Dolma and plakiya: Aleksandar Taralezhkov's recipes for vegetable summer snacks

My late grandmother instilled in me a love of food, because when I was a kid in Bulgaria I was always in the kitchen to "help". She used to chase me around the house with dolmas pepper for my obligatory snack (dare you skip it, your development as a healthy human being was in jeopardy). When I visit home, my mother now greets me with her green bean stew which sits proudly in the pantheon of culinary deities such as meatballs in tomato sauce, moussaka and, of course, dolmas and sarmas.

My mom swears this extremely easy and delicious dish locks in all the flavor of every vegetable. Plakiya is a style of cooking in which vegetables are sliced, layered, roasted and served at room temperature; it also involves a good amount of garlic. Pick out the cloves as you go or squeeze them all over the finished dish. I always have yogurt on the side.

Preparation 15 minCooking 45 minFor 4 people

500g green beans 1½ head of garlic 4 tbsp olive oil 2 tbsp salt 1 tsp black pepper 4-5 medium tomatoes 1 handful of parsley head of garlic, put them in a bowl with half the oil, a teaspoon of salt and black pepper, and toss to coat. Cut the tomatoes along the equator into 1 cm thick slices.

In a 22 cm baking dish, lay out a layer of tomatoes, sprinkle with a little salt, cover with a layer of beans, mix and repeat, ending with a layer of tomatoes.

Cut off the top of the whole garlic bulb to expose the cloves, and push it into the middle of the pile of tomatoes and beans, so it's at the top level, then drizzle over the remaining oil. Cover the dish with a lid or foil, roast for 20 minutes, then uncover and roast for another 25 minutes. Remove, cool to room temperature, then serve garnished with chopped parsley.

This salad-like dolma is a refined version of my grandmother's dish that combines seasonal herbs with everything on hand – nuts, pickles, preserves – all folded in feta and butter, and stuffed in bell peppers. Typically, I use a mixture of herbs such as dill, parsley, oregano, and thyme; nuts or seeds (it works well with pumpkin seeds, for example) to bite; and a pickle such as preserved lemon or capers for a clean cut; also use the pickle seasoning at the bottom of the jar. The selection of multicolored peppers here makes it a c...