Kitchen Press is a new, independent publisher specialising in food writing. It aims, through lovingly crafted bespoke cookbooks, to connect innovative chefs, expert food writers and independent restauranteurs with customers and others around the world who love food.
We believe that the whole experience of reading about food and cooking should be as pleasurable and inspiring as eating it, and we want to help promote the people and places doing that best.
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Macedonian Baked Beans or Tavche Gravche
It’s recipe tasting time again so check out this great recipe for Macedonian baked beans or Tavche Gravche.
We wanted to give you a chance to try out a dish from our up and coming title Macedonia – The Cookbook: Recipes & Stories From The Balkans by Katerina Nitsou. With many of us still not knowing if we can travel to other countries this summer for holidays, and others already decided that something closer to home is more likely to be the best option, then at least we can travel still in our kitchens and through our cooking. Food has long been a way to experience other places and cultures.
Katerina’s recipes and stories aim to take you into the heart of Macedonian cuisine and give you an appreciation of the food of this fascinating and diverse country that fuses influences from the Mediterranean, the Middle East and Eastern Europe. And where better to start than with this very traditional Macedonian take on ‘baked beans’ – Tavche Gravche.
We hope you enjoy cooking it and eating it as much as we have here at KP HQ.
Tavche Gravche (Macedonian Baked Beans)
This is Macedonia’s national dish, appearing on the table for weekday meals and celebrations alike. It is almost always served on Christmas Eve and for weddings and funerals. A simple dish of stewed beans and red peppers, it goes well with numerous meat, poultry and fish dishes but is just as good on its own with crusty bread. It is not fancy or extravagant, but captures the true essence of traditional Macedonian cuisine.
Serves 4 to 6
Drain and rinse the beans and place them in a medium stockpot with 2 litres of fresh water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes until tender. Drain and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 190C. In a Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion, red pepper and paprika. Sauté until the vegetables are tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour and stir to coat the vegetables. Sauté for an additional 2 minutes. Pour in the boiling water, salt and beans. Gently stir and bring to a simmer. Cover with a lid or foil and braise in the oven for an hour.
Sprinkle with mint and parsley and bake, uncovered, for another 30 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature.
Pre-order Macedonia – The Cookbook by Katerina Nitsou
Kitchen Quiz Episode 3
Kitchen Quiz Episode 3: Jeni Iannetta (Bad Girl Bakery)
For our latest insight into the lives of our incredible and inspiring authors we journey back up to the stunning Scottish Highlands to pay a visit to the original bad girl baker, Jeni Iannetta.
Jeni’s wonderful, award winning Bad Girl Bakery is situated at Muir Of Ord where she dishes out the most unapologetically generous and indulgent cakes, bakes, biscuits and savouries.
Lucky for us all she has been using some of the downtime during the lockdowns of the last year to write her first cookbook cunningly entitled Bad Girl Bakery. You can now pre-order the book direct from us on our website.
OK stick the kettle on and perhaps cut yourself a slice of cake. It’s time to hear from The Bad Girl Baker herself.
Q. Hi there Jeni. So was there a cookbook that really inspired you?
A: So, this is going to sound cheesy and like I’m trying to suck up, but it’s absolutely true! It’s the Parlour Cafe Cookbook. It’s not just the recipes; it’s that someone I knew opened a food business and published a book. Gill has been a total inspiration and one of the reasons I now work in food. I love her book mostly because the recipes are fantastic and while her food is nothing like mine, the colours, textures and variety are something I’d like to think we had in common.
I own over 200 cookbooks (at the last count) At home, I’ve been a massive fan of Nigella. I guess it’s that notion of indulgence and comfort in simple, easy to follow recipes.
Most recently, I bought a couple of fantastic American baking books: Brave Tart and Weekend Baking. American baking is fascinating and these two are great examples.
Q: What is your favourite item in your kitchen that you simply couldn’t do without?
A: It would have to be my Kmix. I’m a huge fan. It’s the most used piece of kit in the bakery (even more so that our beautiful industrial mixers, which I also love). The Kmix is lovely and gentle, easy to control and a real work horse. I’m slightly embarrassed to say we only buy them in our corporate colours. You definitely don’t need one to bake, but they make life a lot easier.
