Kacamak (Cornmeal)

Ingredients:

• 400g. Cornmeal
• 1l. water
• Salt
• Oil

Kacamak that is also known as: Kačamak, kachamak or bakrdan is a traditional dish in Serbia, Bulgaria, Albania, Macedonia, Bosnia and Montenegro that is made of cornmeal/cornflour. Instructions for the recipe are very simple:

Put water in a deep bowl, bring to the boil, add salt and gradually add the corn flour, stirring continuously to avoid lumps. The mash should be medium thick.

Cook for half an hour and when cooked pour over with hot fat or oil. You can add potatoes, cheese, hot pepper or kaymak. Serve with yogurt or sour milk

Kacamak (Cornmeal)

Russian Salad (Ruska Salata)

Ingredients:

• 3 potatoes, boiled and chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 can of green peas
• 300g. of ham, chopped
• 300g. mayonnaise
• 100g. olives, chopped
• 5 pickled cucumbers, chopped
• salt to taste

Cook the potatoes and after that cut into slices as same as the carrots, ham, olives and cucumbers. Take all the ingredients (except mayonnaise) in a serving bowl and mix all slowly.

Add salt to taste. You can add pepper too. Now mix it all with mayonnaise. You can garnish with parsley and olives.

Keep in fridge at least for an hour before serving. Try Russian Salad with kiflichki instead of bread. Enjoy

Russian Salad (Ruska Salata)

The Taste of Mediterranean Cuisine

The deep, blue sea named the Mediterranean (or Med) gives heart and life to the countries around her. The Mediterranean got its name from Latin and means “middle of the Earth” or “inland”. People in this region took the sea as the main trading source, so, obviously, people around the Mediterranean share more than a beach and water; they share history, a bit of culture and of course overlapping cuisines. They have created a varied and cosmopolitan cuisine which is one of the most famous cuisines that exist in this world. Like everything in the Mediterranean that is special, so does the Meditation cuisine is special too; every tiny detail that it owns is special; starting from Mediterranean food through out Mediterranean cooking to Mediterranean dishes. The Mediterranean cuisine could be roughly divided into three dining regions: southern European, North African and eastern Mediterranean, but it has also made an enormous influence in many cuisines. This cuisine is considered to be one of the most exotic cuisines in the World.

Keys of Mediterranean Dining

The main keys of every Mediterranean dish are the perfectly grown vegetables. All Mediterranean dishes are abundant with vegetables like peppers, onions, eggplants, mushrooms, cucumbers, squashes, garlic, artichokes and various lettuces and greens. What makes this cuisine one of a kind is the fact that the basic in the Mediterranean cooking is the usage of many herbs like basil, rosemary, mint, cilantro, oregano, parsley, dill and fennel. The heart of the Mediterranean dinning is seafood. Shellfish are extensively used in many Mediterranean dishes from stews, soups, pastas to salads. Also, anchovies are mostly eaten in the Mediterranean region, and there are many ways to prepare this fish. As well, ell, swordfish, octopus, monkfish, squid and cuttlefish are the other fish that are predominantly served.

Source for meats in Mediterranean dinning are smaller animals like goats, lambs, pork, rabbit and sheep. Beef, on the other, is uncommon for this cuisine. In addition, another key of Mediterranean dinning is the usage of olive oil. Almost all Mediterranean dishes start with olive oil. What is more about the Mediterranean cuisine is that it has mouth-watering wines especially famous are the Balkan wines. Wine is the most famous preserved drink, and it is said that Mediterranean dish is not complete if there is no wine.

Pita Bread - The Core of Every Mediterranean Dish

One of the specialties that stand for the Mediterranean cuisine is pita bread, which is a round pocket bread extremely used in all Mediterranean countries including the Middle eastern and the Balkans. Interesting about pita bread is the way of the Mediterranean cooking of the “pocket” in its middle. The “pocket” is made by stream that wisps out the dough; and as the bread flattens and cools, then the pocket is left in the middle of the bread. This pita bread could be found in all forms and sizes. Moreover the Mediterranean cooking has an interesting way of baking this bread: under “sač” which is a large lid, and the bread is covered with the “sač”, and then goal and ashes are put on the lid. Also, baking in brick oven is recommended. This kind of Mediterranean cooking is used in Montenegrin cuisine, Greece cuisine, Croatian cuisine, Turkish cuisine and many more.

