Serves 4

Ingredients:

Half a of kilo of fresh sardines or large anchovies
4-5 cloves of garlic
A dozen green olives, pitted
Half a spoon of pickled capers
Half glass of olive oil
A glass of dry white wine
2-3 spoons of desert wine or a teaspoon of honey
A spoon of vinegar (ideally balsamic)
Salt and pepper

How to prepare:

Clean the sardines and remove the heads and intestines. Remove the scales by rubbing each fish with paper towels from tail to head, under water. Put the fish in cold, salted water, ideally in a deep pan or wok. When the water boils remove the fish and put them on a deep plate. Add salt and pepper, then add a few drops of olive oil. Use the rest of the oil to fry the onion, together with the minced olives and capers. When the onion turns yellow, add the wine. Add the desert wine or honey, and the vinegar. Cook until the liquid is reduced by half. Cover the sardines with warm sauce, and eat it right away, or later cold.

Recipe courtesy of Zlatko Gall.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 kg of mussels
2 large onions
2 carrots
8 cloves of garlic
2 cans of brown beans (half a kilo)
1 teaspoon of curcuma or ginger
A glass of white wine
Salt and Pepper
2 small cups of rice

How to prepare:

In a wok or big pot, cook the mussels on a medium heat, stirring until opened. Remove the mussels from their shells and put aside. In the meantime slice the onion, carrot and garlic into small pieces. Fry them using olive oil, and after 4-5 minutes add the wine and a glass of water. When the liquid is reduced by half, add rice, curcuma, salt and pepper, and cook, stirring regularly, until the rice is al dente. Add the mussels and beans, season with some more olive oil and serve warm. Can be sprinkled with some grated mature cheese.

Recipe courtesy of Zlatko Gall.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/4 cup (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, creamed
3 cups ground tea biscuits (Arrowroot type)
3 cups ground walnuts
3 squares (100 grams) semisweet chocolate, grated
3 squares (100 grams) semisweet chocolate, ungrated
1 teaspoon rum extract (optional)

How to prepare:

In a medium-size pot, bring 1 cup of water to a boil and add the sugar, simmering until thickened slightly.
Then add the butter, tea biscuits and ground walnuts. Mix all the ingredients well, until dough forms. Remove from heat and divide into 2 equal halves. Knead the grated chocolate and rum extract if desired, into one of the halves of dough.
Press the chocolate dough into a greased 11x 13" baking dish Sprinkle some water on your hands to keep the dough from sticking to them. Spread the lighter batter on top of the chocolate, press evenly covering the chocolate.

Glaze:

In a small saucepan on the stovetop, heat the milk, sugar and butter. When the butter has melted, add the ungrated chocolate squares. When the glaze is smooth; pour over top of the dough in the baking dish. Sprinkle finely chopped walnuts over top (if desired). Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Cut into small thin bars.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 kg calamari, whole
1 kg potatoes, peeled and cut in round slices
100 ml (1 /2 cup) olive oil
salt, black pepper

How to prepare:

Preheat the oven to 165 C (330 F). Season potatoes with salt and pepper. Arrange 2/3 of the potatoes in a greased casserole dish. Cover with whole calamari. Top with the remaining potato slices. Pour olive oil over it. Cover and bake over a low heat for 1 hour, until the potatoes are tender. Serve hot from the oven

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 kg assorted fish (e.g. cod, haddock, flounder)
2-3 onions
2 dl olive oil
2-3 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 dl wine vinegar
1 bay leaf
rosemary (optional)
2 cups red wine
1 tsp black pepper
salt

How to prepare:

Sauté the onion in olive oil until soft. Add the tomatoes. Place the fish on top of the broth. Add vinegar, salt, pepper, bay leaf and rosemary. Add wine until the fish is covered. Do NOT add water. Simmer gently over low heat for 1-2 hours. Do NOT cover or stir; just shake frying pan occasionally. Serve with polenta.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

800 g (1.75 lb) cornmeal
3 l (3 qt) water
salt

How to prepare:

Bring water and salt to a boil. Pour the cornmeal in a slow stream into the hot water while whisking vigorously to prevent lumps. Cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat. Cover and let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Serves 4 people

Ingredients:

300g pork
300g beef
150 g onion
150 g red pepper
300 g tomatoes
300 g mushrooms.
Fresh chopped parsley
50 g garlic
2 dcl white cooking wine

How to prepare:

First, lightly fry the meat in cooking oil (preferably olive oil) at a low heat. Stir constantly for 10 minutes.

