Baked Beans (Pasulj prebranac or pasulj na djuvec)

Transcription

1 Baked Beans (Pasulj prebranac or pasulj na djuvec) Ingredients: 1lb lima beans 1 medium onion (quartered and then thinly sliced) 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil salt, pepper, paprika Preparation: Put the beans into a large pot, cover with water and cook until water boils. Discard the water and pour enough fresh water to cover the beans again. Cook on medium until the beans are soft (but not disintegrated; it takes about 30-40min). The beans should thicken, and should still be able to be poured out of the pot, without encouraging them with a spoon, and just barely so. Add water during cooking if needed. When the beans are nearly done, remove from the stove, add salt, pepper, and paprika. Taste it to see if the seasoning is appropriate and adjust the amount of spices to taste. Tip: don't spare salt (this is the basic spice of Serbian cuisine and it makes everything taste better) and paprika (the approximate amount of paprika is 2 tsp, could be more). Preheat the oven to 375F. Fry the onions in oil until they turn translucent, and then mix them into the beans. Taste again and add spices if needed. Pour the bean- mix into a casserole dish (the depth does not matter; the shallower it is, the sooner it will be done) and bake until it gets a thin brown crust and stops bubbling. The beans should be the consistency of a thick mashed potatoes when done, but not too dry, and not scoopable with a ladle any more. Enjoy! All pitas: To make any pita, you will need to prepare the filling (recipes below), and then stuff the filo dough with it, and bake it. Preparing any pita: put one sheet of dough on a flat surface and abundantly sprinkle it with oil (about 1-2 tbsp); put the second sheet on top of it. Spread about 2/3 of the filling on the second sheet, then cover with the third. Put the third sheet, sprinkle oil again (about 1tbsp) and spread the rest of the filling on it. Roll up the pita and put in a casserole dish that was previously oiled up. Repeat for each roll. Arrange rolls snuggly next to each other, and brush each with a small amount of oil on top. Bake in the oven at 375F until the top crust turns golden (20-30min). Tip: if you roll the pitas a day before baking and keep the casserole dish in the fridge overnight (covered with foil), the pitas will be more moist!

2 Cheese pita (Pita sa sirom) Ingredients (for one roll of pita, or 2 servings): 3 sheets of bourek (or filo) dough 2 medium eggs 1/4lb of feta cheese (better to hand- crumble a chunk of cheese, than to buy crumbled feta, because the pre- crumbled feta is often too dry) vegetable/canola oil For the filling: In a medium bowl hand- mix the eggs with crumbled feta. Meat pita (Burek sa mesom) Ingredients (for one roll of pita, or 2 servings): 3 sheets of bourek (or fillo) dough 3 heaping tablespoons of ground beef 1 small onion, chopped 1 medium egg salt and pepper to taste vegetable/canola oil For the filling: Fry the meat and onions on oil, until just done; don't overcook it, it should still be very moist. Remove from the stovetop and add pepper and salt to taste. Mix in one egg with a spoon and set aside. Spinach pita (Pita sa spanacem)

3 Ingredients (for one roll of pita, or 2 servings): 3 sheets of bourek (or fillo) dough 2 medium eggs 3 handfulls of fresh spinach (as much as it fits a hand when you grab it from a bag) salt (tip of the knife; in this case, it's easy to oversalt,so better to be conservative) For the filling: Mix in spinach and salt in a bowl and crush the spinach thoroughly with your hand. Add the eggs, and hand- mix them into the crushed spinach. Set aside. Apple pita (Pita sa jabukama) Ingredients (for one roll of pita, or 2 servings): 3 sheets of bourek (or fillo) dough 2 medium apples, grated on large (any kind; best if they are not overly sweet or overly sour), 1tsp ground cinnamon 1 heaping spoon of crystal sugar (adjust the amount to taste) For the filling: Mix in grated apples with cinnamon and sugar. Sour cabbage (Kiseli kupus) Ingredients: cabbage, salt, water + a bucket with a lid. Pick green or yellow cabbage with thin leaves and small veins. You should choose the number of cabbage heads depending on the bucket you have; they need to be stuffed into the bucket very snuggly, and they settle more with time. You can count on one medium head making for a meal for about 4 people, if you are making podvarak, for example. The cabbage takes any time between 2-10 weeks (depending on the temperature on the balcony/patio/garage where you keep the bucket) to become sour, and then it can keep for a few more weeks in the fridge, or you can freeze it, in which case you can