We could say that pita bread is used with everything! People fill the “pocket” with everything like a sandwich. In the Greece cuisine pita bread is the main component of pita-gyros and pita-souvlaki. Also, it is consumed with dips like tzatziki. Furthermore, pita in Turkish cuisine (or pide) is used for all pizza-like meals, and here it has a soft texture and it has not got a pocket. One of the pizza-like Mediterranean Turkish dish is lahmacun. Also, pita bread is widely used in whole Balkan countries. In addition, pita bread is sacred to the people where it is used, so there are many customs connected with pita bread. One of them is the pita bread with a hidden coin in it used on the night before Christmas Eve.

Mediterranean Cuisine – World’s Healthy Diet

It is believed that Mediterranean dinning is very healthy, so the modern nutritionists have made a special diet named the Mediterranean diet. Furthermore, it is said that Mediterranean cooking stands for naturally healthy eating. All healthy diets contain vegetables, fish and vegetables which are the keys of Mediterranean dining. UNESCO has recognized Mediterranean diet as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Italy, Greece, Spain and Morocco in 2010. Thos diet has made a great impact in every aspect of human health. Researches have shown that the traditional Mediterranean food prepared with the Mediterranean cooking reduces the risk of heart disease, a reduced incidence of cancer and cancer mortality, and a reduced incidence of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases.

To conclude, Mediterranean cuisine isn’t ruled by a single culture, it is a creation of cultural exchange and influence, thus you can be easily confused about the Mediterranean dishes because many countries serve the same dish. It is a highly rich cuisine, with many interesting ingredients. Fresh vegetables, fruits, fish and the high level of olive oil usage make the Mediterranean cuisine World’s number one healthy diet recognized by many famous nutritionists. Also, there would not be a Mediterranean dish if there is no pita bread and wine.

Books about Mediterranean cuisine:

• Secrets from Coastal Italian Kitchens by Academia Barilla
• Islands of the Mediterranean by HF Ullmann
• Delicious Recipes from the World's Healthiest Cuisine by Martha Rose Shulman
• Mediterranean Diet Cookbook For Dummies by Meri Raffetto

Photo: maveric2003

The Taste of Mediterranean Cuisine

Overview of Montenegrin Cuisine

Eating Balkan food is very rich experience since all countries’ cuisines mingle with each other. One of the Balkan’s countries that has diverse cuisine is Montenegro; and its cuisine could be divided into 3 types: Northern, Continental and Mediterranean depending of the region where it is served. Mainly this cuisine is influenced by Turkish, Serbian, Hungarian, Mediterranean and Austrian cuisines. Taken as a whole, all Montenegrin products are organic, therefore the meals are astonishing. Here is a list of the most popular and highly traditional Montenegrin meals:

First on you delicious list are soups which are the most common meals in Montenegro, and mostly they are made of meat and vegetables. The most famous Montenegrin soup is the fish soup made of dry fish with garlic and onion, and what is specific about this soup is that it is served cold. The second place comes for kačamak which is a strong, squashy meal that is prepared of wheat, barley, buckwheat or corn flour. This dish is served with sour milk and cheese. Also there is a wet kačamak in which cheese is added during the preparation. One of the most interesting variations of “kačamak” is the one made of potatoes. This meal is extremely delicious, and certainly will leave you breathless.