Then add the onion. After the onion is softened, add fresh pepper and constantly stir it so that it doesn’t burn. After the pepper is soft add the mushrooms. The poaching time cannot be specified and the dish needs to be constantly checked. After the mushrooms, add tomatoes so that the whole dish becomes more succulent.

After the mixture has been simmering for 5 mins, add the traditional local spices, bukovka (which is prepared from dried red peppers, either hot or sweet), ground red pepper and Vegeta, a regional food seasoning containing several types of dried vegetables. We add 2 deciliters of white wine, the same amount of water and we leave it to simmer.

At the end we add fresh parsley and chopped garlic. We leave for about 10 minutes so that it can be fully infused with all the necessary flavours.
At the end we place the food in a clay pot, which is called a Grne. It should be closed hermetically with pastry, shaped in the form of braid so that the flavour stays inside the pot. Put the dish in an oven and cook it for about 10 minutes at a temperature of 180 degrees. After that the Grne is ready to be served.

Recipe provided courtesy of chef Ognen Mitevski from Oreov Lad restaurant.

Serves 4 people

Ingredients:

500g of white navy beans
1 large onion
1 red pepper
Cooking oil
2-3 dry chili peppers
Salt, pepper, plain flour, parsley, mint

How to prepare:

Wash the beans and leave them to soak overnight in a cooking pot filled with water. After the beans have been soaked, place the pot containing the beans on the stove and bring the water to a boil. When the water starts to boil, drain the beans and place them in another pot of boiling water. Chop the onion and add half of it to the beans along with the dried chili peppers. Continue to cook until the beans are soft but whole. Once the beans are ready, drain the water.

Fry the rest of the chopped onion and the red pepper in cooking oil with one spoon of plain flour then add to the drained beans. Put everything into a ceramic baking dish and then sprinkle with parsley, mint, pepper and salt to taste. Put the baking dish in the oven for about 15-20 minutes. Check during the baking process that the beans do not become too dry.

Serves 4 people

Ingredients:

one 3 kilo leg of young spring lamb
2 to 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 tablespoons dried oregano
4 tablespoons olive oil
6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
20 small potatoes, peeled
2 tablespoons tomato paste, diluted in 1/4 cup water
2 cups hot water

How to prepare:

Preheat oven to 230 degrees.

Wash leg of lamb. Slit with a sharp knife in various places on both sides of lamb. Insert garlic slices in slits. Season with salt, pepper, add 1/2 tablespoon oregano, and brush with olive oil. Pour lemon juice over lamb and place in roasting pan, fat side up. Roast for about 1/2 hour.

While lamb is browning, combine salt, tomato paste, and water and pour over potatoes. Add to roasting pan; sprinkle with remaining oregano. Lower oven temperature to 180°C. Roast for 1 1/2 hours, turning and basting the potatoes occasionally. Remove to a hot serving platter; slice and serve meat surrounded by potatoes.

Serves 3

Ingredients:

1 kg of flour
600g pork meat
200g lard
4 eggs
1 yeast

How to prepare:

Soak the yeast and after a while add it to the flour. Divide the newly created dough into 4 equal pieces. Use a rolling pin to make each of these pieces thin and flat. Chop the meat. Add salt. Put the meat on top of each piece of dough and spread it. Put lard on the meat and if you prefer add pepper also. Put the pastrmajlii (prepared like this) in the oven. Bake at 250 degrees. Before they are ready, crack an egg over each and finish the baking. Serve hot.

