Proja - Corn Bread

This is a traditional Serbian bread. It is served with yogurt, white cheese and smoked dried meat. It is ideal for breakfast and supper on cold days. You can bake this when you have leftover cheese, almost ready to go bad.

Ingredients:
1 cup corn flour (yellow)
1 cup white flour (regular)
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 cup milk
2 eggs
½ cup sunflower oil
50-100 gr white full fat cheese

Directions:
Heat the oven to 180°C.

Mix the flours together in a bowl. Add milk, slightly beaten eggs, oil and crumbled cheese. Add baking powder and add a pinch of salt if the cheese is mild. The paste needs to be liquidy like honey.

Put the baking dish in the oven to heat. Pull it out after 2 min and oil the dish. Pour the dough into the prepared dish and return immediately to the oven.

When you see the crust forming, reduce the heat to 150°C and bake for at least 30-45 min. The bread is ready when the sides of the bread have separated from the dish.

Serve warm.

Sarma (Cabbage Rolls)

The origin of this meal is Turkish and means wrapping or rolling. It is traditionally prepared in all of the Balkan countries. Most Serbians use sour cabbage (sauerkraut) that gives the sarma an unique savory taste. The best cooking method is slow boiling in large clay pots. Sarma is a very filling dish and it is usually eaten during winter. Traditionally sarma is served along with polenta, potatoes or sour cream.

Ingredients:

1500 g sour cabbage (large)
500 g ground beef
500 g ground pork
500 g ground veal
2 eggs
5 medium onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic
5 g crushed chili peppers
15 g salt
10 g ground black pepper
bunch of parsley
125 g rice

300 g sauerkraut (sliced sour cabbage)
2 cups brine from sauerkraut
500 g pork ribs (smoked and dried)
300 g bacon (dried, smoked)
5 g lard
3 g flour
2 g paprika


Preparation:

Take the whole sauerkraut head and remove all leaves that will be large enough to stuff. Cut the thick part at the bottom of each leaf or trim the heavy vein on the leaf with a sharp knife.

Using your hands mix the beef, pork, veal, crushed garlic, finely minced onion and finely chopped parsley. Once mixed add the beaten eggs, crushed chili peppers, salt and ground pepper. Cook rice until half done and add into the meat. Again using hands mix thoroughly so rice is evenly distributed throughout the mix. To speed up the process, you can cook the meat & rice filling before stuffing the rolls and reduce the cooking time to an hour. But, the longer you cook the sauerkraut the better it tastes.

Now you fill the cabbage. Place a spoonful of the mixture into the middle of the leaf. Roll up, tucking in each end of the cabbage.

Rinse the sauerkraut and drain. Take a very large pot and put ½ of sliced sauerkraut on the bottom which will form a protective layer. Lay the rolls neatly and close together with bacon and pork ribs. Top with the remaining sauerkraut.  If you have any sour cabbage leaves left, you can shred it and place on top. Pour 2 cups of brine over everything.

Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Cover and cook 1 hour at 200̊C .

Melt lard in a small skillet then fry flour and paprika, stirring constantly until mixture thickens and turns light brown. Add some of the cooking liquid and stir until smooth. Pour thickening mixture into the sarma and mix through. Cook for a another hour.

Palačinke - Serbian Pancakes

European pancakes are thin pancakes also know as crepes. Unlike thicker types of pancakes, Palačinke are usually served with different types of fillings and eaten as a main course or a dessert. They are traditionally filled with apricot or strawberry jam and sprinkled with confectioner's sugar. The variety of fillings are endless. Palačinke may also be eaten unsweetened, plain, or filled with cheeses, meat, mushroom, plazma, topped with sour cream.





Ingredients:
4 eggs beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
2 teaspoon sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
Butter or oil to fry

Preparation:
Using a blender on slow speed, add milk and eggs. When blended add the flour, salt and sugar and continue  until it is a thin smooth batter (add small amounts of water as needed until batter is thin as milk when poured.)
Crepes will fry easier (without breaking) if the batter is refrigerated overnight. You must let the batter rest for at least 30 minutes so the liquid can be absorbed by the flour.
Heat saute pan over medium heat until a drop of batter immediately blisters in pan. Brush pan lightly with oil for the first one. Spoon the batter on a hot buttered pan enough to thinly coat the bottom. The key here is to work quickly. Hold the pan in one hand, add batter and immediately tilt until batter is spread out and evenly coats the entire bottom of pan. Fry 3-4 minutes on first side, flip and fry about 2 minutes or until set and golden on second side.  Stack on a warm plate. Spread on each crepe your favorite filling then fold or roll.