Next on my list is reserved for cicvara which is a kajmak, sort of young cow’s cheese, mixed with flour until the grease is released. This meal is being served with sour milk and cooked potato, and it has huge energetic value. Then comes rastan also known as wild cabbage which is a vegetable found in this region. In USA it is found under the name “collared greens”. This dish is cooked with potatoes, many spices and herbs. One more tasty meal is japraci which is one is the richest Montenegrin dishes. It is made of “rastan”, calf’s meat, peppers, rice and dry meat. The truly specialty of the house is Montenegrin Lamb in Milk. It is prepared of meat cooked in home-made milk with potatoes and spices, and this meal is served especially for solemn occasions. Moreover, Montenegrins have a very interesting method for cooking meat in “sač” which is a large metal cap used for baking meat and bread. The meal is covered with this metal cap, and ashes and goals are put above the cap. A mouth-watering dish cooked in this way is baked lamp; it keeps its natural aroma and the way of cooking is very exotic. Popeci is another amazingly good dish found in Podgorica. It is a roll made of veal’s meat, a piece of kajmak and smoked ham, then fried in deep oil. What you get is scrumptious meal with juice interiors and crispy exterior.

Every cuisine is not complete if there are not drinks served on the table; therefore our Montenegrin beverage list is made of few remarkable drinks unique for this country. Wine in Montenegro has long tradition due to the perfect climate, and all wines have single flavours. Like all Balkan countries, so does Montenegro is famous for rakija, strong brandy, made of different kinds of fruits. Moreover, Montenegro has only one, but very powerful brewery which produces the well-known beer among the Balkan’s countries, Nikšičko beer. Last but not least on over list is buttermilk which is a traditional drink similar to yoghurt with salty taste.

To conclude, food in Montenegro has many different styles which are very connected to the other Balkan’s cuisines. It holds variety of meals, unique in their region but similar to the neighbours’, tasty in every way of the word.

Overview of Montenegrin Cuisine

Balkan Wines – Balkan Wineries

The beverage that has marked the whole era of humankind is wine. The Romans and Greeks worshiped Dionysus, also known as Bacchus, as the god of wine and merriment. Moreover, wine is important for many religious traditions, such as the Jewish Passover and the Christian Eucharist. It seems that wine has been around us ever since the first men’s footstep. Also, it is believed that wine first appeared in the Balkans around 4500 BC, so here is a small overview of Balkan wineries.

Bulgaria

On one hand, there is Bulgaria which produces wines since the Thracian times. Due to administrative reasons, the vineyards in Bulgaria are classified into five regions, and there are no vineyards only around the capital city, Sofia. One of the wine regions is the Eastern Region, which is affected by the Black Sea climate, and white wine is the most produced wine in this region. Some of the most famous wineries are Varna and Khan Krum. Another region is the Northern Region, and in this area it is produced white and red wine. Well-known wineries from this region are Russe, the Suhindol and Svishtov. Next on this list is the Southern Region which the most familiar for its red wines, and Plovdiv and Assenovgrad are the most eminent wineries. Another wine region is South-Western Region which has the warmest climate of all regions, and red wine is its special. The vineyard that marks this region is Melnik. Finally, the Sub-Balkan Region is the last in this list. This region produses red wine the most, and the recognized winery is Sliven.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

On the second hand, there is Bosnia and Herzegovina with its unique wine taste. The wineries in this country are few, but the wine is one of a kind, and there is no even similar taste no where in the world. The oldest winery in the country is Hepok Vinarija. This winery is founded in 1886 during the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Another winery, which is very exclusive, is Brkic wine family cellar. What makes this winery one-and-only is that there is produced high quality wines, Zilavka and Blatina, which are symbols of the country.

Montenegro Montenegro, one of the youngest country in Europe is next on our wine list. Only the south part of the country is suitable for wine growing. The leading “force” in Montenegro is Plantaze, which is the major producer of bottled wine in the former Yugoslavia. It produces Krstac which is wine made of the same called grape only grown in Montenegro and Serbia.