Serves 4 - 6

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

5 cups of water
2 cups of yoghurt
2 tbsp flour
1 egg
1 clove of garlic
3 tbsp rice
Salt, pepper
1 tbsp of dried mint

To garnish: One pinch of red pepper and chopped fresh mint

How to prepare:

Put water in a saucepan. Wash the rice and add it to the pot. Chop one clove of garlic into two and add to the saucepan. Cover the pan with its lid and let it boil until the rice is tender.

Put the yoghurt in a mixing bowl, add flour and egg. Whisk with an egg beater or a fork until it becomes smooth.

Continue cooking the rice over a low heat, take one scoop from the boiling water and whisk it into the yoghurt mix. Repeat this one more time. While adding the yoghurt mix to the pan, stir it at the same time. Add salt, black pepper and dried mint. Boil it for a few more minutes.

After you pour the soup into bowls, add a red pepper and chopped fresh mint. Serve it hot. This is a traditional Turkish soup that is cooked throughout the country.

Serves 4

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 30-35 minutes

Ingredients:

800g of chopped lamb meat
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion
3 green peppers
3 tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic
Salt, black pepper
 
For creamy (beğendi) aubergine sauce:

2 medium-size aubergines
40g  butter
40g flour
2 cups of milk
Salt

How to prepare:

Pre-heat a deep frying pan. Add the chopped meat into the pan and stir until well done. Add vegetable oil and continue to fry it. Chop the onion, tomato and green pepper into fine pieces (in squares or slides).

First add chopped onion and pepper and fry it with the meat. Add salt, stir it. Add the tomatoes and boil it over medium-heat for about 20 minutes.
 
instructions for eggplant sauce: Prick the aubergines all over and roast them in an oven until they soften and the skin chars. Peel the roasted aubergines and place the insides into a bowl and sprinkle in a few drops of milk.  Finely chop the aubergines.

Place butter in small sauce pan until it melts, add flour and stir. Add milk slowly until the sauce thickens. Add salt and eggplants to the hot sauce immediately and mash the aubergines over a low heat until pureed. .Place the aubergine sauce on dinner plates and add two serving spoons of the meat to each. Serve hot.

Serves 4

Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

800 g minced beef
1 large onion
2 slices of stale bread crumbs
2 eggs
1 bunch of parsley
Salt and black pepper
2-3 potatoes

For tomato paste sauce:

2 tbsp margarine or vegetable oil
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 cups of water, salt

How to prepare:

Grate onion, chop parsley. Add the crumbled bread, egg, onion, parsley, salt and black pepper into the minced meat and mix it all together with your hands. Wet your hands and roll the patties in your palms in the shape of a sausage.

Then peel the potatoes and chop them like slices of apple. After heating a frying pan with 2 tbsp of vegetable oil, place the meatballs to fry. Fry the potatoes in a different pan the same way as the meatballs.

Add two cups of hot water and vegetable oil to the tomato paste. Add potatoes and tomato sauce over the meatballs. Cover the lid of the pan and cook it over medium-heat for 15-20 minutes. Serve hot.

Serves 4

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

2 cups of rice
2 medium size aubergines
1 tomato
1 tbsp of tomato paste
3-4 tbsp of olive oil
3 cups of hot water
Salt, black pepper

How to prepare:

Place the rice into a bowl of luke-warm water for 10-15 minutes. Later rinse it under running water.

Peel the aubergines partially leaving lengthwise stripes and dice it. Prepare salty water in a large bowl and place the aubergine cubes in for 10 minutes. Peel the tomato and dice it. Wash the aubergines under running water and dry them with paper towel.

Heat the oil in the pot for the rice. Add the aubergines, stir them until brown. Later add the chopped tomatoes, tomato paste and rinsed rice and stir them all together. Add salt, black pepper and hot water.

Turn the heat to medium and cover until water is absorbed. When the water is absorbed, turn off the heat and place a paper towel over the pot. Cover with its lid for about 15 minutes. Before you serve, stir with a wooden spoon.

