November in Bosnia

On our way (pause in Abu Dhabi)

1st day in Bosnia

 

 Art of sausage making in Bosnia...glad I had my chance to help! I brought my recipe for Chorizos with me!

Umjetnost pravljenja kobasica..drago mi je da sam mogla pomoci. Donijela sam svoj recept za Chorizo kobasice.

2nd day

Visit to our cousin in Grbavica  (My father`s birth village)

Švargla (recipe coming!)

 

 Our hosts!

3rd day we had first snow! YAY!

Trećega dana je pao snijeg i obradovao nas!

 

Chicken Saag

Aromatic, spicy chicken stew in a rich spinach sauce. One of best Indian recipes.

Ingredients:

1 tsp fenugreek seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1 cinnamon stick

6 cardamom pods

2 tbs oil

2 onions, diced

2 cm ginger, grated

3 garlic cloves, crushed

1 chilli, sliced

800 g thihg filets, cubed

2 pst turmeric powder

1 tsp cumin powder

1/2-1 tsp chilli powderĝ

1 tsp coriander powder

2 bay leaves

1 1/2-2 cups chicken broth

1 bunch spinach (frozen ok) - 250 gr

1/2 tsp salt

2 tbs fresh coriander

1/3 cup yogurt 

Method:

Roast first 4 ingredients on a dry pan (until heated trough and aromatic); set aside.

Heat oil, sautee onions for 3-4 minutes. Add meat, garlic, ginger and chilli. Stir until meat change colour, then add roasted spices and all other powdered spices, bay leaves and beef broth. Cover and cook for 1-1 1/2 hours (or until meat tender). Last 10-15 minutes add spinach and season to taste. Garnish with yogurt and coriander before serving (with rice).

Pileći 'Saag'

Mirisno i pikantno pilece meso u bogatom spinat sosu. Jedno od meni najdrazih jela iz Indije.

Potrebno:

1 k fenugrek sjemenki

1/2 k kima

1 stapic cimeta

6 cijelih kardamoma

2 crvena luka, sjeckana

2 cm djumbira, sitno rendanog

3 cena bijelog luka, protisnutog / rendanog

1 ljuta papricica, cjeckana

800 gr piletine (nadbataci), isjecene na kocke

2 k turmerika u prahu

1 k kima u prahu

1 k korijandera u prahu 

1/2 - 1 k chili praha

2 lista lovora

1 1/2 - 2 solje pileceg temeljca / supe

1 veza spinata , moze i smrznuti - 250gr

1/2 k soli

2 K lisca korijandera

1/3 solje jogurta

Nacin:

Zagrijte tavu na na suho proprzite prva 4 sastojka (dok ne pocne mirisati); ostavite po strani.

Zagrijte ulje u serpi / loncu, proprzite luk, zatim dodajte meso, bijeli luk, djumbir i chili. Dinstajte dok meso ne promijeni boju. Ubacite sve zacine, ukljucujuci one u prahu, lovor i zalijte temeljcem. Pokrijte i kuhajte oko 1-1 1/2 sat ili dok meso ne omeksa. Zadnjih 15 minuta dodajte spinat i so. Prije serviranja (sa rizom) stavite jogurt i korijander na vrh.

'Podvarak'- Balkan Way of preparing Sauerkraut

My boys say 'Podvarak' is the only thing my mother makes better than me..We LOVE it! It doesn't taste more delicious anywhere else; my mum's Podvarak is the best. Lucky, I'm going to have it very soon, as I intend to visit Bosnia in a few weeks.
For Podvarak you need to have fermented cabbage (Sauerkraut). In many Balkan countries, in late autumn, large quantities of sauerkraut is prepared  for winter. For recipe see here; it is a natural, easy way of preserving cabbage (it just need some time for fermenting).

Ingredients:
3-4 tbs lard ( or oil)
1-2 onions, chopped
1 sauerkraut head ( sliced)
100 -150 g chopped bacon (smoked preferably - optional)
1 tbs paprika
white pepper, to taste
Meat, ..best to use smoked pork, but also carp, chicken (drumsticks), duck, sausages - Kransky or Chorizo)

Method:

Heat lard in a large pan; sautee onion and bacon. Add sliced sauerkraut (rinse if too salty) and other ingredients (except meat). Cook stirring, until most moisture evaporates. Transfer to a baking pan, place meat on top and place into oven (180*C). Cook until meat done. Serve while warm. 

Podvarak

Moji djecaci kazu, da je Podvarak jedino jelo koje moja mama bolje pravi od mene... Obozavamo ga! Nigdje nije tako ukusan; podvrak moje mame je najbolji. Sretna sam da cu ga uskoro ponovo jesti, obzirom da letim za Bosnu za par sedmica.
Za podvarak trebamo kiseli kupus (kod nas je obavezan kao zimnica; odlican prirodan nacin za 
'konzerviranje'. Fermentirana hrana je jako zdrava.
Recept za kiseljenje pogledati ovdje

Potrebno:

3-4 K masti (ili ulja)

1-2 crvena luka, isjeckana

1 glavica kiselog kupusa, isjeckanog

100-150 gr sjeckane slanine (dimljene -opciono)

1 K crvene paprike (prah)

bijeli biber, prema ukusu

Meso,..najbolje dimljena svinjetina, ali moze i piletina, patka, som, kobasice (Kranjskee ili Chorizo)

Nacin:
Zagrijte mast u vecoj posudi. Proprzite luk i slaninu. Ubacite kupus i ostale satojke (osim mesa); przite i mijesajte dok vecina tecnosti ne ispari. Prebacite kupus u tepsiju, postavite meso po povrsini i ubacite u rernu (180*C). Pecite dok meso ne bude gotovo; sluzite toplo.