Romania

One of the world’s largest wine makers is Romania, which has same climate as France, the wine country. Romania has four wine regions. One is Tarnave which produces the fruity wines due to the cool climate, and famous wineries in this region are Medias, Tarnaveni, Valea Nirajului, Zagar, Jidvei, Blaj and many more. Another region is Dealu Mare translated as Big Hill. Because it is old in tradition, this region is believed to be the cradle of red wines. The eminent vineyards are Ceptura, Tohani, Urlati, Valea Calugareasca, Tohani, Pietroasa and Breaza. Then, on our list comes Cotnary which produces the sweatiest wines in Romania. Frumusica, Cotnari and Cucuteni are well-known wineries in the region. Finally, Murfatlar is the one of the most important wine regions in Romania. It is placed near the Black Sea which provides needed humidity and freshness in growing grape. Vineyards that mark this region are Medgidia, Cernavoda, and Adamclisi.

Croatia

Another Balkan country that has perfect wine is Croatia. Its wine has very long history since 5th century BC when the wine was introduced by the Greek settlers, and since then Croatian wine has reaching its peak over and over again. Croatia produces 700 types of wine and has over 300 vineyards which are divided into costal and interior wine regions.

Slovenia

Furthermore, the country that kept the wine heritage is Slovenia which has several wine regions that will last forever. One of them is known as Goriska Brda which produces high quality wine. Another one is the coastal region Kras near the city Koper. Moreover, Podravski or also known as the valley of the Drava River and Posavski or the valley of Sava River are regions that produce unique wine typically only for Slovenia.

Macedonia

Nothing goes without the heart of the Balkan, Macedonia. This country is also placed on our list of Balkan wine countries. Macedonia is sunny, mountainous country whose climate is influenced by the Mediterranean Sea, which makes Macedonian wine only one of its kinds. Furthermore, Macedonian vineries produce all kinds of wine. The dominant role in wine making has Tikves which produces 2/3 of Macedonian wine. This vinery is placed in the centre of the country, and it covers cities Negotino and Kavadarci. Demir Kapija is another town famous for the wine production. Almost all cities in Macedonia have vineries with brilliant wines which taste amazingly.

Serbia

The last one on our list is Serbia. Same like the other Balkan countries, Serbia has an excellent climate for producing wine. Also it has several wine regions which create unique wines. Kinds of grape that are symbols of Serbia are Temjanika and Prokupac.

To conclude, all countries on the Balkan are perfectly wine makers having very old tradition in the production of a quality wine. I could say that wine is embedded deeply in human culture and society especially in the Balkans. Another eminent proof that Balkans is the cradle of wine is the fact that all countries have wine festivals such as Wine Fest in Sarajevo, Tikveski Grozdober in Kavadarci, Vinoskop in Skopje, Vinaria in Plovdiv, Wine Gourmet Festival in Zagreb and many, many more. Your choice is to came, try some wine, try some traditional Balkan dishes and have a wonderful time on the Balkan.

Balkan Wines – Balkan Wineries

Sarma

Ingredients:

• cabbage or grape-vine leaves
• 1 coffee cup with rice
• 2 onion pieces
• 0,5kg. mixed ground meat
• 250g. steamed meat
• oil, pepper, salt and spices

Sarma is a traditional meal in the most of the Balkan countries especially for Christmas Eve. It is a heavy dish and usually eaten in the winter days. Here are the directions how to prepare this meal:

Rinse well the leaves, pour over with hot water and drain. Cut the onion into small pieces and fry it on oil. Add ground meat, red pepper, pepper, salt, spices and rice. Then use the mixture to stuff the pickled cabbage or grape-vine leaves. Line them up in a pot, but first line up pickled cabbage at the bottom of the pot.

Put the steamed meat in between the stuffed cabbage leaves. Then, spill over sarma some hot water and boil it on a silent fire and then put them in the oven to bake.

By the end of the baking you can add some oil and red pepper, which have been fried before. Cover the pieces with pickled cabbage leaves. The whole has to be dry, not very moist. You can serve sarma with sour cream or yogurt.

Sarma

Tulumbe

Ingredients:
For the dough:

• 1/2l. water
• 2dl. oil
• 1/2kg. flour
• 5-6 eggs
• 1/2 lemon
• 2 sachets vanilla sugar or 1 vanilla-bean
• oil for frying

For the syrup:

• 800g. sugar
• juice of 1 lemon

Heat water and add oil. Bring to the boil, add vanilla and blend in flour, mixing all the time. Simmer until the mixture is smooth, slightly "sticking" to the bottom of the pan. Cool a little, then add eggs one by one. After adding each egg, work well and leave to stand for a while every time.