Serves 6

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

5 tbsp of rice
2 cups of milk
2 cups of granulated sugar
2 tbsp of rice flour
1 packet of vanilla extract
Garniture: cinnamon

How to prepare:

Wash the rice and rinse it under running water. Put the rice in a pot, cover it with water and heat until tender. Add milk and flour to the rice. Add granulated sugar and stir occasionally.
Mix the rice flour with a little bit of water and add to the pudding.
Add vanilla extract and let it boil for a few more minutes. Pour the pudding into ceramic bowls and broil in an oven until the top is brown. Sprinkle cinnamon over the pudding and serve cold.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 kilo pumpkin
6 cups of flour
Salt and pepper

How to prepare:

To be authentic, this recipe requires a Saç – a special Albanian baking tray with a lid. However, you can also use similarly sized tray (please see the picture) with aluminum foil in place of a lid.

First bake the pumpkin in the oven until it is soft. Scoop out the flesh of the pumpkin, remove the seeds and mash. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Then, prepare the dough. Sift the flour into a bowl.  Mix it with a bit of salt and warm water and knead into dough.

Divide the dough into two pieces. Roll out one piece into a layer and place it on the baking tray, brushed with butter.  Spoon the filling into the tray and top with the other layer, prepared out of the second piece of dough.

Put the lid of the baking tray in the wood fired oven first. When it has become hot remove the lid, place it over the pie and place in the oven. Wait until the pie is baked on both sides. Sprinkle it with water and brush it with butter.

Serve with cold dhallë – a refreshing Albanian drink made of yoghurt, cold water and salt.

The filling can also be made with onions and tomatoes, leeks and curds or sour milk and eggs.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

One cup of rice
3-4 eggs
2 coffee cups of olive oil
Mint; pepper, salt

How to prepare:

Clean and rinse the rice. Bring it to boil until it gets dry. Let it go cold. Then, add the eggs one by one, mint, salt and pepper. Mix them well.

Put olive oil on a cupcake pan and fill it with the prepared mixture. Put the pan on heat. Make the rice balls brown on both sides. Slide them out of the pan and serve them warm.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

800 gr. lamb
2 tbs flour
4 tbs Albanian homemade butter
4 cups yoghurt
2 egg
2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper

How to prepare:

Cut the lamb into large pieces, then put the meat in the oven (150-160°) for approximately 45 min. While the lamb is roasting, add a small amount of water from time to time to prevent the meat from becoming dry. After the meat is ready, drain the juice out of it, cover and place to one side.

Mix the butter and flour in a frying pan and add the juice from the roasted meat. If needed, add a cup of warm water to the mixture until the texture gets thicker. Then leave the mixture to cool.

Then, mix the yoghurt and the egg together. After the butter, flour and juice mixture has cooled, add the yoghurt and egg mixture. Add salt and pepper. Put the meat and the sauce into a baking tray which has been greased with butter (we suggest a ceramic tray as in the picture). Let the dish cook until the surface takes a brown colour.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

2-3 aubergines
4-5 green peppers
3-4 garlic cloves
parsley
vinegar
olive oil
salt

How to prepare:

Bake the aubergines and peppers in an oven, mash and cut into small pieces. Mash with a wooden spoon, add oil, vinegar and the garlic salt to taste, beat. Pour onto a plate and top with finely chopped parsley.

Serves 2

Ingredients:
1 rabbit, jointed
2 tbs tomato puree or 4-5 fresh tomatoes approximately 350 gr., chopped
2 bay leaves
4 tbs red wine vinegar
150 ml olive oil
0.25 tbs sugar
4 cloves garlic, peeled
300 ml hot water
small piece cinnamon stick
salt and black pepper
4 grains whole allspice
700 gr. small onions, peeled but left whole
1 sprig of rosemary
1 small glass of red wine

How to prepare:

The same recipe can be used for hare, with excellent results, by increasing quantities of other ingredients, since hare is much heavier than rabbit. Rabbit or hare should be treated in exactly the same preparatory way, i.e., being soaked in vinegar. (This only applies to wild varieties.) Served with fried potatoes on the side, this is a piquant dish, or if you prefer a milder taste to counterbalance the richness of the rabbit, serve with plain white rice. A green salad is always welcome as it adds a refreshing note.

