Bey's Soup

Soup from the Ottoman's Empire time. The first three rulers of the Ottoman realm were titled Bey.

Ingredients:
5-6 chicken pieces, with bones (500 g)
2-3 carrots
1/2 bunch of parsley leaves
2 stalks celery
1/4 lemon
2 tbs ghee (clarified butter)
1,5 tbs flour
300 g Okra, fresh or caned (small preferably, or cut big ones)
2 eggs
150 ml sour cream
salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste
extra parsley leaves to garnish
Method:
Cook chicken pieces with carrots, celery and parsley leaves in 3 L water. Add 1/4 lemon and some salt and pepper. When cooked, strain liquid; dice chicken and vegetables.
In a large saucepan, heat ghee and flour. Cook for few minutes, should stay pale. Pour the strained liquid, add diced ingredients. Bring to boil, then add okra and cook until soft. Add beaten eggs and sour cream. Season to taste and garnish

Begova Čorba

Potrebno:
5-6 komada piletine, oko 500 gr
2-3 mrkve
1/2 sveznja persuna
2 stabljike celera
1/4 limuna
2 kasike masla
1,5 kasika brasna
300 gr bamije, svjeze ili konzervisane (manje ili rezane vece)
2 jaja
150 ml kajmaka/pavlake
so biber i sok limuna po ukusu
malo svjezeg persunovog lisca za ukras
Nacin:
Skuhajte piletinu sa korjenastim povrcem i 1/4 limuna. Malo posolite i pobiberite. Ocijedite supu, a povrce i meso izrezite na kockice.
U vecu serpu zagrijte maslo pa proprzite brasno. Treba da ostane blijedo. Uspite supu i dodajte isjecene sastojke. Dovedite do kljucanja, pa ubacite bamiju. Kuhajte dok ne omeksa, zatim ubacite ulupana jaja i kajmak. Dotjerajte ukus sa zacinima i na kraju ukrasite svjezim persunovim liscem.

'Russian Salad' - A Classic of Balkans

I can't imagine New Year Eve without 'Russian Salad'. It's classic of Balkan countries, and I never heard any Russian mentioning something simmilar.
It goes well with any meat; it can last for whole week!

Ingredients:
4-5 medium potatoes, red, cooked in their skin, peeled
2-3 medium carrots, cooked
4 eggs, cooked
500 g peas, cooked
300-400 g cornichons / gherkins
250 g chicken (ham) salami, diced (optional!)
400-500 g mayonnaise (Tommy or SW, or make your own)
salt, pepper, lemon juice, sour cream, mustard to taste
Method:
Dice all vegetables, eggs and salami, mix well. Add mayonnaise and seasonings. Refrigerate, covered with plastic foil.
One pictured is without salami.



Ruska Salata

Potrebno:
4-5 srednjih crvenih krompira, kuhanih u ljusci
2-3 srednje mrkve, kuhane
4 jaja, kuhanih
500 gr graska, kuhanog
300-400 gr kiselih krastavcica
250 gr pilece salame ili sunkarice (nije neophodno!)
400-500 gr majoneze (tomy ili domace - recept)
so, biber, sok limuna, kajmak/pavlaka, senf po ukusu
Nacin:
Isjeckajte svo povrce, jaja i salamu na kockice. Dodajte majonez i ostale zacine, dobro promijesajte. Smjestite u frizider, pokriveno prozirnom folijom.
Verzija na fotografiji je bez salame.

Honey Nuts - 'Medenjaci'

Best recipe I found, so far!... FAT free!

Ingredients:
250 g sugar
100 ml water
5-6 tbs honey
700 g flour
3 egg yellows
1 egg
1 tbs baking soda
1 teas cinnamon
1/2 teas cloves, ground
1/4 teas cardamom
Pinch of white pepper
Egg whites and icing sugar for glazing (optional)
Method:
Boil water and sugar until dissolved. cool slightly. Add honey. Sift flour, baking soda and spices, add beaten eggs and sugar mixture. Make a soft dough, cover with glad wrap and leave it for few hours, or overnight. Heat the oven to 180*C and prepare tins. Take pieces of dough (big walnut size) and roll between your palms (oil them for easier rolling). Set them on tin, making sure to leave space between them bake for 5-7 minutes. For icing mix egg white and icing sugar, and brush over each little cake.
Stored in a tin (cool place) they can last for 2 months.