When ready, put the dough into the confectioner's pipe with a broader star-like nozzle. Heat oil. When hot enough, press out pieces of dough about 5-7cm long. Fry on all sides until nicely brown.

Cook sugar, water and lemon juice for 10-15 minutes and then cool. Pour cooled syrup over warm cakes. Serve cold.

Photo: Wikipedia

Tulumbe

Ajvar

Ingredients:

• 4 aubergines
• 8-12 fresh red paprika
• chili peppers to taste
• 1-2 dl. oil
• 1 onion, minced
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (or 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar)
• salt and pepper to taste

Ajvar is a popular appetizer made of roasted paprika, ripe tomatoes, and even string beans can be combined into ajvar. Ajvar is a seasonal dish in Macedonia, Serbia and other former parts of Yugoslavia, always made in late summer and early autumn, just after the paprika harvest, when many households bottle their own ajvar for use throughout the winter season. Here are the directions:

Wash aubergines, drain, put into the heated oven (175-200°C) and bake then peel while still warm. Wash paprika's, wipe and dry fry on top the stove, then put into deeper dish, sprinkle with cold water, cover and leave to cool. Skin cooled paprika's and remove seed. Grind paprika's and aubergines together. Peel onion, chop finely, cook slowly in heated oil until quite soft. Towards the end add cleaned and crushed garlic, cook shortly together, set aside, add ground paprika's and aubergines and mix (very often ajvar is prepared without adding onion and garlic).

Turn all into a deeper dish and drip in oil slowly, stirring all the time. When all the oil is used, add lemon juice or vinegar, salt, pepper and mix well. Put into a bowl, shape nicely, sprinkle with more pepper if desired and pour over with some more oil.

Serve as an appetizer to spread on thick slices of country-style white bread or flat pita bread with chunks of feta cheese, or use as a side dish to accompany grilled or roasted meats.

Ajvar is put into small clean jars pressed tightly so that there are no bubbles in them and the jars covered with cellophane ot parchment.

Worth reading:

• His Majesty - Ajvar by Cherry blossom girl

Ajvar

Chicken liver dumplings

Ingredients:

• 1 small spoon butter or lard
• 1 bigger chicken liver
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp breadcrumbs
• parsley leaves
• salt and pepper

Mix butter or lard well, add finely chopped or scrapped liver 1 egg, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, chopped parsley and 1 whipped egg white. Mix all well and leave to stand for a while. Bring soup to thr boil, turn the heat down, take up bit by bit of the prepared mixture with teaspoon and dip into the simmering soup. When the dumplings emerge to the surface, let them simmer, for a further 5-7 minutes. Chopped parsley can also be added to the soup.

Chicken liver dumplings

Stuffed peppers

Ingredients:

• 10-15 bigger paprikas/peppers
• 1-1.5dl. oil
• 2 onions
• 150g. rice
• 700g. mixed ground meat
• salt and pepper
• ground hot paprika
• tomato
  
• lukewarm water

Stuffed peppers, Punjena paprika (Serbia, Bosnia and Montenegro), Polneti piperki (Macedonia), Pulnena paprika/Pulneni chushki (Bulgaria) or Ardei umpluti (Romania) is a famous Balkan dish consisting of paprikas/peppers filled with mixture of meat and rice. There are many variations of stuffed peppers across Balkan countries but here we present you the basic recipe that can you modify by taste:

Slice the tops off the peppers. Pull out the seeds and the cores. Dip them in warm water and leave to get soft.

Heat oil, add finely chopped onion, cook it slowly until sloghtly brown. Pick over rice, wash and cook in salted water, rise, drain and add to soft onion, then stirr in meat. Cook slowly together, add salt, pepper and ground paprika. Cool a little.