Rinse the rabbit pieces and put them in a salad bowl with the bay leaves. Sprinkle the vinegar over the pieces and let them marinate for at least 2 hours or preferably in the fridge overnight. Heat half of the olive oil in a saucepan, pat the rabbit pieces dry and fry them in it until they are quite brown on both sides. Take out and put on to a plate. When all the rabbit pieces have been fried, put them back into the saucepan along with the garlic cloves, bay leaves, spices, rosemary and the wine. Then add the tomato purée or tomatoes, sugar and the hot water. Season, cover and cook for about 1 hour.

In the meantime, heat the remaining olive oil in a frying pan and gently fry the onions. Stir them occasionally, in order to make sure they turn golden all over, for about 15 minutes. Add the contents of the frying pan to the saucepan, and shake it so that the onions spread evenly. Then cover and simmer for a further 15 minutes.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1/2 kg. vine leaves pickled in brine
1/2 kg. rice
2 bunches spring onions
200 ml. olive oil
750 ml. water
2 tablespoons pine nuts
1 bunch fresh dill
1 bunch fresh parsley
salt
black pepper
spices/herbs according to preference (suggestion: dried mint, dried basil)

How to prepare:

Place the pickled vine leaves in boiling water for a few minutes in order to remove their salty flavour. Then fry the chopped onions in a pan over a moderate heat while stirring with a wooden spoon, add the rice (dry) and continue to stir. Add water, the spices, salt, the chopped parsley and dill, black pepper, and pine nuts. Pour in a few tablespoons of olive oil and cook gently while still stirring. Put aside to cool.
Cut off the stalks of the vine leaves and place the stalks on the bottom of the pan where the cooking will be done. Place a layer of vine leaves over these. Place 1/2 tablespoon of the filling on each leaf, roll and line up in the pan. After all the leaves are stuffed, cover the entire surface with a layer of leaves and pour in the water, the remaining olive oil and lemon juice and cook on moderate heat. When the leaves become tender remove from the heat, and put on a serving plate after they have cooled down. Decorate the plate with lemon slices;
Serve along with the remaining lemon juice if desired.

Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

Cake mixture:
1/2 cup butter softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup plain yogurt
1/3 cup buttermilk
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tbs lemon rind, grated
1 cup toasted walnuts
chopped finely

Glaze:
3/4 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp ground allspice
dash of ground cloves

How to prepare:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the butter and sugar in a large bowl. Mix in the eggs. In a separate bowl, combine the yogurt and buttermilk. In yet another bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Add the yoghurt-mix and flour-mix to the butter mixture, blending well. Add lemon grind, walnuts and cinnamon. Mix well. Butter a 9"x13" baking pan. Pour in the cake mixture and bake for 30 minutes (check that a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean). Make the glaze by simmering together all the ingredients in a pan, covered, for about 15 minutes. When the cake is done, remove it from the oven, turn the oven off, pour the glaze over the hot cake, and return it to the oven for about 10 minutes.

Serves 4

Ingredients for pastry:

500g of plain flour
25g of butter
Salt
Warm water

Ingredients for filling:

500g of minced Veal
250g of minced Beef
4 onions
25g of butter
2 egg yolks
Salt and pepper

How to prepare:

Mix flour, melted butter, salt and warm water to prepare the pastry. Cut the pastry in four equal pieces. To prepare the filling, mix the meat, melted butter, chopped onions, egg yolks, salt and pepper. Roll the pastry out on the table until very thin and leave for few minutes to dry. Cover the pastry thinly with melted butter. Put the filling at the edge of one side of the pastry and roll it up to create Sausage roll like pastry. Take the round dish and create a spiral with the pastry starting from the middle of the dish.
Place in a pre-heated oven for an hour.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 package filo pastry
1 kilo fresh spinach
2 eggs
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 lb ricotta or cottage cheese
olive oil
1 1/2tsp salt
milk
plain yogurt (optional)

How to prepare:

Wash and drain the spinach. Chop the spinach and put in a big glass bowl. Add salt and mix with your hands. Leave for about 10 minutes and then drain the excess water. Mix together the eggs and sour cream and add to the spinach. Add the cheese to the mixture. Grease a baking pan. Take the filo sheets and lay them on a dry surface. (While adding the filling, you may wish to cover the sheets with a dry towel and then a damp one to keep it from drying out or flaking.) Place one sheet of pastry into the baking tray and cut away the excess. Brush with oil, using either your hands or a pastry brush. Repeat for 6 or 7 layers. Add a  thin layer of filling and spread evenly. Repeat until the pie reaches the top of the pan or you run out of ingredients, but make sure you finish with the pastry on top.

