gastronomic tour to Bessarabia, where each of them demonstrates their talent and love for this land. Tatiana Dukova is a well-known collector of the enographic heritage and ancient Bessarabian recipes in the region. And also, a skilled baker and a hospitable hostess. Each of our tours has a culinary master class, where we learn how to cook Bessarabian cuisine. Tatiana holds it in the cosy kitchen of her house. I want to share with you one of my favourite Tatiana’s recipes: Krinichansky booki.
In the process of creating the first Ukrainian “Road of Wine and Taste” I met a lot of interesting people who cherish the gastronomic culture of the region as a precious treasure. All these people, so different and interesting, became part of my- Prep time: 40 minutes + 30 minutes’ proving
- Cook time: 40-60 minutes
- Serves: 10-12
- Difficulty: medium
- Course: pastry
- Cookware: rolling pin, round baking dish 40 cm
- Cuisine: Bessarabian
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 500 g flour
- 6 g dry yeast
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil
- warm water⠀
For the filling:
- 150 g bryndza / sheep cheese / feta
- 150 g small curd cottage cheese
For the sauce:
- 3 small eggs
- 250 ml milk
- 100 g sour cream
- lard or butter for greasing
Cooking method
Step 1
Sift flour into a large bowl. Add yeast, salt, sugar and stir. Pour vegetable oil and warm water into the dry mass. Add enough water to knead a soft elastic dough. Cover the bowl with a towel and leave the dough to prove in a warm place for 20-30 minutes.
Step 2
Heat the oven to 180°C. Mash cheese in a small bowl, add cottage cheese and stir. Beat eggs into a high container, whisk lightly, add milk and sour cream, and mix until smooth. Grease a baking dish.
Step 3
Divide the dough into four equal parts. Lightly sprinkle the working surface with flour. Roll each piece about 0.3 cm thick and cut into 5 cm wide strips. Put the filling in the centre of each strip. Pinch the dough and cut into 3 cm pieces. Place booki along the backing dish in a form of a circle. Pour the egg-milk mixture over the booki and bake for 40-60 minutes.
My tips and tricks:
The word “booki” in the Old Bulgarian language means pieces. You can cook booki not only with bryndza and cottage cheese, but also with other fillings: stewed cabbage, pumpkin, urda with herbs. I serve booki warm along with fragrant honey and black tea – this is how children and women like to eat them in our villages. Men usually replace honey and tea with Bessarabian homemade red wine.
- 500 g flour
- 6 g dry yeast
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp sunflower oil
- warm water
- For the filling:
- 150 g bryndza / sheep cheese / feta
- 150 g small curd cottage cheese
- For the sauce:
- 3 small eggs
- 250 ml milk
- 100 g sour cream
- lard or butter for greasing
- Sift flour into a large bowl. Add yeast, salt, sugar and stir. Pour vegetable oil and warm water into the dry mass. Add enough water to knead a soft elastic dough. Cover the bowl with a towel and leave the dough to prove in a warm place for 20-30 minutes.
- Heat the oven to 180°C. Mash cheese in a small bowl, add cottage cheese and stir. Beat eggs into a high container, whisk lightly, add milk and sour cream, and mix until smooth. Grease a baking dish.
- Divide the dough into four equal parts. Lightly sprinkle the working surface with flour. Roll each piece about 0.3 cm thick and cut into 5 cm wide strips. Put the filling in the centre of each strip. Pinch the dough and cut into 3 cm pieces. Place booki along the backing dish in a form of a circle. Pour the egg-milk mixture over the booki and bake for 40-60 minutes.