Shopska Salad

Shopska or Shopi is a regional reference to the inhabitants and the cuisine of the region of Shopluk (Шоплук, Šopluk) located in central Western Bulgaria (around Sofia and the adjacent areas).

photo: Snezhana Simeonova
A la Galadrielle

The region and its people have much in common with the inhabitants of central eastern Serbia (around Pirot) and the Republic of Macedonia (around Štip, Kratovo, Gevgelija and Strumica); called Bulgarians, Serbs and Macedonians respectively, they share a common history, culture and most importantly a preference for the great local traditions of simple foods, which are both hearty and satisfying.

Our friend Zena, an expatriate from the region shares her family's Shopska Salad, a classic by any standard.
здрав съм

Ingredients:

• 4 tomatoes
  
• 1 small cucumber
  
• 0.5 kg fleshy peppers
  
• 1 onion /or two spring onions/
  
• 1 cupful of grated white cheese
  
• 5 hot peppers (optional)
  
• a small bunch of parsley
  
• a coffee cup full of vegetable oil
  
• salt

Directions:

Wash and clean the vegetables. Remove the stem and the seeds of the peppers (raw or roasted and peeled). Slice them. Cut the tomatoes and the cucumber into small cubes. Chop the onion and the parsley. Mix everything, add salt and mix again. Shape the mixture into a "hemisphere" in the salad dish. Add the vegetable oil. Cover with an even layer of grated white cheese. You may put an olive, a tomato rose or several leaves of parsley on top of the salad. Add a hot pepper to each portion.

If you have a classic family recipe you'ld like to share send it to "Classics" at Rick’s Place, we'd love to hear from you.

Here's cooking at you kid, Rick