Papanka or Thracian Pindzhur (village of Trud)
Once upon a time in the Plovdiv-region village of Trud there lived a gypsy woman named Papana — flamboyant and colourful, even more so than is customary for her people. Her extravagance became proverbial in Trud, and to this day the older villagers may remark of someone that he "carries on like Papana," meaning he is very eccentric. The dish presented here became known in Trud under the name "Papanka" or Papana's dish. It can be made as a meal, but it was also preserved for winter, and here I give the proportions for winter preserving.
Ingredients
| — | Патладжан 5 кг |
| — | Домати 3 кг |
| — | Сини сливи 1 кг |
| — | Моркови 500 г |
| — | Червени чушки 500 г |
| — | Лук 500 г |
| — | Чесън 250 г |
| — | Целина 1 глава |
| — | Олио 1 л |
| — | Сол на вкус |
| — | Бахар 10 зърна (счукан) |
| — | Захар 2-3 суп.лъж. |
| — | Магданоз 3 връзки |
Instructions
PRODUCTS (for winter preserving): • Aubergines 5 kg • Tomatoes 3 kg • Blue plums 1 kg • Carrots 500 g • Red peppers 500 g • Onion 500 g • Garlic 250 g • Celeriac 1 head • Oil 1 L • Salt to taste • Allspice 10 grains (crushed) • Sugar 2-3 tbsp • Parsley 3 bunches
PREPARATION
- Roast the peppers, peel them and chop finely, or grind them in a meat grinder or blender.
- Peel the aubergines, cut into medium cubes, salt them and leave for 20 minutes to release their bitterness. Then rinse under running water and leave to drain.
- Fry the drained aubergines in the fat (about 500 ml) almost until done, then remove with a slotted spoon.
- Discard the fat in which the aubergines were fried and, in fresh fat (about half a litre), sauté the finely chopped onion, the grated carrots and celeriac together with the allspice crushed in a mortar.
- Add the blue plums, pitted and ground in the meat grinder or blender.
- When the plums turn dark, add the grated tomatoes (grating removes the skins) and, if desired, one or several halved hot peppers to add their heat. Boil everything for ten minutes, stirring constantly.
- Add the ground red peppers, the fried aubergine and the peeled garlic cloves, halved in two. Season with sugar and salt to taste and continue boiling a little longer. In consistency the Papanka should be a bit runnier than classic lyutenitsa, because the pectin in the plums will thicken it a little more after cooling.
- Taste for salt and sugar and balance the flavours if needed — it should be slightly sweet. Add the finely chopped parsley after removing the pot from the heat.
- Fill jars, seal them and sterilise with the lids on for 20 minutes, timing from when the water comes to a boil.
These quantities yield about 15 jars of 300 ml.
To taste the recipe, you can make it at home in the recalculated dose given here: • Aubergines 1 kg • Tomatoes 500 g • Blue plums 300 g • Carrots 1-2 • Red peppers 2 • Onion 1 head • Garlic 1-2 heads • Celeriac half a small head (about 100 g) • Oil 200 ml (of which 50 ml for the sauce) • Salt to taste • Sugar 1 tbsp • Allspice 3-4 grains (crushed) • Parsley 1 bunch The method of preparation is already clear.
Many thanks! Dr. Katsarov (psychiatrist and psychotherapist)