Preheat oven at 180 degrees. Place pie in the oven, uncovered, for about 35 minutes. Pour 1/4 cup sour cream blended with 1/8 cup of milk on to the pie while it is baking. Bake for another 15 minutes. This dish can be served warm or at room temperature. It is traditionally served with yogurt.

Serves 8

Ingredients:

3 lb lamb or beef, cut into cubes
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 tbsp finely chopped garlic
1 cup finely chopped parsley
1/4 cup finely chopped celery leaves
1 tbsp salt
2 tsp pepper
3 bay leaves
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup chopped kohlrabi
1/2 cup chopped parsley root
1/2 cup chopped celery root
1 cup green beans, cut into 1" pieces
2 red bell peppers, seeded and cut into squares
2 cups tomatoes, peeled, seeded and quartered
3 cups potatoes, cut into cubes
2 leeks, cleaned and cut into 1/2" slices
1 cup coarsely chopped cabbage
1/2 tsp hot paprika or cayenne, or to taste
6 cups water
1/4 cup vinegar

How to prepare:

Preheat the oven at 350 degrees. Rinse the meat and put in a colander to drain. Combine the onion, garlic, parsley, celery leaves, salt, pepper, and bay leaves. Melt the butter in a large, oven-proof stew pot, and then put alternate layers of vegetables and meat, sprinkling some of the onion/garlic/parsley combination on top of each layer. Combine the water and vinegar, and pour it into the pot. Cover the pot with a lid or aluminium foil, and bake until everything is tender, about 3 hours.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1.8 kilos lamb
Half a kilo of red onions
3/4 cup butter
1 can of chopped tomatoes (peeled)
400 grams okra
Salt, pepper, lemon juice, and lemon as a garnish
Water

How to prepare:

Boil okra in water with a little bit of lemon juice. Cut the meat into small pieces, and fry it in the butter. Slice the onions, and fry them in the same butter after you have removed the meat. When the onion gets golden brown in color, add the tomato sauce and stir it all together. Then add the meat and simmer for a while. Once the meat is cooked, add okra, pepper, and lemon juice. Always serve it with a piece of lemon.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

6 cooking apples
2 cups of walnuts, finely chopped
1/2 cup sultanas (or raisins)
2 1/2 cup sugar
whipping cream, whipped

How to prepare:

Peel and core the apples. Mix the walnuts and sultanas. Arrange apples on a baking dish, and fill the cavities with the walnut mixture. Dissolve the sugar in water and pour over the apples. Bake in an oven until the apples are soft but not soggy. Serve cold with whipped cream.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

600g young top shoots of nettles, well washed
salt
Butter for sauteéing
50g short-grain rice, cooked
2 potatoes, diced small
1 bunch spring onions, coarsely chopped
1 litre of water

How to prepare:

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. Take off the heat, add th enettles: then gradually stir in the water. Stir well and simmer gently until the potatoes are cooked through.
Serve with a dollop of clotted cream.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

A carp weighing 2.5-3 kg
2 kg of onions
250 gr of dried plums
1 sour apple
1 quince
1 small spoon of paprika
125 gr tomato purée
1 spoon of sugar
4 tablespoons of wine vinegar
3 tablespoons of flour
2 glasses of water
salt as needed
Half a litre of oil

How to prepare:

Cut the carp on both sides, salt, and fry in oil. During that time, braise chopped onions in oil. After a while, gradually add 3 spoons of flour, 1 small spoon of paprika, tomato purée, 2 glasses of water, plums (dipped in hot water previously), a chopped apple and quince, 1 spoon of sugar, 4 spoons of wine vinegar. Add salt to taste.
When the carp is lightly fried pour this mixture over it and leave it in the pan over a low heat for half an hour.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 kg of collard greens (rastan in Montenegro – similar to kale)
500ml vegetable stock
400g of veal
20ml oil
150g of onions
80g of rice pepper and parsley as needed
Optional: 200g of cured meat (e.g. pastirma)

