Mish-Mash
Миш-маш
Bapche's Breakfasts & Popara Mornings
If you ask ten Bulgarians how to make Mish-Mash, you will get ten different recipes—and at least one argument. But if you want the real deal, the kind that tastes exactly like a late summer evening in a village backyard, you need sweet roasted peppers, onions, and a little patience. It’s a magnificent, fast mess born of necessity, relying entirely on the magic of reducing your tomatoes until they're rich and sticky, then gently folding in eggs and chunks of brine cheese at the absolute last second. Serve it straight out of the pan with crusty bread to mop up the juices; it’s mandatory.
Ingredients
- neutral oil2 tbsp
- unsalted butter1 tbsp
- yellow onion1 med
- jarred roasted red peppers14 oz
- garlic1 large clove
- canned diced tomatoes1 1/2 cup
- chubritsa or dried oregano1/2 tsp
- black pepper1/4 tsp
- eggs4 large
- Bulgarian sirene or high-quality sheep's milk feta5 oz
- fresh flat-leaf parsley1/4 cup
Method
- 01
Sauté the onions and peppers until perfectly sweet and tender.
Heat the oil and butter in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook until completely soft and translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the chopped roasted peppers and garlic, and cook for another 3 minutes until fragrant and slightly caramelized.
- 02
Simmer the tomatoes down to a thick, chunky paste.
Add the diced tomatoes, chubritsa, and black pepper. Let the mixture simmer over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the water completely evaporates. Rushing this step guarantees a watery, disappointing soup instead of a rich base.
- 03
Gently fold in the eggs to achieve a soft, creamy veil.
Pour the lightly beaten eggs evenly over the hot tomato-pepper mixture. Let them sit untouched for a few seconds to slightly set on the bottom, then use a wooden spoon to slowly fold and stir. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the eggs are just set but still incredibly moist—do not overcook them into dry, hard curds.
- 04
Remove the pan from the heat before folding in the cheese.
Take the skillet completely off the stove and add the crumbled cheese. Gently fold it into the warm eggs a maximum of two or three times. The residual heat will partially melt the edges, but the cheese must remain in distinct, intact chunks for crucial bursts of salty tang.
- 05
Garnish and serve immediately.
Sprinkle generously with fresh chopped parsley. Taste for salt, adding a pinch only if the cheese wasn't salty enough, and serve straight from the pan with warm, crusty bread.
Notes
Avoid pre-crumbled, dry feta at all costs.
To achieve the correct texture and melt, you must buy a block of feta packed in brine and crumble it yourself by hand. Dry crumbles will not soften properly.
Hold the salt until the end.
Bulgarian sirene and brined feta are both aggressively salty. Wait to season the dish with additional salt until after the cheese has been incorporated and tasted.