HOW TO MAKE TRADITINAL SAUERKRAUT - SOUR CABBAGE

 

It is known that there is no real winter meal if there is no salad of homemade sour cabbage on the table, so it is a great addition to almost all winter specialties. Or winter without cabbage sarma? Not imaginable!  Sour cabbage is exactly the source of all good and nutrients needed for the organism in the winter months. It is mostly rich in vitamin C. Therefore, read one of the great number of recipes and varieties for preparing sauerkraut, my dad prepares sour cabbage this way for years, ever since I was a kid, so it is a recipe that is proven and so the sour cabbage is really delicious.

Salads

How to Prepare 

● Buy hard cabbages, leave them for a few days, and when choosing, try to find cabbage which during the season was sufficiently watered because in a dry season, unwatered cabbage is very hard.
 ● The first thing you need to do during the preparation is the removal of old and damaged outer sheets, and then with a sharp short knife remove the hard part root, but be careful not to remove it entirely because still a small part of it is needed for to keep the cabbage leaves together.

● In a separate bowl, mix sea salt and pepper in the grains, and with this mixture, fill the holes of the cabbages.

● Put all cabbages in a plasti larger barrel, and fill the barrel with water. Cover with plate or a flat rock so all cabbages are well dipped in the water. Close the lid well. Keep in a cold place.
● During the first few days, the water level should be controlled, which should always be above the cabbage heads. After a few days check how much the water is salty and if you find that salt is missing, add it. A sign that you put too little salt is blurred water.
● After forty days, sour cabbage is ready for use. The salt water in which the cabbage stood will remain clear during the whole winter, and many people attribute medicinal properties to the water, especially for the improvement of the digestive system. In addition, it is particularly useful for consumption after consuming large amounts of alcohol.
●What is especially important is that the cabbage should be removed with clean hands, and after removal, the container should immediately be sealed. The cabbage prepared in this way is not necessary to wash before use.

FRIED EGGPLANT WITH GARLIC

This is not a recipe, it's more a procedure :) This so called dish is an adding to the main dish or can work as an appetizer. It goes great before lunch with some aperitif (when I say aperitif I mean rakija, but you know that). You can prepare zucchini the same way.

Main dish, Salads
 
Ingredients:

• 3-4 eggplants (or as wanted)
• chopped garlic
• salt and seasoning to taste
• corn flour and oil as much as needed

 
Preparation:

1. Cut the eggplants into circles, don't peel them. Put them in a larger plate with corn flour so the flour would stick on the eggplant.
2. Then, fry them in warm oil.
3. You'll get eggplants that don't absorb much oil when frying.
4. When ready, put them in a plate, add chopped garlic, chopped parsley maybe, a drop of vinegar and salt.

FRIED TROUT WITH SPINACH AND POTATOES

One of my favorite dishes and while I'm writing the recipe, I wonder, why I don't prepare this more often! Easy to prepare, you'll have lunch in 30 minutes. Preparation of fish is simple, just add a little oil in the pan, salt the fish and fry on both sides. The most important things are: fish mush be fresh, not frozen and wet and you have to use non sticky pan.

Main dish

Ingredients:

• ​​2 fish (brunch, trout)
• half a kilo of potatoes
• 200 g silverbeet or spinach
• 4 cloves of garlic
• parsley, lemon, salt and oil

Preparation: 

1. Clean and wash the spinach and shortly boil in salt water. Drain it and place it in a plate. Sprinkle with chopped parsley, add chopped garlic and sprinkle it with lemon juice. 
2. Peel the potatoes, cut them into cubes and cook in salt water. When done, add them to the spinach and briefly mix. Add a little olive oil.
3. While cooking the potatoes, fry the fish in a deep pan on both sides. 
4. When fish gets color on both sides, take them out and place on a plate. Add the spinach with potatoes and sprinkle with lemon juice.
5. Enjoy!

TRADITIONAL RICE STEW (KAPAMA)

This is a traditional rice stew which we call "kapama". I mostly prepare it during spring/summer when spring onions are available. I love it combined with spring onions, I even add chopped green parts in the stew instead of regular onion. This is a lean version, but it goes excellent with chicken meat.