How to prepare:

Pick fresh, good and young rastan leaves from the stem and remove the thick part of the leaf. Wash in cold water and boil in vegetable stock for a couple of minutes. When the leaves are blanched, take them out and put immediately into cold water so as to preserve their natural colour. Keep in cold water until you use them again. Separate veal neck or shoulder-joint from bones, including the tough parts and fat and cut into small pieces. Clean onions, wash and chop. Clean and wash rice, and then strain well. If you choose to use pastirma or another cured meat when preparing japraci, it must be cut into small pieces. Fry chopped onions in oil. Add chopped meat to onions and fry all together. When onions and meat are fried, add the rice and fry all together. Season the mixture with a little salt, ground pepper and parsley. Let the prepared stuffing cool.
When the stuffing has cooled, place it in the rastan leaves and roll the stuffing into a cigar shape. Boil rolls in a pot for 2 hours. Serve with kisjelo mlijeko – yoghurt.

Serves 8

Ingredients:

2 cups of milk
Yeast
Butter
1/2 teaspoon of sugar
1/2 cup of flour
1 teaspoon of salt
5 eggs

How to prepare:

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 at 325 degrees for 1 hour.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

300g of cottage cheese
1-2 sticks butter
Olive oil
400g cream cheese
250gfFeta cheese, crumbled
5-6 eggs
1kg filo leaves or 1 1/2 packages of thick dough leaves

How to prepare:

Grease a baking pan with butter. Put two layers of thick or 4 layers of thin dough leaves. Sprinkle olive oil in between leaves. Mix all of the above ingredients and place a layer over the leaves. Repeat layers (2 thick or 3 thin) until pan is full. Finish with leaves. Mix 1 egg and 1/2 cup of milk and pour over the pita. Prick with fork. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
NB: Chopped spinach can be added to the cheese mixture.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 cabbage (or sweet cabbage)
5 onions (diced)
2 stalks celery
olive oil
1 green pepper (diced)
100 gr. rice (cooked)
100 gr. walnuts (ground)
1 can whole tomatoes salt

How to prepare:

Boil the outer leaves of a cabbage. Heat oil in a frying pan and add onions, celery and green pepper. Fry until soft. Add the cooked rice and stir-fry the mixture for about two minutes. Remove the mixture from the heat and add the walnuts and salt. Mix well. Take a cabbage leaf and scoop approximately one tablespoon of the mixture on it. Roll up the leaf - the sides should be folded inside to prevent the mixture from falling out.
Then place the rolls in a large pan, add the tomatoes and enough water to cover them up. Cook over a medium heat for about one hour. Switch off the heat and keep the sarma covered until it's time to eat.

Serves 10

Ingredients:

3 medium sized eggplants
Salt
Flour
7 eggs
2/3 c. vegetable oil
3 lg. onions, minced
1/2 c. butter
1/2 lb. each ground pork and beef
1 lb. ground lean lamb
1/4 c. fine dry bread crumbs
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
2 c. milk
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
3 egg yolks, beaten
Dairy sour cream (optional)
 
How to prepare:

Peel eggplants and cut in 1/4 lengthwise slices. Sprinkle with salt and let stand 15 minutes; dust with flour. Then dip in 5 eggs, beaten, and brown on both sides. Set aside. In skillet, cook onion. Mix meats, 2 eggs, bread crumbs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper, and garlic. Add to onion; cook lightly browned. In saucepan, melt butter in 6 tablespoons flour. Add milk and cook until smooth. Line a 3 1/2 to 4 quart roasting pan layer of eggplant and meat mixture. Repeat layer ending with eggplant. Pour sauce over top; bake in 375 degree oven for 1 hour. Cut in squares. Serve with sour cream, if desired.

