Violeta Gospodinova: I know the secret of he althy cooking

With В ioleta Gospodinova or as her friends call her, Willy, we are connected by a warm friendship of several years, the basis of which is our common love for a he althy life, including nutrition.

What is cooking for you? Do you have a special ritual before standing in front of the stove?

Preparing food means serving as a priest in the kitchen, creating and putting something of myself into it, not just preparing something to eat. If I have to cook for myself, I don't do it at all, I eat raw vegetables and something similar to bread - different types of crackers that are not baked, only dried. However, it is very rare that I eat alone. Fortunately, my husband and I "sing" in unison when it comes to food preparation and types of products. I don't take cooking as a chore or a chore. Sometimes we just don't feel like eating cooked food and we don't cook, but when we're waiting for guests, it's another thing. The more people will sit at our table, the greater the effort, the excitement, the walk in the kitchen and around the stove, the anticipation of the final result and the appreciation of the guests.

Do I have a special ritual before standing in front of the stove

Yeah, I have one and it's called smiley. I mostly listen to my favorite music. And I don't know why I like the sound of Bocelli in the kitchen. But sometimes it happens that I get stuck in a cheerful melody I heard in the morning, which I also hum in the kitchen.

Do you cook when you are angry

Hmm… well I'm not angry. Being happy is so pleasant, but being angry is not. I think it was Dostoyevsky's thought: "To be angry is to punish yourself for the mistakes of others" and this is very true, because when a person is angry, nothing does not change the situation. So, we have given up getting angry.

A good mood is very important when preparing food, as in any other activity. The energy of the person who cooks goes into the food itself. If the cook is angry, the negative vibes affect the food as well.

But whether we want it or not, we find ourselves in situations that make us sad or bitter. I have noticed that when a person is sad, bitter, sick or grieving for something, he loses his appetite, and I believe that this is a protective reaction of the body. When we are in such a state, it is better not to prepare food.

What makes the dish perfect - the chef, the fresh products, the balanced recipe, the decoration

Everything listed, put together, makes the dish, if not perfect, at least tasty and he althy. Chef experience is important, but not required. If a dish doesn't work out the first time, it doesn't mean it will every time. It is good that fresh products predominate in the preparation of the food, for us this is very important. Now it's summer and I rarely touch the stove, so I use "prepare" and not "cook" the food. Everyone's balanced recipe may be different, both according to age and needs.

Decoration and properly selected spices are the magic of any dish. And if you want a perfect dish - give it love.

Where do you find fresh produce - not only fruits/vegetables but also pulses and nuts - how do you choose them

During the summer season, we buy fruits and vegetables from the markets and make sure they are from nice grandmothers who bring their produce from the village. In winter, we shop at "Fruit-vegetable" and only at some stores. We choose stores not where it is the cheapest, but where the goods are nice and, even more importantly, the sellers are smiling and talkative.

I usually choose the vegetables by looking at the appearance, the label or by the opinion of acquaintances who have already tried and are satisfied with the quality of a given product.

We only buy nuts in our city from one shop recently, the quality is very good, and the sellers are a young couple in love - both the girl and the boy are always smiling and kind.

I also order some products online from an organic store, for example, I recently ordered nutritional yeast and agar-agar to make nut cheese.

Your opinion on winter food - pickles, compotes - do you make them at home?

My opinion about winter food is not negative, on the contrary, as long as it is properly prepared and certain requirements for good storage quality are observed. Now there is an abundance of fruits and vegetables, and I dry them and store them for the winter - carrots, mushrooms, peppers, tomatoes, onions, green garlic stalks, plums, apricots… In this regard, my mother, who lives in a Dobruja village - Stožer, helps me. And in every country yard there are vegetables and fruit trees. I also dry green spices or put them in the freezer.

Here I will mention that we also collect a variety of herbs that we use for tea and as spices throughout the year.

I make pickles even now in the summer, but rarely. For example from cabbage or zucchini. Here's the recipe.

I don't make compotes and sweets, we don't eat them because of their high sugar content and heat treatment. I prepare only one type of jam from the fruits of the low-stemmed elderberry, which can be prepared without sugar and is extremely beneficial for he alth. I make it according to the recipe of the so-called healer P. Dimkov.

In one sentence, would you share what food and eating are to you?

Food is our fuel, we cannot do without it. Eating is naturally a basic life process and need, so it is very important what exactly we eat.

Your favorite dish at home, what do you cook most often? Do you have a holiday meal? Give a recipe for your favorite dish

Lately we have replaced the bread with crackers, which I prepare from various vegetables, nuts and spices - they are regularly found at home. Most often I prepare salads, they are present on the table at lunch and dinner as an appetizer. And what I cook on a daily basis, I try not to take much time and not to cook for a long time. We have our holiday meals, but every holiday is different. Cabbage cheese is our favorite in winter, chickpea meatballs too. The recipe is here.

Photo view with Willy's fruit salads