NORTH MACEDONIA: Pork "Pizza" (Pastrmalija) with Macedonian Salad

I made this for dinner, took the photo, and tore off a bite-size piece of the pizza before heading out the door for a meeting. As I walked to my car eating the piece I had grabbed I regretted I had to leave versus eating with the family— it was so delicious I did not want to wait. Clearly others agreed about its excellence, as I got texts from each of my daughters raving. Pork "Pizza" Pastrmalija is a lighter, simpler version of its Italian cousin. I made one version using the same GF dough I used for Georgia and one using pizza dough I bought at the local pizza parlor.

The salad was similar in flavor to ratatouille, but significantly easier to make and and brighter tasting due to the fresh tomatoes.

A winning dinner all around.

Pork "Pizza" (Pastrmalija)

1 lb pork cutlet or tenderloin

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

½ teaspoon table salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 "large" pizza dough from a pizza parlor, 2 store-bought pizza doughs, or a double batch of the GF dough from OWW Georgia

3-4 eggs

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

pickled green peppers for serving, optional

1. Cut the pork into small (~¼-inch) cubes

2. Toss with paprika, salt, pepper, and chili flakes, if using. Coat with olive oil and toss again. Marinate for 1 hour-overnight.

3. Preheat oven to 400° F.

4. Roll or stretch the dough into a large oval shape, or two smaller ovals if using store-bought dough and place on a parchment covered cookie sheet. If rolled, use fingers to gently roll the edges inward, to make a slight border. (If stretched, the dough likely already is thicker at the edges but, if not, feel to to roll the edges to thicken.)

5. Cover the dough with the raw pork cubes, being careful to ensure they are in a single layer.

6. Bake 12 minutes. Remove from oven and crack eggs onto the dough (2 per smaller oval, 3 for the larger). Return to oven an additional 8 minutes, or until dough and pork are both cooked through.

7. Serve with picked peppers if desired.

Macedonian Salad

2 small eggplants or 1 large (I used 2 small Chinese eggplant2)

2 red peppers

½ small yellow onion*

2 tablespoons olive oil

¼ teaspoon table salt

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

4 small tomatoes, such as small on-the-vine, or 8 cherry tomatoes

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

*While it is traditional to leave the onion raw, we roasted ours with the vegetables because we are not raw onion fans.

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a half-sheet pan with foil.

2. Cube the eggplants into bite-size (~½-inch) pieces. Core and and seed the red peppers and chop into big, bite-size pieces. Cut the onion into a small dice. Toss all of the vegetables with the olive oil, salt, and pepper.

3. Transfer the vegetables to the lined sheet pans and spread out. (Do not crowd them; they'll steam).

4. Roast in a thin layer for 20-30 minutes, or until softened and browning.

5. Cut the tomatoes into eights for the medium ones or quarters for the cherry tomatoes and place them in a large bowl. Add the roasted and slightly cooled vegetables to the bowl, add the parsley and white wine vinegar. Toss and chill.

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FUN FACTS:

• Lake Ohrid is one of the oldest lakes in the world, estimated to be between 3 to 5 million years old. It holds more than 200 species that cannot be found anywhere else on the planet.

• The 1979 Nobel Prize for Peace winner Mother Teresa was born in modern-day North Macedonia in 1910.

• In 2005, Macedonia (as it was then called) became the first wireless country in the world. In just four years, the country transformed from one of the poorest countries in Europe to one of the most technologically advanced.