Medenjaci ...do sada najbolji i bez masnoce

Potrebno:
250 gr secera
1 dl vode
5-6 kasika meda
700 gr brasna
3 zumanca
1 jaje
1 kasika sode BB
1 kasicica cimeta
1/2 kasicice karanfilica u prahu
1/4 kasicice kardamoma
prstohvat bijelog bibera
bjelanca i secer u prahu za glazuru (po zelji)
Nacin:
Prokuhajte vodu sa secerom, ohladite. Umijesajte med.
Prosijte brasno, sodu i zacine, dodajte umucena jaja i secernu smjesu. Umijesite; ostavite nekoliko sati ili preko noci da se odmara.
Ukljucite rernu, pripremite plehove i rukama oblikujte kuglice velicine veceg oraha (nauljeni dlanovi ce pomoci). Stavite na povrsinu na kojoj cete peci, sa razmakom. Pecite 5-7 minuta. Izvadite ; ako zelite galzirati pomijesajte bjelanjak sa secerom u prahu i cetkicom nanesita na svaki medenja. Mozete ih i posuti secerom u prahu.
Na hladnom i suhom mjestu traju do 2 mjeseca.

Cardamom-Spiced Meat Loaf

Found on OPRAHS' website (adjusted!). I followed my intuition and put only 1/2 teas of cardamom - it was still overpowering!

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
2 carrots, finely grated
1 onion, finely chopped
1 zucchini, finely grated
2 cloves garlic,crushed
2 teaspoons ground cardamom (I ADDED 1/2 TSP)
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper/paprika
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 kg mince
2 eggs
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1/2 cup (plus 2 tablespoons ketchup)
1/3 cup plain yogurt
2 teaspoons salt
Method:
In a large pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the carrots, onion, and zucchini and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Stir in the cardamom, cumin, cinnamon, red pepper, and black pepper; cook 30 seconds. Set the vegetable mixture aside to cool slightly.
Preheat the oven to 180*C. In a large bowl, combine mince, eggs, bread crumbs, 1/2 cup ketchup, yogurt, salt, and cooked vegetable mixture just until well blended but not over-mixed.
Shape the meat-and-vegetable mixture into a 10" x 5" loaf on the prepared pan, pressing firmly, or make a log. Brush the remaining 2 tablespoons ketchup on top and sides of the meat loaf. Bake 1 hour. Let the meat loaf stand 10 minutes to set juices for easier carving. Served with zucchini/red cabage with cous-cous.

Mesna vekna/rolat sa Kardamomom

Sastojci:
2 kasike putera
2 mrkve, rendane
1 luk, sjeckan
1 tikvica, rendana
2 cena bijelog luka, protisnutog
2 kasicice kardamoma ( JA SAM STAVILA SAMO 1/2 KASICICE)
1/4 kasicice paprike , ljute
1/4 kasicice crnog bibera, svjeze mljevenog
1 kg mljevenog mesa
2 jaja
1 solja suhih mrvica hljeba/kruha
1/2 solje kecapa (+2 kasike)
1/3 solje jogurta, cvrstog
2 kasicice soli
Nacin:
Zagrijte ulje, proprzite luk, zatim dodajte povrce, bijeli luk i zacine. Prohladite.
Zagrijte rernu na 180*C. U vecoj posudi pomijesajte sve preostale sastojke, dodajte proprzeno povrce, umijesite i oblikujte veknu (ili stavite u kalup za veknu). Premazite sa 2 kasike kecapa i pecite 1 sat. Ostavite 10 minuta da se odmara prije rezanja. Srevirano sa kus-kusom, tikvicama i crvenim kupusom.

Russian Black Bread

Authentic or not, I like this easy version!

Ingredients:
2-2 1/4 cups water
3 tbs oil
2 cups rye flour
2 cups wholemeal flour
2 cups bakers flour
1 tbs sugar
3/4 tbs salt
1 tbs cocoa
2 teas instant coffee (I added chicory-coffee syrup)
2 teas yeast
1/2 tbs caraway or cumin seeds
Method:
If you're using bread machine, put all ingredients inside and program for making dough. (Or, knead by hand for at least 10 minutes, let it rest for 1 hour). After that, take the dough out on a floured surface, knead for couple of minutes, divide in 2, shape into loaves, put into pans and let double. Bake 40-45 minutes at 180*C.

