zannnielim
Ćevapi or ćevapčići/ćевапчићи is a Balkan dish of grilled minced meat, a legacy of the Ottoman Empire found in the countries of South Eastern Europe. We were in Plitvice and of course we must eat something Croatian :)
The Croatian made them from pork and beef. They are considered a national dish in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in Serbia too. They are also common in Montenegro, Slovenia, as well as in Macedonia, Bulgaria, Romania, Czech Republic, Slovakia and the border between Italy and Slovenia (provinces of Trieste, Udine and Gorizia). They may be served on a plate or in a flatbread (lepinja or somun), often with chopped onions, sour cream, kajmak, ajvar, and even cottage cheese.
Read our Croatia related posts:
Originally uploaded by zannnielim
Although it tastes very much like the bulgarian or croatian 'Shopska' Salad, but due to the fact that it is without goat cheese on it, my husband Zsolt forbade me to say it is a 'Shopska' :)
So as simple as it gets, I named it 'T.O.C' cos you know why? Its ingredients are just the tomatoes, onions and cucumber :) Taking the initials of these three main ingredients, hence its name. Hope you'll like it.
(On top of it, I've added blanched cauliflower, capsicum and sprigs of fresh Oregano which I've harvested this morning)
So my T.O.C Salad Recipe as follows:-
Ingredients (serves 2)
For the salad:
2 medium size tomatoes (cut into wedges)
8 Cherry tomatoes (cut into halves)
1 large Red Onion
One medium Cucumber (cut to bite-sized)
1/2 red california pepper (capsicum, diced it)
100g of Blanched Cauliflower (Blanching*)
A bunch of parsley, chopped (I've substituted with Oregano)
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp Coriander powder
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Steps:-
- Cut all the ingredients in to slices, wedges, halves or diced.
- Season with salt and pepper, add the coriander powder, red wine vinegar and olive oil.
- Toss to mix well.
- Sprinkle with a thick layer of cheese, and enjoy! :D
*Blanching is a cooking term that describes a process of food preparation wherein the food substance, usually a vegetable or fruit, is plunged into boiling water, removed after a brief, timed interval, and finally plunged into iced water or placed under cold running water (shocked) to halt the cooking process.
Originally uploaded by cabayarea
Hainanese chicken rice is often considered as the "national dish" of Singapore, and is often served at international expositions and global events abroad, and in Singaporean-run restaurants overseas. It is also one of the few local dishes served on Singapore Airlines flights.
In Singapore, Hainanese chicken rice is served at stalls and food courts. There are Hainanese chicken rice stalls that have established franchise or branch outlets, The price range is around S$2-4 (the latter if the dish includes a drumstick).
Originally uploaded by zannnielim
The summer meat dishes for Hungarian are not to be missed without the Hungarian Summer Pickles such as the cucumber.
It takes about 10 minutes to prepare this pickle.
The ingredients include 3- to 5-inch pickling cucumbers
- 1 tablespoon pickling salt or kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1 fresh head and 1 frond of dill
- About 2 cups water
Place pickling salt or kosher salt, vinegar, and dill into a narrow-mouth quart jar. Pack cucumbers tightly into jar so they are not floating, leaving 1 inch space. Pour in water to cover and cap the jar with a nonreactive lid.
Place the jar outside in the sun or in a sunny window. Bring the jar in at night. Within 3 days, you should see tiny bubbles, indicating the cucumbers are fermenting. When the tiny bubbles have stopped rising (around 5 days), place in refrigerator. They will keep about 2 weeks, refrigerated. Enjoy!
Originally uploaded by Guzzle & Nosh
Cake appetizers are not just exquisite starters, they are worthy of your most important dinner or celebration. It usually includes caviar, canapes, chicken liver pate, mini potato pancakes with gravlax, cheese straws or even smoked salmon cake.