Note:
If the batter is not staying together, add an egg; if it's too thin add flour, too thick, add milk - it may be necessary to adjust to get the best results - practice makes perfect.

Prebranac (Serbian Style Baked Beans)

This dish is traditionally prepared in clay pots.








Ingredients:

1 pound large white beans
1 pound onion
4 garlic cloves
1 large carrot
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons sweet paprika powder
1 tablespoon sunflower oil
1 large dried or fresh pepper
1 cup red wine

Preparation:

Soak the beans overnight in the refridgerator with enough water to cover. When you are ready to cook them, drain the water and wash the beans. Put the beans in cold water and let it boil for 10 minutes. Discard the water and replace it with new, hot water. It has to be hot water or beans will get hard if you start cooking in cold water! Add salt, bay leaves and sliced carrot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer approximately 2 hours. By then it should be cooked and most of the water would have evaporated. Check occasionally to make sure it doesn’t burn.  Drain the remaining but DO NOT DISCARD.

Chop onion into large pieces and cook in hot oil until golden brown.  Add chopped garlic, paprika powder and black pepper. Mix it well for another 30-60 seconds and remove from the heat. Preheat oven to 350̊F (180̊C).  Grease  deep clay dish and add half of cooked beans enough to cover the bottom. Next layer the fried onions and finish with the rest of beans. Pour the water that remained from cooking and the wine on top. Push the pepper into the mixture halfway (the other half will be visible). Bake at 350̊F for 45-60 minutes until the top becomes dark brown.

It is as much a starch as it is a vegetable and can be served as a vegetarian main course or side dish.
When used as a main course it is served hot and if is served as a side dish then it is usually cold. If you prefer, before you put the dish in the oven,  top with bacon or sausage.

Tufahije (Poached apples)

If you were in a Bosnian or Serbian restaurant resting after a delicious meal, and the waiter comes to you and offers: “Miss, do you want tofuckyou now” - don’t get wrong idea - he is just politely offering a dessert. This dessert is popular in Bosnia and other parts of the Balkans, although the dessert originates from Persia. It's a simple recipe that comes together quickly.

Ingredients:

6 Golden Delicious apples
2 cups sugar (I prefer Brown Sugar)
2 cups water or enough to cover apples
1 cup white wine
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Filling:
1 cup ground walnuts
½ cup raisins
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 tablespoons Balkan Style Yogurt

lemon slices and cherries for decoration

Preparation:

Throughly wash and peel apples, then remove the core. Place the apples in water with a little lemon juice to prevent the apples from browning and put aside.

In a large saucepan, add equal parts of water and sugar (start with the given amounts and add more as necessary) to cover the apples. Bring to a boil, and simmer a few minutes, stirring to dissolve all the sugar. Add the lemon juice and white wine. Add the apples, weighing them down with a plate on top. Simmer on medium heat until apples are tender, about 10-15 minutes. They should be just soft enough to poke with a toothpick. Be sure not to overcook them! Carefully remove them from the water and place them on a rack to cool.

Reserve the poaching liquid they were cooked in. Add the reserved peelings to the syrup (optional), and continue to simmer the mixture until it is reduced by half (about 20-30 minutes). Strain and cool the syrup.

Meanwhile, coarsely chop the walnuts and raisins together. In a medium bowl, stir together walnuts, raisins, cinnamon and yogurt until smooth and well combined. When the apples are cool enough to handle - stuff them with the mixture. Decorate with lemon slices and then pour reserved poaching liquid over the apples and top with whipped cream. Chill at room temperature until ready to serve. They are great garnished with a cherry on top.

Rakija

Rakija is the Serbian name given to an alcoholic drink made from the distillation of fermented fruit. Rakija can be made out of almost any fruit, and each fruit has its own specific rakija name. Rakia recipes are centuries old and every rakija maker has his own variety and secret ingredients. You can find rakija recipes that contain anise, herbs, honey, walnuts, mint, sour cherries, etc. Each type of rakija has its own subtle and particular taste lying just beneath the initial strong flavor. Slivovica (plum rakija) is the most popular, as well as the cheapest and strongest. Good rakija has a strong taste first, followed by a subtle fruity flavor. Rakija is served in shot glasses but you do not need to drink it all in one sip. The first sip is the most important. Before taking this initial taste, exhale deeply, and then take a quick sip directly down your throat right to the stomach. Now take in a long breath through your nose. You should feel the burning in your chest, not in your throat. Try to distinguish the fruity flavor that appears gradually. Rakia is generally served with serbian salad, shopska salad, pickled vegetables (trushiya), serbian cream cheese (kajmak) or any other salads (depending on the season). This combination forms the first course of the meal.  Wine or beer is served with the rest of the meal. If a drop of rakia is spilled while pouring, it is said "that's for the deceased."  After a funeral a toast of rakia is made and a little is spilled on the ground for the soul of the departed.