Ruski Crni Hljeb/Kruh

Potrebno:
2-2 1/4 vode
3 kasike ulja
2 solje razanog brasna
2 solje brasna od punog zrna psenice
2 solje brasna za hljeb/kruh
1 kasika secera
3/4 kasike soli
1 kasika kakaa
2 kasicice instant kafe
2 kasicice instant kvasca
1/2 kasike kima
Nacin:
Ako imate masinu za hljeb/kruh, stavite sve unutra i programirajte mijesenje. Ili, zamijesite tijesto od navedenih sastojaka - voda mora biti mlaka- mijesite bar 10 minuta. Ostavite nadolaziti 1 sat. Premijesite tijesto na pobrasnjenoj povrsini, oblikujte po zelji i smjestite u posudu u kojoj cete peci. Ostavite da postigne duplu velicinu, pa onda pecite 40-45 minuta na 180*C.

Shortbread Bells

                                                                                                                                         With oil dough

They melt in your mouth!
There are 2 options for the dough; one with oil, other one with cream cheese. Both are wonderful!

Ingredients:
-(Oil dough)
500 g flour
1/2 teas baking powder
200 ml sour cream
200 ml oil
jam and icing sugar

-(Cream cheese dough)
200 g butter, soft
80 g cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup sugar (50 g)
lemon zest or vanilla essence
350 g flour

Method:
Mix first 4 ingredients (5 ingredients in second option) and make a dough. Leave it to rest for 20 minutes.
Roll the dough out to thickness of 2 mm on a floured surface; dust with flour all the time. Cut out circles 5 cm diameter; place them on a baking sheet, and put 2 sides together close to one edge to form a bell/Lilly shape. Put jam in a little bag, cut the corner off, and squeeze the jam into bell cavity. Bake 10 min on 160*C.
When slightly cooled, dust with icing sugar.


                                                                       Cream cheese dough


Prhki Zvončići

Tope se u ustima!
Imate opciju za tijesto sa uljem, ili sa krem sirom. Obje su podjednako divne.

Potrebno:
(Tijesto sa uljem)
500 gr brasna
1/2 kasicice praska za pecivo
200 ml pavlake/kajmaka
200 ml ulja
dzem i secer u prahu

(tijesto sa krem sirom)
200 gr maslaca, omeksalog
80 gr krem sira, sobna temperatura
50 gr secera
ribana korica limuna ili vanila
350 gr brasna

Nacin:
Umijesite tijesto od prva 4 sastojka (5 sastojaka u drugoj verziji), ostavite odmarati 20 minuta. Na pobrasnjenu povrsinu, razvaljajte tijesto do debljine od 2 mm. Vadite krugove precnika 5 cm. Poredajte na pleh, pa prstima savijte krajeve jedne strane da formirate zvoncice.
Stavite dzem u manju plasticnu kesu, odrezite joj vrh pa u svaki zvoncic istisnite malo dzema. Pecite 10 minuta na 160-170*C. Kada se malo prohladi, pospite secerom u prahu.

Date and Oat Crumb Squares

Another quick and easy dessert.

Ingredients:
-Crust
185 g oats (flakes)
185 g flour 185 g brown sugar
1 teas cinnamon
1/2 teas baking soda
50 g walnuts, chopped
225 g butter, cut into small pieces (cold,from fridge)
-Filling
500 g dates, chopped
185 g brown sugar
150 ml water
1 teas vanilla
Method:
First make filling. Put all ingredients into a saucepan and cook until soft.
For crust, process all dry ingredients, add cold pieces of butter and process until crumbs form. Spread half of this into a slice pan (20 x 30 cm), press slightly with spoon or your hand. On top of this spread filling, then follow with another half of crumbly mixture. Bake 20 minutes at 160*C in a fan forced oven.


Datule i Zob u Kockama

Potrebno:
-za 'korice'
185 gr zobi (presovane pahuljice)
185 gr brasna
185 gr braon secera
1 kasicica cimeta
1/2 kasicice sode BB
50 gr sjeckanih oraha
225 gr putera, hladnog, sjeckanog
-za fil
500 gr datula
185 gr braon secera
150 ml vode 1 kasicica vanile
Nacin:
Najprije napravite fil, tako sto cete sve sastojke staviti u serpu i poklopljeno kuhati dok ne omeksa.
Za kore, sve sastojke osim putera pomijesajte, zatim dodajte puter i vrhovima prstiju trljajte dok se ne formiraju mrvice. Elektricna sjeckalica je idealna za ovo, ukoliko je imate. Polovinu ove smjese istresite na tepsiju (20 x 30 cm), pritisnite blago rukama ili kasikom. Preko ovoga istresite datule, pa onda drugu polovinu zobenog tijesta. Pecite 20 minuta na 160 -170 *C.