Lentil stew

1 cup lentils
1 onion, finely chopped
2 medium carrots, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tbsp oil
1 can tomatoes, diced
1 tbsp chubritza (savory) or oregano
salt & pepper to taste
1 tbsp corn flour or flour mixed with a little water
2 celery stalks, cut into small pieces (optional)

Boil the lentils slightly salted water for about 20-25 minutes. Heat the oil in a pan, sautй the onions, carrots and celery for about 5 minutes and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add the cooked and drained lentils, the tomatoes and the garlic to the pan and simmer for another 10-15 minutes. Add the corn flour to thicken the dish, season with salt, pepper and chubritza. This goes wonderful with any sausages you may have - serve separately or add the sausages at the last step and cook with the lentils.

Bob chorba (white beans soup)

1 lbs beans (white is possible - haricot, fava, etc.)
2 liter water
2 onions, chopped
2 tbsp oil
3 tbsp flour
1 tsp paprika
4 tomatoes (or a can of tomatoes)
1 tsp oregano (or dried mint)
salt to taste

Soak the beans in the water overnight. Next morning drain off the water, add same amount and bring to boil. If you don't want to wait one day to get this done, you can simply boil the beans for an hour, then discard the water, add water again and bring to a boil again. Simmer gently for about an hour or until the beans soften. In a separate plan fry the onions in the oil until golden brown, add the flour, stir and fry for less then a minute. Add the paprika, stir and add to the beans. Add the tomatoes and oregano as well. Leave the soup to simmer on a low heat for about 20 minutes.

Bob chorba (Monastery style)

1 lb white beans
2 carrots, finely chopped
1/2 celery stalk
1 onion
2 tomatoes, grated
2 peppers, sliced
1 chili pepper (optional)
a pinch of parsley,
a pinch of mint or oregano
2 tbsp oil
salt to taste

Soak the beans in cold water for 3-4 hours, drain and pour fresh water. Boil in a pot together with oil, carrots, onion and celery. Boil until beans are soft, then add the peppers, tomatoes and mint. Add salt to taste and boil for another 15-20 min. Serve sprinkled with finely chopped parsley.

Supa Topcheta (meatball soup)

1 lb. ground meat
6 tbsp. rice
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp dried savory
salt & pepper
2 tbsp flour
6 cups water
2 beef bouillon cubes
1/2 bunch scallions, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled & thinly sliced
3 tomatoes, peeled & chopped
1/2 bunch parsley, minced
1 egg
lemon juice

Combine beef, rice, paprika and savory. Season to taste with salt and pepper and mix well. Form into 1 inch balls, then roll in flour. Combine water, bouillon cubes, 1 tablespoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, scallions, the bell pepper, carrots and tomatoes in large pot. Cover, bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for another 30 minutes. Add meatballs, cover and bring to boil again. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes or until the rice is cooked. Add parsley during last 5 minutes of cooking time. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed. Just before serving, beat egg with some lemon juice and add to the soup.

Zeleva chorba (cabbage soup)

This recipe, is extremely healthy and nutritious as presented here.

1 medium cabbage head, chopped
6 medium carrots, chopped
1 small celery root with stalks and leaves, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
3 onions, chopped
6 sweet red or green peppers, chopped and seeded
2 lbs tomatoes
pinch of salt
1 tsp of sugar
2 tbsp oil
1/3 cup crumbs or Vegeta
4 vegetable bouillon cubes

Cover the whole tomatoes with water and boil just until the skins begin to split. Remove from heat, set aside and allow to cool. Chop the carrots into small pieces and put into a large pot with about 1 liter of water and bring to a boil for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add the garlic, onions, peppers and peeled, celery and cabbage. Slip off the skins from the tomatoes and chop them into the other vegetables. Add the oil, the Vegeta, bouillons, sugar and enough water to cover all the vegetables. Bring to a boil, cover loosely and simmer for a couple of hours or until vegetables are fully cooked.

Spinach soup

1/2 bunch of spinach leaves, coarsely chopped
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
2 l water
1/2 gallon milk
ground black pepper
salt to taste

Boil the finely chopped spinach in the water, add the salt with it as well. Heat up the the butter and add the flour, cook until brown, add to the spinach puree. Dilute with milk and half the water in which you boiled the spinach. Add the pepper and boil for another 5-10 minutes. Serve with croutons and some yoghurt on top.
Hint: Prepare the same recipe using nettle.

Vegetable soup

2 potatoes, diced
2 carrots, diced
1/2 celery, diced
2 peppers, sliced
1/4 of a medium-sized cabbage, finely cut
1 onion, finely chopped
3 tomatoes, diced
1 beetroot, diced
1 tbsp flour
1 tsp paprika,
4 tbsp yoghurt
1 egg
1 cup grated cheese, mozzarella works best
2 tbsp oil
salt to taste
a pinch of parsley

Put the celery, cabbage, peppers, carrots and salt in the water and boil. When soft, add the potatoes. Separately boil the beetroot. Stew the onion until soft, then add the flower, paprika and grated tomatoes. Add the mixture to the boiling vegetables and boil for another half hour. Add the beetroot at the end. Thicken with an egg beaten in yoghurt. Serve with finely chopped parsley and grated cheese.