Serbians take much pride in producing rakija in the home. Every Serbian either makes their own rakija, has a cousin who makes it, or just knows somebody who makes it. Generally, there are two seasons when rakia is made during the year. The plum rakia making season takes place in August and September and for grape rakia from the end of September to the end of November. Serbians will show you the places where you can get good rakija, or, most likely, will share their own stock with you. Serbians are very open and generous people with a big sense of hospitality. They will open the door of their homes to you, offering you food and making you feel comfortable as if you are among friends. Being a guest also means you will immediately be offered some rakija, no matter what time of the day it is. Please try not to reject it even if you don’t feel like drinking. They will expect you to at least try it. If you don’t feel like drinking more, leave some in the bottom of your glass. Be aware that if you finish the entire glass, they are going to keep pouring more. A rakija session can surprise you at anytime of the day, even in the morning. One shot of this stuff in the morning will cure you of any diseases and more shots will make you forget you had the diseases in the first place. So don’t overdo it, as this drink should be taken with a lot of respect.

Most people prefer to drink rakia heated during the cold winter months. The recipe is simple but it has to be done in a precise way to get the distinct flavours and also requires constant attention.
Ingredients: 1/2 cup sugar, 1 1/2 cups rakija and 3 cups water
Directions: Pour the sugar into a medium stainless-steel pot and watch carefully. Once it turns brown, remove it from the heat with great care, stand back and pour in the rakija and water. The sugar will harden and some of the liquid may explode out of the pot, so be careful! Return the pot to the heat and watch until it comes to a boil and the sugar has melted completely. Serve hot or warm.

Gibanica

Gibanica is a traditional dish served in Serbia and elsewhere in the Balkans. A similar dish can be found in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia and Bulgaria but it is commonly called Banica. This is one of the most popular and distinctive pastry dishes in the Balkans. This recipe for Serbian Gibanica is a blend of cream cheese, cottage cheese and feta cheese between layers of filo dough that is baked. It’s not recommended for low-cal dieters. There are a few different ways to make gibanica and this is one of them:

Ingredients:
- 1 lb phyllo dough (thawed) - in Serbia you could buy special dough sold as "gibanica sheets". Regular phyllo dough was sold as "pita sheets".
- 2 lbs feta cheese (broken into pieces)
- 1 lb large-curd cottage cheese
- 1 cup sour cream
- 6 eggs
- 1/2 lb butter (melted) - in Serbia for a traditional gibanica pork fat is used
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Beat eggs until foamy. Add sifted flour and salt. Beat well.
Add sour cream and mix well.
Add cottage cheese and feta cheese and mix well. Set aside.
Grease a 13x9x2 inch pan (or it can be round in shape). Place 3 sheets in the pan. Instead of lying it flat, crumple the sheets while layering the gibanica. This make it lighter and gives it more air during baking. Save 3 sheets for the top of the gibanica.
Pour about 2 tablespoons melted butter (or pork fat) over dough and brush to edges.
Spread about 6 large spoons of cheese mixture on top.
Repeat the dough and butter and continue to layer with cheese mixture until 3 sheets of phyllo are left.
Cover with last 3 sheets. Brush with oil, or melted butter, or pork fat. Pierce the top of the gibanica. The gibancia will rise during baking just from the eggs. You can use soda water for the gibanica to rise and make it fluffy. But, don’t ever use baking soda, sometimes you can taste the soda when gibanica is done.
Bake uncovered in the oven at 350 degree for one hour. It will get puffy and golden brown, but will reduce down when it cools. Test for doneness by shaking the pan a bit; if the cheese doesn't move; it's done. If it's getting too dark and the cheese is still jiggly, then you have a problem. To save gibanica - cover with foil and continue to bake (to avoid covering gibanica - next time adjust pan position and heat in oven before you start to bake).
Cut into squares and serve warm, but cool enough not to burn your self and enjoy it. It tastes even better the next day. Traditionally can be served upside-down.