4 use it in the next several months. Make sure that the bucket has a lid that closes it tightly. You will also need a lot of salt- - - about one whole package for 8 small cabbage heads, and a heavy plate or a ceramic tile to press the cabbage and keep it under water. Let the cabbage sit for a day or two to settle before starting the preparation procedure described below. First remove the outside leaves, and any rotten or damaged parts from the cabbage heads, and then carve out the core of each head, i.e. make a cone- shaped hole in the root of the head, about 2inches deep. Then fill out the whole with salt and stack the head into the bucket, filling the bucket tightly. When you are done stacking, pour the rest of the salt over the cabbage and then fill out the bucket with lukewarm water. At the end, place the heavy plate on top of the cabbages, to keep them under water. The cabbage will be settling in the next few days, and it is important that nothing sticks above the water, or it will rotten. Close the lid and place the bucket in a cool place (i.e. outside, or in a garage). It should not be in direct sun, if possible. Check it for the first time in a few days and add water if it drank it up. After that, check on the doneness of the cabbage every week; don't be taken aback by the strong pungent smell; if it's there, it means the cabbage is doing well! If you are not sure it's done, you'll have to taste it; this takes some courage (or Serbian genes), but it's really not dangerous- - - all the bacteria you are hosting in the bucket are the good rotting bacteria, very beneficial for digestion (in Serbia, people even drink the cabbage water, called raso, but that's a whole other story... ). Also, be aware that some of the leaves may stick out and start to darken- - - this doesn't mean that the whole batch went bad; simply remove and discard the parts that look dark and rotten when you notice them or before you use the rest of the cabbage. Also bear in mind that the cabbage changes color as it becomes sour; it becomes evenly darker and yellowish, and it also softens. It is done when it's very sour and smelly, and the leaves are still crunchy and very salty. It is overly done if the leaves became so soft that they fall apart, or you can push a finger through the head, so make sure to check it regularly and catch it before that phase. When its done, either move the bucket to a fridge, or leave it outside if its winter time; you can also freeze the amount you don't plan to use in the next few weeks. Sarma (stuffed cabbage rolls) Ingredients (for about 10 medium sarmas): 1 medium head of sour cabbage 1/2kg ground pork (or mix of beef and pork)- - - see preparation for hints if you are making a vegetarian version. 1 onion 4-5 heaping tablespoons rice (jasmine rice works) ~1 teaspoon pepper

5 1 egg 3 tablespoons of oil + a bit more 1 heaping tablespoon flour salt, paprika Preparation: For the filling, use a saucepan to sauté chopped onion in a bit of oil, and then add ground meat and fry until barely done. Add pepper and rice and fry for another minute or two. Remove from stove and add one whole egg, and mix it in with a spoon and set aside. Prepare the cabbage leaves by separating them from the head, and slicing off the thick veins at the bottoms of the leaves (this is to thin them out so you can more easily fold them; be careful not to tear them, as they need to be stuffed). Use smallest leaves to line the bottom of a large pot in which the sarmas will cook. Roll the sarmas by placing one leaf at a time into your hand, inner side up, putting about one heaping tablespoon of filling at the center (use regular spoons, not measuring ones, and adjust the amount according to the leaf size; you should be able to have plenty of leaf surrounding each amount of filling, with plenty of room to fold it), and making closed- up sarma rolls. This last part is a bit of an art and takes some practices; people do it in different ways and it s best to watch some quick videos of it (for example, this one: ). My family does it by folding one edge on top of the filling, then folding the adjacent edge, which makes for a corner, and then rolling a tight roll, starting from one of the two folded edges. This then makes a roll that has one opening (one loose end), which you can then stuff with your finger into the roll, very tightly. You can stuff symmetrically the opposite end as well, to tighten it more. You want the rolls very tight, or they might fall apart during cooking. Order the rolls on the bottom of your pot, tightly, in multiple layers if need be. Cover with water (but just by half an inch), and cook on medium until it boils. While this is cooking, prepare zaprska by frying lightly the mix of flour and 3 tablespoons of oil, about 1-2min. Then remove from stove and add paprika, to taste (~2 teaspoons), and ½ teaspoon salt. When sarmas start boiling, pour zaprska on top and shake the pot. No stirring at any time, just a light shake for it to settle. Cook on medium for ~2hours. Enjoy! Note: there are many different recipes for sarma some use bacon chunks added in between sarmas (delicious), and some are vegetarian, in which case you want to use much more rice, and maybe add chopped carrots to the filling. You can search the web for stuffed cabbage rolls for ideas and to get a sense for alternative recipes. Either way, this meal becomes better the more times you warm it up, and also can be frozen for later. Roasted potatoes (Pekarski krompir): If you are roasting meat of any kind you can prepare the most delicious kind of roasted potatoes to go with it, by roasting them together with the meat and for a really long time. The key is to chop it in big pieces, salt and oil abundantly, and optionally add some pepper, garlic powder, and paprika. The drippings from the meat will do their magic. Enjoy!