 

 Main dish

Ingredients:

•     1 cup of chopped tomatoes, canned or fresh
•     1 cup of white rice
•     1 medium sized onion
•     2 peppers, preferably red, but you can also use green    2 cups hot water or broth
•     2-3 tablespoons oil for frying
•     3-4 tsp. paprika
•     Salt and black pepper to taste
•     fresh parsley

 

 Preparation:

1. Fry the chopped onion on oil for about 5-6 minutes. 
2. When it becomes transparent, add the chopped peppers and let it fry for about 2-3 minutes. 
3. Pour peeled and sliced ​​tomatoes mixed with red pepper (paprika) and boil on moderate fire for about 10 minutes. 
4. Once the peppers are soften, add the rice and pour 2 cups of hot water or broth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add some vegeta if you want to.
5. Reduce the fire and boil until rice is cooked, stirring occasionally. If necessary, add more hot water to avoid sticking. In the last few minutes add the chopped parsley.
6. Remove from fire and let it stand covered with a lid before serving.

BEANS WITH RIBS

I like beans, but I like beans more when combined with some meat. I love the smell that dried ribs give to the stew, it's like a whole different meat. I've been waiting for this post for some while, it's ideal for snowy and cold weather.

Main dish
 
Ingredients:
(For 4-6 people)

• 500 g of beans (tetovsko gravche)
• 2 onions
• 1 larger carrot
• 2 cloves garlic
• 600 g of dry, fleshy, ribs
• 70 ml of oil
• 2 flat tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon red ground pepper
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 bay leaf

Preparation:

1. First clean beans from damaged grains, pour with hot water and leave to stand for 30 or more minutes. 
2. Then, spill water and add a new lukewarm water and put beans on the stove to cook on low fire. Add washed ribs, black pepper and bay leaf.
3. In a meanwhile, fry a bit finely chopped onion with finely chopped carrot and when softened, add to the beans. Check if beans need more water. Cooking time is around 1 hour or more, depends on how old are the beans.
4. When beans soften and are almost ready, put some oil in the same pan where you cooked onions, when oil starts to warm up, add flour by constantly stirring, add grated garlic, red ground pepper, mix  all well and add to the beans. Add salt to taste (be aware that ribs contain salt) and leave to cook for 20 more minutes on a very low heat.
5. Before serving sprinkle with some fresh parsley leaves.

Enjoy!

PASHA MEATBALL (PASHA KJOFTE)

This dish is old, Macedonian, our grandmothers prepared it. It's possible it has Turkish roots, because the word 'Pasha' or 'Paşa' represents a higher rank in the Ottoman Empire political and military system, typically granted to governors, generals, dignitaries and others. However, Macedonia was under Ottoman Empire for 5 centuries and many recipes are inherited from the Turkish cuisine. This dish is consisted of small meatballs in a special soup prepared from flour which we call 'kasha'.

Main dish
 
Ingredients:

For the meatballs:

• 500 g minced beef
• 50 g rice
• 1 egg
• 1 grated onion
• finely chopped parsley
• ground black pepper
• ¼ tbs salt

For kasha (soup):

• 4 tablespoons of flour
• oil
• 1 liter of water 
• 2-3 tbs tomato puree
• 1 large carrot
• 5-6 pieces of garlic
• mixed spices (vegeta), black pepper, parsley, bay leaf

 
Preparation:

1. First boil rice until half cooked.
2. Mix minced meat with onions. Add dried spices, black pepper, salt and parsley and add cooked rice. Mix well everything, then form balls with a size of a ping-pong ball.
3. Fry meatballs in hot oil.
4. When done, remove meatballs from the pot and align on a kitchen paper.
5. In the same pot, add carrots to fry a bit, then add the flour to fry just a little to change color.
6. Then pour water and add chopped garlic, black pepper, mixed dried spices to taste, bay leaf and tomato puree and return meat balls in the pot. Leave to simmer quietly until rice in balls is fully cooked (about 10-15 minutes).
7. Serve warm.