Lazy apple pie

Ingredients:
200 g margarine,
100 g lard,
400 g sugar,
4 eggs,
2 cups of milk,
600 g flour,
1 sachet of baking powder,
vanilla sugar,
1 kg sour apples

Preparation:
Stir together 200 g of margarine and 100 g of lard, add 10 tablespoons of sugar and 4 egg yolks and continue stirring well.
Add 2 cups of milk, 600 g of flour mixed with a baking powder and vanilla sugar. Knead the dough.
Put more than half of dough in greased baking pan, then well beat 4 egg whites with 6 tablespoons of sugar and pour over the dough in the pan. Add 1 kg of sour grated apples to all of that.
Spread the rest of the dough to form the crust that fit pan shape and place it over filling.
Place the pie into the medium heated oven and bake until the crust is golden brown.
Sprinkle powder sugar over warm pie.

Notes:
This is the same recipe as  lazy sour cherry pie and lazy walnut pie, the only difference is that instead of sour cherries and walnuts, we are using apples for filling.

Karađorđeva šnicla (Karadjordje's steak)

Karadjordje's steak (Karađorđeva šnicla) is a Serbian breaded cutlet dish named after the Serbian Prince Karadjordje. It is a rolled veal or pork steak, stuffed with kajmak, breaded and baked (or fried). It is served with roasted potatoes and tartar sauce.
The steak is a modern invention, created by chef Mića Stojanović in 1959 who, when needed to prepare Chicken Kiev for a distinguished visitor from Russia, was faced with lack of poultry. He used veal instead of chicken. However, not fully satisfied with the result, he poured tartar sauce over it, and decorated it with a slice of lemon and pieces of tomato, which at the end resembled Karadjordje's star decoration, and thus was the steak named.


Ingredients:
500 g boneless pork steaks,
150 g kajmak (Serbian creamy dairy product) – you can use some cream cheese instead,
2 eggs,
flour,
bread crumbs,
salt

Preparation:
Pound pork steaks untill they are thin and soft and on each steak put a little kajmak (or cream cheese).
Wrap the meat into the rolls and secure each piece with a toothpick.
Coat the steaks in the flour, then dip them into beaten eggs and finally roll in bread crumbs.
Fry in hot oil untill golden yellow.

Čorbast pasulj (White Bean Soup)

Ingredients:
250g dried White Beans
2 large Onions
2 cloves Garlic
250g bacon
2 potatoes
3 carrots, ½ inch pieces
1 tbsp paprika
Oil
Salt and pepper

Preparation:
Soak beans overnight in cold water. Cut onion into large pieces. Clean garlic cut cloves into 2 parts. Boil beans in water with garlic and onion. Cut bacon and potatoes into cubes. Carrots into slices, fry bacon add potato, carrot, onion and fry together for 5 minutes. Add paprika, mix. Add mixture to beans let simmer.

Djuvech

Ingredients:
1lb (450g) ground beef
4 tomatoes peeled
1 large onion
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
1 cup rice
2 tbsp oil        
1 tbsp paprika
1 ½ tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cups water

Preparation:
Chop onion fine and fry in oil with the meat. Sprinkle with paprika. Add tomatoes quartered and peppers cut in long strips. Cook 5 minutes. Add water and rice. Simmer 25 minutes.

Serbian honey nut balls

Very easy to make ...
Preparation and baking time: 1 hour.







Ingredients:
2 1/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. shortening
2 tsp. vanilla
1 c. chopped nuts
1/4 c. honey

Glaze:
1 c. sifted powdered sugar
2 tbsp. light cream
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Preparation:

Sift together flour and salt; set aside. Work butter and shortening with a spoon until soft. Add honey and beat until smooth, light and fluffy. Add vanilla and mix well. Add dry ingredients gradually, beating well after each addition. Add walnuts and mix well. Form balls and place on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 300 degrees for 40 minutes. Roll in powdered sugar or dip in glaze.

Tip:

Can be fresh for 3 days, if wrapped.

Easter Bread

This bread can be every day bread, of course ...
Preparation time: ½ hour.
Baking time: 1 hour.



Ingredients:
2 cups milk
2 packages dry yeast
4 cups flour
5 eggs
1 stick (½ cup) butter
2 tsp.+ 1/3 cup sugar
½ tsp. salt
oil

Preparation:

Heat 1/2 cup milk to lukewarm. Add 1 cake of yeast (or 2 packages dry yeast), sugar and 1/2 cup flour. Let rise for 1/2 hour, then add 3 egg yolks. Heat 1 1/2 cups milk to lukewarm, add 1 stick butter and 1/3 cup sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt. Pour over yeast mixture. Stir in 3-4 cups flour to make a firm dough. Turn onto floured board and knead for 10 minutes, adding a little flour so dough will not stick.