Place the pepper shells in a baking dish that will hold them snugly together. Spoon the filling into the peppers. Replace the tops with peace of tomato. Pour 3 tablespoons of water around the peppers and bake for about 30 minutes in the oven preheated to 175°C until filling is puffed and the peppers are soft. Serve warm or cold.

Stuffed peppers

Bamijas-Ulcinj style

Ingredients:

• 1kg. veal thigh or shoulder
• 1 large onion, chopped
• salt, to taste
• 1/2 tsp. chilli powder
• 150g. tomatoes, chopped
• 4 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped

For the Bamijas (okra):

• 300g. baby okra, trimmed
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano, crumbled
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

Ulcinj style Bamijas is a traditional Montenegro recipe for a classic dish of veal stewedwith chilli powder and tomatoes that's mixed with a combination of banijas (okra) and onion before being oven baked.
Bone and cube the meat then add to a pan along with the onion. Season to taste with salt, add the chilli and cover with water. Bring to a boil then reduce to a low simmer and cook for about 50 minutes, or until the meat is tender. Add the chopped tomatoes and parsley and cook for a further 30 minutes.
Whilst the meat is cooking, prepare your bamijas. Add the okra to a pan of lightly-salted water and boil until tender (about 15 minutes). In the meantime, fry the onion in a little until tender (about 8 minutes). Season to taste with salt, black pepper, the herbs and spices. Drain the okra and add to the onion mix.
Transfer the meat mixture to a roasting pan, stir-in the okra mixture then transfer to an oven pre-heated to 200°C and bake for 5 minutes. Serve hot.

Source: Celtnet.org.uk

Bamijas-Ulcinj style

Pasticada

Ingredients:

• 1kg. baby beef neck or shoulder joint
• 150g. onions
• 100g. well smoked bacon
• 150g. carrots
• 1 celery root
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1dcl.red wine
• 2 bay leaves
• parsley, beef soup, 1 fresh tomato, tomato purée, salt, pepper and flour

Fry in oil meat stuffed with bacon and carrots. Add onion, the remaining bacon and carrots, celery, garlic, bay leaves, beef soup and braise till the meat becomes tender. When the meat is almost cooked, add wine, tomato, tomato purée and braise for 15 more minutes. When the meat is tender, take it out, cut in pieces, put in a pan, pour the sauce over it and braise for a couple of minutes. It is served with makaruli.

Source: Montenegro.travel

Pasticada

Paštrovski makaruli

Ingredients:

• 500g black (buckwheat) flour
• 1 tbsp oil
• pinch of salt
• water, to bind

Sift the flour into a bowl, form a well in the centre then add the salt, oil and a little water to the middle. Mix together, adding more water so that you have a slightly tacky dough.

Turn this dough onto a lightly-floured work surface and knead well until the mixture becomes smooth and no longer sticks to your hands. You should have a medium soft dough. Turn into a greased bowl then cover and set aside for half an hour to rest.

A the end of this time roll the dough out to about 2mm thick then shape into makaruli (macaroni) shapes by wrapping the dough around the handle of a wooden spoon and slicing. Set aside to dry and store.
When ready, add to a pan of lightly-salted boiling water and cook until tender. Transfer to a warmed bowl and serve sprinkled with olive oil and grated cheese.

Source: Celtnet.org.uk

Paštrovski makaruli

Baked paprikas and tomato salad

Ingredients:

• 8 green or yellow paprikas
• 1kg. bigger and harder tomatoes
• 1 onion
• 1-1.5dl. oil
• 1/2 bunch of parsley
• 1/2 bunch of celery leaves
• salt and pepper

Wash paprikas, wipe and dry fry on top the stove, sprinkle with some cold water, cover and leave to stand for a while, then skin, remove seeds and cut into thin rounds. Wash parsley and celery leaves, wipe and chop finely. Mix all vegie's, add salt and pepper, mix carefully but well. During the season of tomatoes and paprikas this salad is often prepared in Albania, Bulgaria, Serbia and Montenegro. It is usually served with grilled meat, egg dishes, beans...

