Ingredients
The bread
- 8 sliceswhite bread
- or a split baguette
- slightly stale is better
The meat topping
- 400 gminced pork and beef
- 1onion, very finely chopped
- 1egg
- 2 tablespoonsmilk
- 1 teaspoonpaprika
- 1 teaspoonground cumin
- or savory
- salt and black pepper
The cheese topping
- 250 ggrated yellow cheese
- kashkaval or similar
- 1egg
- 2 tablespoonsyoghurt
To finish
- a little butter
- for the bread
- extra cheese, to scatter
Directions
- Spread it out thin and quite even. Minced meat must be cooked right through. Spread it about half a centimetre thick. Thicker layers need longer than the bread survives. Keep the meat layer thin and even. Kashkaval is a firm yellow cheese.
- Put the minced meat in a bowl. Add the finely chopped onion to it. Chop the onion very finely indeed. Chop it as fine as you possibly can. Adding the rest is straightforward enough. Add the egg and the milk to it. Add the paprika and the cumin.
- Season it with salt and black pepper. It is worth using if you can find it. Work it all together thoroughly. Work it in one direction as you mix. The milk keeps the mixture moist. Fry a small spoonful in a pan.
- Taste it and adjust the seasoning. It takes two minutes and is worth it. Grate the cheese into a large bowl. Add the egg and the yoghurt to it. Mix it into a thick spreadable paste. It should be thick and spreadable. Add more cheese if it is loose. Add a little more yoghurt if stiff. Lay the slices on a baking tray. Butter them lightly if you like.
- Butter helps the bread to crisp. It also stops it from going soggy. Spread the topping over each slice. Spread it right out to the edges. Cover the whole surface evenly. Keep it about half a centimetre thick. Thick patches stay raw in the middle. Spread it out carefully and evenly. Heat the oven to two hundred degrees.
- Bake it for about fifteen minutes. The meat must cook right through. Check it before taking it out. Watch it so that it does not burn. Cut one open the very first time. The meat should be cooked right through.
- Bake them for longer if there is. The cheese should be melted and bubbling. Serve them straight from the oven. The hot topping is extremely hot.
Technique
- The meat goes on raw and cooks on the bread, so it must be spread thin and even — about half a centimetre. A thick layer stays raw in the middle while the bread burns beneath it. Minced meat needs full cooking because mincing spreads any surface bacteria right through it, unlike a whole steak, so cut one open the first time and check there is no pink at all.
- Spread the topping right to the edges of the bread, since bare edges burn in the oven, and keep the layer even — thick patches stay raw while thin ones burn.
- Work the meat mixture in one direction until it turns sticky and cohesive, which is what holds it on the bread, and fry one small spoonful to taste it, since raw meat mixture cannot be tasted.
Substitutions
- The cheese version — grated kashkaval bound with egg and loosened with yoghurt — is equally standard and equally called printsesa; some places offer both.
- Savory, called chubritsa, is the classic Bulgarian herb and worth using in place of cumin if you can find it.
Variations
- Slightly stale bread works better than fresh, absorbing less and holding up; a day-old loaf is ideal.
- Chop the onion very finely indeed, since coarse onion stays raw and crunchy and makes the topping fall apart.
- Printsesa means princess and the origin of the name is not certain; several explanations circulate, none documented, and the atlas records the name without settling it.
History
A Bulgarian snack-bar and school-canteen staple since socialist times, named the princess.
Frequently asked questions
What is Printsesa?
Printsesa is a street food from Bulgaria: open toast baked with minced meat or cheese topping, eaten hot. A Bulgarian snack-bar and school-canteen staple since socialist times, named the princess.
How long does Printsesa take to make?
Printsesa takes 20 minutes of preparation and 20 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 4. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Printsesa?
Yes, within limits. The cheese version — grated kashkaval bound with egg and loosened with yoghurt — is equally standard and equally called printsesa; some places offer both. Savory, called chubritsa, is the classic Bulgarian herb and worth using in place of cumin if you can find it.
What is the most important thing to get right in Printsesa?
Spread it out thin and quite even. Minced meat must be cooked right through. Spread it about half a centimetre thick. Thicker layers need longer than the bread survives. Keep the meat layer thin and even. Kashkaval is a firm yellow cheese.