Grease a deep bowl, place dough in bowl, and turn grease side up. Cover with clean cloth and let rise until double. Divide dough into 3 equal portions (save a small piece of dough for cross). Roll each portion and braid. Place in large greased pan or cookie sheet. Take a small piece of dough and make a cross for top of bread. Let rise until double in bulk. Brush top with 2 beaten egg yolks to which on teaspoon sugar is added. Bake a 325 degrees for 1 hour.

Tip:

Can be fresh for 3 days, if wrapped.

Beef Burek (burek s meso')

Ingredients:

1 cup butter
3 medium onions
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork
1 pkg onion soup mix
4 large eggs beaten
1/2 lb Phyllo dough
8 oz cheese

Preparation:

Place 2 tbsp butter in pan and heat. Add onions and saute. Add beef, pork and onions and saute. Add beef, pork and onion soup mix. Cook until brown. Season with salt and pepper. Set mixture aside.
Heat oven to 350.
Place 4 sheets dough in bottom of 13X9 baking pan, brushing each sheet with melted butter. Cover dough with 1/3 meat and 1/3 cheese. Drizzle some egg over the cheese. Cover the egg with 3 sheets dough, brushed with butter. Repeat previous step 2 more times. Top with 4 sheets dough. Brush with butter. Pour remaining egg on top.
Bake uncovered 45 min to 1 hour.
Let rest.

Moussaka

This recipe is a Greek classic, but I’ve added the little hint of my creativity ... and pinch of my personal hedonistic beliefs ... every measurement can be +/- 20% (depends what you prefer more, but all ingredients must be in this meal)

Ingredients:

potatoes (1kg) ... yams (1kg) ... zucchini (1) ... minced meat - lamb or beef (600gr)
eggs (4) ... cheese - mozzarella or ricotta (250gr) and cheddar (250gr) ... bacon (200gr) ...

tomato (1) ... pepper - anyone except green (15) ... carrot (1) ... onion white (1)
cloves garlic (1) ... cilantro (1bunch) ... plain yogurt natural (½)

olive oil ... salt ... paper ... chili powder ... curry powder ... ginger ... coriander ... white wine (300ml).

Preparation:

Bake peppers at 250 degrees, and when they are finished, put them in a dish with lid to cool for 30 minutes, and then peel them.
Cut the bacon into small pieces and put in to a big deep pan and heat.
Slice onion, carrot, garlic, tomato and put with minced meat in pan.
Add all spices, and when the meat is brown , add finely chopped cilantro, one egg, and 150ml of wine.
Slice potatoes and yams, and fry them in pan 5min in every side.
Slice zucchini and fry them in pan 2min in every side.
Grease rectangular pan with olive oil and arrange - potatoes, seasoned with salt, peppers, meat, mozzarella, zucchini, salt, yams, salt, potatoes and salt.
Pour rest of the wine on the top and put pan in the oven at 250 degrees.
Heat approximately 1 hour.
Mix eggs, cheddar, yogurt and salt and put on the top of moussaka.
Put moussaka back in the oven and heat another 5min.
Remove from oven and cover with foil.
Let stand at least 30minutes (if you have time - 1hour).

Tip:

It's better if you prepare peppers 1 day earlier. Store them in non-metallic dish and keep in the fridge.

Ćevapčići

Depending on the country region, you can find different methods to cook a traditional classic meal. The Serbian cuisine is rich in fat meals, and almost every dish contains meat.
Serbian cuisine is actually derived from mixed cuisines, mostly influenced by Mediterranean,  Hungarian, Turkish and Austrian cuisines. Ćevapčići, which is actually a meal with heavily grilled ground meat patties and a lot of spicy condiments, is considered to be the national dish of Serbia.

Ingredients:
1 lb ground Lamb
1 lb ground Veal
1 lb ground Pork
1 large yellow onion, peeled and grated
3 cloves garlic -- peeled and crushed
3 tbsp hot paprika, or sweet paprika and a little Cayenne
2 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
salt to taste
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
olive oil for basting

yoghurt sauce:
1 pint yoghurt
1/2 cucumber, peeled, grated and drained 1 hour
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
Juice of 1/2 lemon
salt and ground white pepper to taste
Pinch of cayenne pepper

Preparation:

Mix all the ingredients, except the oil, thoroughly and roll the mixture into
little "cigars" about 1 inch by 3 inches. Rub lightly with olive oil and grill
or broil until done. These are great on the barbecue. Serve with yoghurt sauce.
Yoghurt sauce: Mix all ingredients together and serve with Cevapcici as a dip.

Tip:
Formed ćevapi are grilled. They are served with somun, special kind of bread especially made for being served with Ćevapi, plus do not miss the Kajmak, the additional cream on top of everything else to have the craziest beautiful feeling while eating them.