A Taste of the Balkans

On Sunday, I spent one of the most decadent days at home alone. After a day full of reading, taking a bath, and indulging in all sorts of hair and body masks and scented lotions, I felt like having a taste of home. A mere hour later, I was in full swing in the kitchen, with a dinner guest helping and inspiring me. We made a few very simple things, but infused with the unique taste of the Balkans. We made a cucumber-dill dip, pan fried meat patties, and my mom's "golden" home fries.




Served with a generously large bottle of Retsina wine - a traditional Greek wine, also known as wine of the Gods. It was a basic comfort meal, yet perfect for a cold night inside. Great when served with a generous side of TV shows, and even a little bit of ... American football.




Here are the recipes:

Cucumber Dill Dip

1 large cucumber, peeled and seeded
1 container of sour cream
2 tbs chopped dill (fresh or dried)
half a handful of finely chopped walnuts
a few cloves of freshly chopped garlic or garlic poweder (feel free to skip it if this is a romantic dinner, hehe)
1 tbs olive oil
salt to taste

Dice the cucumber in small cubes and mix it with the sour cream. Add all the herbs, spices, and condiments and let it chill in the fridge before serving. You can make it well ahead of time, but it might get a little watery, so drain the water out before serving.

Pan Fried Meat Patties

1 lbs meatloaf mix (veal, beef, and pork)
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
1 small head of onions, diced finely
1/3 cup clear seltzer
1 tbs cumin
1 tbs oregano
1 tbs thyme
summer savory, salt, pepper to taste

Mix the meat with all the other ingredients and knead for a few minutes with your hands until you have a homogenous mass. Add the seltzer - it will keep the meat juicy - and knead again. Form small patties with your hands and fry in a nonstick pan with a bit of oil. Make sure the patties are cooked through. It's best to use a medium high heat, as not to burn the surface.

Home Fries

2 lbs potatoes
1 large head onions
3 tbs olive oil
a few slivers of butter
paprika, rosemary, salt, and pepper to taste

Peel and cut potatoes in half, the slice each half in pieces of about 1/4 inch thickness. Heat the olive oil in a non stick pan and flash fry the potatoes for about 2 minutes, stir them and flash fry the other side. Then lower the heat to medium (6 out of 9 on my stove), cover, and let cook for about 15 minutes, stirring periodically. Add the sliced onions and let it cook for another 5-7 minutes. You can turn the heat up a bit to make sure the onions caramelize. Add the spices and herbs and top with a few thin slivers of butter.

We ate all this food on the coffee table, using mostly fingers. The meat patties were great served inside pita bread pockets, topped generously with the cucumber dill dip.




The Retsina wine was delicious, even if not the best I have had, but very good, considering we are in Central PA.