Street mekitsa

Ingredients:

Lukewarm water: 1 cup
Sugar: 3/4 tbs
Dry yeast: 3/4 tbs
Salt: 3/4 tbs
Flour: 2 cups
Sunflower oil: depends on the pan size

Methodology:

Mix all ingredients without the oil in a deep bowl and let stay for 1-2 hours (preferably in a warm place) until it doubles its size. You can leave it overnight as well. Fill a deep frying pan with oil.  Dip your hands in oil (your hands must be very oily) and get a piece of dough as large as an egg. With your fingers, mold the dough,  pulling away the edges until the piece becomes rectangular, flat and thin. The mekica must sink in oil while frying. Place it in the heated oil and deep fry each side until golder ( approx. 2-3 minutes are needed to fry a single piece). Eat immediately.

Serving:

Serve immediately sprinkled with powder sugar, or with cheese or jam.

Pronunciation:

[me'kitsa]

Banitsa

Ingredients:

Butter(cold): 1 Tbsp
Carbonated water: 1 cup
Eggs: 5
Feta cheese: 250-300 grams broken into small pieces (it is best to use Bulgarian cheese, found in Persian or international food markets)
Fillo dough: 1 1/2 to 2 rolls
Sunflower oil: 100 ml (or any other type of oil)

Methodology:

Cover the bottom of a greased square or round pan with a sheet of fillo dough. Continue creating layers with the remaining sheets. Sprinkle every sheet with oil, corrugate it like a harmonica and place it so covers one half of the pan, while the next corrugated sheet will cover the other half. Sprinkle eavenly each layer or corrugated sheets with cheese and continue.

The last 2 sheets of the fillo dough roll should not be corrugated and should be placed straight on top. Cut the banitsa as you have assembled it in the pan with a knife into squares.

Beat the eggs with the carbonated water until smooth. Pour the egg mixture in the pan, moving the pan around so the mixture is evenly spread. Cut the butter into very small pieces and place on top of the banitsa squares.

History:
Banitsa is the most popular bakery in Bulgaria. It is present on every major Bulgarian holiday, such as Christmas, New Year and name-days.


After you have poured the mixture, heat the oven to 375 F(while the oven is heating up, the sheets will soak into the mixture). Bake for 30 minutes, then reduce the temperature and continue baking until the top is golden.