Sunday, April 24, 2011

Happy Easter!


I wish to say Happy Easter to all who stop by! This year I didn't go overboard with my eggs decoration. First and foremost, there's no 'egg culture' in this little rock I call home. People associate Easter with eggs made of chocolate.
So, it is quiet affair with few traditional red eggs, nothing out of the ordinary and some chocolate ones.
Happy Easter once again!

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Katmer pie (Katmer pita)


Hmm...I haven't been around lately, my newfound freedom kept me busy playing online games which is good in my books.
Now for the news. Well, I actually did great on my exams, there are some A's, some B+'s and B's and I get to graduate with merit, which was one of the most important things on my bucket list :) Got me a B on my graduation work which is fair and square...if I was grading it myself, I would have given myself a D probably, for work ethics. The material was good, the million books I was reading were good, so all is good when it ends good :)
Oh, the pie..yep... I saw it on my friend's blog and it stuck in my head, so I had made it some time ago, but now it's seeing daylight here.
You see, me and her go way back (my friend and I, not the pie), when we were tiny tots and in the second grade of elementary school she was talking to me about Tolstoy..or Anna Karenina to be precise! Little did we know back then that except for the love of books we will have the same love for baked goodies.
But I digress. Well, here's all you need to make this delicious piece. Remember: You measure ALL cup stuff with the SAME cup. Size matters in this case.

Dough:

2 cups (x 200 ml) lukewarm water
6 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried instant yeast
50-70 grams lard (I used clarified butter)

Filling:

Whatever you prefer. Leeks, spinach, cheese, meat, combination of two or more..I used crumbled feta cheese.

Method:

Combine all the ingredients (except the lard or butter) in a bowl and make nice, soft, pliable dough. Let it prove for about an hour or until doubled in size. When the dough has risen, divide it in 2 balls. Roll out sheet of dough with 5mm
thickness, spread half of the lard or butter and dust with little flour. At the centre press with your fingers to make little circle. With a sharp knife make 8 cuts from the marked circle till the end of the dough. (See pictures).
Do the same with the other ball.
Now it is time to take the first ball which has been resting after folding and make big circle (about 5mm thickness) and put some of the desired filling. Start rolling from both ends and cut where the two rolls are meeting. (See pictures).
In lightly greased baking dish start making snail shape with one of the rolls, taking care that the cut part is facing upwards. Continue arranging the rest of the rolls around the initial one and you'll end up with snail looking dough.
Bake in preheated oven (200 degrees Celsius) for about 30-45 minutes or until golden brown.
Enjoy and help yourself to another slice, it is THAT good!