Baked paprikas and tomato salad

Balšica tava

Ingredients

• 1kg. boned veal
• 100g. carrots, chopped
• 100g. onions, chopped
• 60g. butter, melted
• 1 bayleaf
• salt, to taste
• 3 eggs
• 200ml. sour cream
• 2.5l. whole milk
• 1/2 bunch of parsley

Balšica tava (Veal in Royal Sauce) is a traditional Montenegrin recipe for a classic dish of boiled veal that's then roasted in a pan with a sauce of eggs milk and sour cream. The full recipe is presented here:
Cut the veal into about 50g. chunks, add to a pan along with the vegetables and bayleaf. Cover the contents of the pan with water and season to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, then cook for about 40 minutes, or until tender. Drain the meat then place in a roasting pan and drizzle the melted butter over the top.

Transfer to an oven pre-heated to 200°C and roast for about 8 minutes. Meanwhile, form the "royal sauce". Whisk together the eggs, milk and cream. Pour over the meat, until completely covered then return to the oven and cook for 5 minutes more, or until lightly golden. Ladle into bowls, garnish with the parsley and serve.
Source: Celtnet.org.uk

Balšica tava

Japraci

Ingredients:

• 1kg. rastan
• 400g. beef meat
• 2dl. oil
• 150g. onion
• 80g. rice
• 200g. dry meat
• salt, pepper and parsley

Fresh and young leaves of rastan you have to separate from the stalk and separate the bumped part of the leaf. Wash them in the cold water and cook them in boiling salted water for a couple of minutes. When the leaves are blanched take them out and immediately put them in cold water so that they can preserve the natural color. Until the usage keep them in cold water.

Beef’s meet from the neck or from the shoulder blade should be separated from the bones, any root hairs and fat and chopped with a sharp knife. Peel the onion wash it and chop it in small. Select the rice and wash it, and then drain it good. In a suitable dish on the fat which is already on a hot temperature put the chopped onion so that it can be stewed. On the stewed onion you add the chopped meat ands stew all that together.
When the onion and the meat are stewed you add a certain dose of the prepared rice and stew that all together. You spice the mass with a little bit of salt, milled pepper and parsley and let that all to cool off. On every leaf of rastan you put a spoon of the mass and fold (roll) the leaves. Out the rolls in the pot, pour over the water, let the rolls boil on a hot temperature, and then cook them for about 2 hours on a low temperature.

Suggestion: between japraci you could put dry meat – 1 piece per portion – and cook all that together.
In the end put in the browned flour (in hot fat stew the flour with red pepper and pour that over japraci) and let that boil for few more minutes. Serve them with sour milk.

Source: destination-montenegro.com

Japraci

Montenegrin nettle soup

Ingredients:

• 600g. young top shoots of nettles, well washed
• salt
• butter for sauteéing
• 50g. round-grain rice, cooked
• 2 potatoes, diced small
• 1 bunch spring onions, coarsely chopped
• 1l. water

Pick the nettles wearing rubber gloves. Sweat the nettle tips, sprinkled with a little salt and water, in a lidded pan until just limp. Pound them to a paste in a mortar, or process to a puree with a food processor or stick mixer.
Saute the chopped spring onions and potatoes in a little butter until the potatoes start to color a little. Off the heat, add the nettles: then gradually stir in the water. Stir well and simmer gently until the potatoes are cooked through.
Serve in a tureen with a dollop of clotted cream.
Source: Europeancuisines.com

Montenegrin nettle soup

Kotor Bay stewed fish

Ingredients:

• 1-1.5kg. of cleaned sprat or anchovies
• 500.g-1kg. of onions
• fish stock
• live oil
• white wine
• celery
• parsley
• garlic
• salt and pepper
• some herbs and spices

Chop the onions and put them in a lightly heated pan with some olive oil. Add the celery and parsley, the herbs and spices, red chilli and garlic. Add the fish as well as the white wine or fish stock, along with some more oil, so that the pan is almost full. Bring to the boil and then allow to cook on a low heat for at least two hours. The longer you cook it, the better the taste!
Source

Kotor Bay stewed fish