6 Sour cabbage with rice casserole (Podvarak): substitute for sarma, if sarma seems too hard Ingredients: 1.5 cups jasmine rice 1 medium head of sour cabbage salt, pepper, red pepper flakes 4-5 cloves garlic, crushed or chopped 1 medium onion, chopped a few slices of bacon (optional) 1/4 cup vegetable/canola oil Preparation: First remove outer leaves of the cabbage head, if they are too soft or dark (sour cabbage smells bad, but that s normal; the leaves should be still crunchy though, not soft so that you can push your finger through). Then try the cabbage; if it is is too salty, rinse it in warm water. Finally, chop it in 1inx1in square pieces and set aside. Fry bacon, pepper flakes, onions and garlic in oil for a few mins. Add cabbage and pepper to taste and continue frying, stirring frequently, until the cabbage softens; 15-20min. Taste and add salt only if needed. Add a cup of water and rice, and cook until rice is barely done. Transfter podvarak into a casserole dish and bake on high (400F) until it dries out and the top leaves start turning brown. Note: podvarak goes really well with pork chops! Enjoy! Chevapi (Serbian/Croatian/Bosnian meat rolls): These are basically modified versions of mini burgers, but shaped into small links. The ground meat is traditionally a mix: 1/3 lamb, 1/3 beef, and 1/3 pork- - - and this ratio is important! You can add plenty of ground garlic, pepper, decent amount of salt, a little bit of bread crumbs (this one is optional), and one egg to keep it all together, and then shape them into little cylinders and fry them in oil, just like you would prepare normal well- done burgers. Enjoy! Serbian salad (Srpska salata):

7 Chop fresh ripe tomatoes, cucumbers, and thinly sliced onions (equal parts of the first two, and the second one to taste), and mix with oil, vinegar, and salt to taste (Serbian way: abundantly). Optional: add crumbled feta on top. Enjoy! Strawberry whipped cream cake: Ingredients: 1 cup butter 1 1/4 cups milk 4 eggs 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 cups white sugar 2 1/4 cups all- purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 quarts fresh strawberries, halved lengthwise 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature 1/2 cup white sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/8 teaspoon salt 2 cups heavy cream Preparation: 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) [ja: 300F!!!]. Grease and flour a 9 inch tube pan. 2. In a small saucepan, combine the butter and milk. Warm until butter has melted, but do not boil. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 2 cups sugar. Stir in the warmed milk and butter and vanilla. Combine the flour and baking soda; stir into the batter just until blended. Pour into the prepared pan. 3. Bake for 55 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted into the crown of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes before removing and placing on a wire rack to cool completely. 4. In a mixing bowl fitted with a whisk attachment, combine the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and salt. Beat at medium speed until smooth. Pour the heavy cream in a slow steady stream while the mixture is whipping until the mixture has fluffed up and can hold a stiff peak. Don't let it get grainy looking though. Scrape the bottom of the bowl with a spatula occasionally to remove any lumps. 5. Slice the cooled cake horizontally into three layers. Arrange strawberries on the bottom layer with the top ends facing outward. Fill in the remaining space with more berries. Spoon some of the whipped cream over the berries and spread evenly. Place another layer of cake on top and repeat the process. Place the top layer on the cake and cover with the remaining cream. Arrange remaining berries over the cream.

8 This was taken from some blog long ago, and the only modification I made is to double the measure for the frosting (the measures above are for the doubled- frosting recipe) and use home- made vanilla extract (2-3 sliced vanilla beans soaked for ~2 weeks into burbon make it into fantastic extract). Enjoy! Double chocolate cake: Reform cake (Reform torta): This a cake with walnuts instead of flour in the crust, and there are many versions of it; here is one of them: cake Enjoy!