Low fat / calorie Apple Strudel

For those who are trying to loose weight (like me), but still want to have something sweet here and there. The whole strudel is worth 40 weight watcher's (old) points, so if divided in 10  large servings it carries 4 points each, or 2 points each for 20 small serves. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
Dough-
1 1/2 cups flour
1 egg, beaten  + water to make up 150 ml of fluid
2 tbs oil (for spreading)
Filling-
5 apples
1/2 cup sugar
50 g butter
1/2 cup bread crumbs
cinnamon

Method:
For making and stretching dough, see Apple Strudel recipe
Filling-
Melt butter in a pan, add breadcrumbs and fry for a minute. Set aside to cool.
Preheat oven to 180*C (160 fan forced), grease a large baking tin.
When dough ready (stretched), mix all ingredients for filling and place along one side of pastry. Roll the filling (with help of tablecloth) to the other side, making sure to fold sides of pastry, so filling doesn't come out during baking.
Place strudel onto baking tin (shape into semicircle if doesn't fit), brush with beaten egg and bake for 40 minutes.
Dust with icing sugar and serve.

Niskokalorična Štrudla sa Jabukama

Za one koji su na dijeti, ali ipak zele imati nesto slatko povremeno. Cijela strudla ima vrijednost 40 poena (vejt vochers); znaci 10 porcija po 4 poena ili 20 manjih porcija po 2 poena. Uzivajte!

Potrebno:

Tijesto-
1 1/2 solja brasna
1 jaje, umuceno + vode toliko da dobijete 150 ml tekucine sa jajetom
2 K ulja (za tijesto / jufku)
Fil-
5 jabuka
1/2 solje secera
50 gr maslaca
1/2 solje krusnih mrvica / prezle
cimet

Nacin:
Umijesite glatko tijesto od sastojaka. Pogledajte ovdje nacin i razvlacenje: Recept za strudlu
Punjenje-
Zagrijte maslac, kratko propzite mrvice u njemu.
Zagrijte rernu na 180*C (160 sa fenom), nauljite vecu plitku tepsiju.
Kada ste tijesto razvukli, pomijesajte sve sastojke za punjenje. Nanesite na jednu stranu tijesta. Poprskajte tijesto i punjenje sa istopljenim maslacem. Zarolajte uz pomoc stolnjaka, pazeci da krajeve savijete, kako punjenje ne bi ispalo. Prebacite na tepsiju, mozete saviti strudlu kao potkovicu ako je prevelika.
Premazite umucenim jajetom i pecite oko 45 min.
Pospite sa secerom u prahu prije rezanja i sluzenja.

Sonja's 'Ajdov Ujevak' (Buckwheat Flat Bread)

I had a memorable day yesterday. I got a surprise package in my mailbox; my dear friend Sonja (from Slovenia) made a few things with her hands and sent it to me....20 000 km away! She made me cry and she made my day! Two of her amazing cards, beautifully smelling lavanda wreath, and dried WILD STRAWBERRIES from Slovenian forests. 

Thank you Sonja, you will never know what that meant to me.

Following recipe is from a cookbook, that she sent me some time ago. I make it often, as it is quick,  delicious and healthy.

Ingredients:
3 eggs
3/4 -1 cup buckwheat flour
1/2 l sparkling water
salt and pepper
oil / butter for pan
seeds of your choice for sprinkling on top (optional)

Method:
Preheat oven to 200*C, prepare a (deep pizza) pan.
Beat seasoned  eggs, add flour and mineral water. Pour into the tin, sprinkle with seeds and bake 8-10 minutes, lower temperature to 180 *C and bake for another 10-12 minutes. Serve warm or cold (with avocado, cheese, ham, tomato..)

Sonjin 'Ajdov Ujevak' (Heljdin razljevak)

Juce sam imala nezaboravan dan. Dobila sam paket iznenadjenja od moje drage prijateljice Sonje, sa divnim, njenom rukom napravljenim, proizvodima...Poslala ga je 20 000 km daleko! Rasplakala me je i nacinila divan dan! Dvije od njenih predivnih cestitki, opijajuce mirisan lavandin vijenac i Divlje JAGODE iz Slovenackih suma! Nisam mogla vjerovati!

Hvala Sonja, nikad neces saznati koliko mi je to znacilo.

Sljedeci recept je iz knjizice recepata koje mi je ona poslala prije nekog vremena. Cesto ga pravim jer je brz, ukusan i zdrav.

Potrebno:
3 jaja
3/4 - 1 solja heljdinog brasna
1/2 l mineralne vode
so i biber
ulje ili maslac za tepsiju
sjemenke po vasem izboru, za posuti (opciono)

Nacin:
Ukljucite renu na 200*C; pripremite tepsiju (piza velicine).
Umutite jaja, dodajte sve ostale sastojke,  izlijte u tepsiju, pospite sjemenkama i pecite 8-10 minuta. Smanjite temperaturu na 180*C pa pecite jos 10-12 minuta. Servirajte toplo (ili hladno) sa avokadom, sirom, sunkom, paradajzom...