Serves 4
 
Ingredients:

1 1/4 c. scalded milk, cooled
1 tsp. salt
2 pkgs. dry yeast dissolved in 1/2 c. warm water plus 2 tsp. sugar
3/4 c. melted Imperial butter
1/2 c. white sugar
3 egg yolks, beaten
4 1/2 c. to 5 c. flour

How to prepare:

Mix as for any bread dough. Knead dough, but not too long (soft dough). Let rise before rolling out.

Ingredients for filling:

1 lb. ground walnuts
1 heaping c. sugar

How to prepare:

Mix the above with 3/4 cup hot milk. Beat 3 egg whites stiff and fold in nut mixture. Roll out dough and spread filling on dough. Roll up and put in greased 9x13-inch pan. Let rise 15-20 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees about 1 hour. Potica may be put into a ring or cut in half to make 2 loaves.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 kg flour
salt
Butter/Oil
Soured cream
Mineral water


How to make:

Mix white flour with water and salt. Grease a baking pan with oil or butter. Put a thin layer of the flour, water and salt mixture in the baking tray, cover the tray (preferably with a special metal lid called saci/sac, which has been heated earlier over a fire) and place in an oven (preferably wood-fired).
After 5-10 minutes, remove the saci, grease the pancake with butter or oil and spread a layer of sour cream over it. Then pour a second layer of the flour mixture into the baking pan.
Place the saci again on top of the baking pan to bake the second layer. Continue to add new layers of grease, sour cream and the flour mixture until the baking pan is full.
At this point, put the saci on again to bake the whole thing properly.

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1kg various vegetables (peppers, eggplant, okra, zucchini, potatoes, etc)
1/2 cup oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup peeled chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp chopped parsley
Salt Pepper

How to make:

Wash and slice the vegetables into 1-inch squares. Fry the vegetables in half the oil and remove them from the frying pan. Fry the onion and tomatoes in the remaining oil, and season with parsley, salt, and pepper. Put everything in a pot with a cup of water, cover tightly, and simmer until almost all moisture has cooked away. Serve hot, accompanied by steak, meatballs, or any other main dish.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

4 ripe oranges
4 eggs
1 large jar of black olives preserved in brine
1 small bunch of fresh mint
salt flakes
ground black pepper
olive oil

How to prepare:

Prepare the salad ingredients: Boil some water in a saucepan and slowly lower each egg, using a spoon, into the boiling water. Allow to boil for about 4 minutes. Meanwhile, peel the oranges and remove any white pith or seeds. Slice into segments. Drain the salt water from the olives, using a colander. Roughly chop the mint leaves, discard the stalks. After approximately 4 minutes check to see if the eggs are boiled by gently tapping them with the back of a metal spoon to slightly crack the shell. If no white fuid streams out like a ribbon, then the eggs are ready. Carefully remove from the saucepan with the spoon, and run under cold water for 20 seconds or so (or save water by immersing them in a bowl of cold water). This will help to set the egg. Using the back of the metal spoon again, crack the egg shells and gently remove. Allow to cool.
Place the oranges, olives, then mint into a large salad-serving bowl. Slice the eggs and immediately add to the salad. Sprinkle with salt flakes, freshly ground pepper and olive oil. Toss the salad just before serving.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

250g veal
1 large onion, grated
4 chopped tomatoes (or 1 can of chopped tomatoes)
1 1/2 lb of large Lima beans
salt and pepper
butter

How to prepare:

Select shoulder parts of the veal and cut them into 1" cubes. Wash the meat thoroughly with cold water, drain, and then place the meat in a pot together with butter and grated onions and fry for a few minutes. As the meat is frying, add water until the pieces are covered. Also add salt, pepper, and some of the chopped tomatoes. Please note that tomatoes should not be added all at once in the beginning since this doesn’t allow the Lima beans to boil properly.

Cover the pot and let the meat boil. In the meantime, cut the ends off the Lima beans and clean them well (you can also cut them in half if you desire). Add the Lima beans to the meat after it has been boiling for several minutes. Also add water until everything in the pot is covered. Finally, when the beans are done boiling, add the rest of the tomatoes. Then let the stew boil for a few more minutes so that the liquid can thicken.