I have a favourite pallet knife too. I’ve have it for years and it came from my mum, and it has a lovely old wooden handle. All of us want to use that one!
Q: Do you have a favourite song, type of music or podcast you like to cook to?
A: Ooft. Too difficult!
My brother in law, Niall who has an incredible music collection, makes us playlists for the cafe that has all the families favourites in there. My favourite still remains the one he made for our opening. It’s got over 12 hours worth of tracks (over 200) from things to break you in gently in the morning, to things to get you through the clean down and we play it still, 4 years on. Marlena Shaw, Marvin Gaye or Groove Armada for a slow start Sunday.
For clean down it’s got everything from Toots and the Maytals, Primal Scream, James Brown and there’s even a bit of Beyoncé in there.
Here is a link to the playlist.
Q: If you could cook anywhere in the world in any location then where would you choose?
A: That gives me the fear! There’s nowhere I love baking more than in our bakery. It’s light, bright and beautifully laid out and that’s where my favourite spatulas and palette knives live! It sounds so cheesy, but we’re surrounded by a team we love. It’s my favourite place to bake.
Q: If you had to give one single piece of advice about cooking to someone then what would that be?
A: Ohhh, that’s tough. I guess I’d say ‘Hold your nerve’ a lot! In baking, sometimes things look bad before they look better! Like when you’re making a brownie: the mixture goes through a slightly split, grainy stage before it transforms into a smooth, glossy batter. It’s still my very favourite moment in baking.
Oh, and read the recipe and weigh out everything before you start!
Thank you so much Jeni! Such inspiring stuff. Can’t you just feel her energy, enthusiasm and love for cooking? We can’t wait to show you her cookbook very soon!
The book is out in November but you can pre-order here right now and guarantee that you are one of the first people to grab a copy.
Kitchen Quiz Episode 2
Kitchen Quiz Episode 2: Kirsten Gilmour (The Mountain Cafe/KJ’s Bothy Bakery)
For the second in our Kitchen Quiz series of short interviews with our amazing authors, we zip up to our favourite Kiwi in the Cairngorms Kirsten Gilmour, or KJ as she is known to many.
KJ was the lady behind the fabulously successful The Mountain Cafe Cookbook. A real cooking bible of tasty soups, exhilarating salads, hearty mains and delightful baking, this is a cookbook that every kitchen shelf simply needs to have.
Kirsten is now focused on her latest project, KJ’s Bothy Bakery knocking out demon breads, scones, buns, meringues, muffins and swirls to those lucky enough to live nearby her in the Highlands.
We caught up with KJ to ask her a few quick questions while she stopped briefly for air….
Sit back and relax. It’s time for KITCHEN QUIZ!!!
Q: Hey KJ, hope you are doing good! So was there a cookbook that really inspired you?
A: So many cookbooks inspire me, but I love The Edmonds cookbook from NZ. It’s a classic that all parents give their kids when they are leaving home. It is just packed full of good simple recipes that work. It’s pretty dated in some ways now, but it remains close to my heart and the baking recipes always work!
Q: What is your favourite item in your kitchen that you simply couldn’t do without?
A: My magic scraper! It’s a dough scraper I use for cleaning dough, scone mix & cookie dough off my benches. I also use it for portioning my bread, cutting pastry & it’s just the business.
Q: Do you have a favourite song, type of music or podcast you like to cook to?
A: NZ music mostly like Fat Freddy’s drop and The Black seeds. They are great for a boogie while cooking.
Q: If you could cook anywhere in the world in any location then where would you choose?
A: Tuscany. I would love to learn more on Italian food culture & skills
Q: If you had to give one single piece of advice about cooking to someone then what would that be?
A: Relax! Don’t take yourself too seriously. Have fun and don’t be hard on yourself if something goes wrong.
Thank you so much Kirsten. You are always a total champ and a star. We can’t wait to try your baking delights from your bothy bakery as soon as we can get up there!
Buy The Mountain Cafe Cookbook here
And don’t forget you can get 15% off all KP titles for the whole month of February 2021 using the code ‘FEB15’ at checkout on our website plus postage is also free!