Ham and Bean Soup (Supa sa Šunkom i Pasuljem)

My maternal grandmother made soups all the time especially nice thick chorba type soups for winter months. Here is her recipe for Ham and Navy Bean Soup that I revised for the crockpot or slow cooker. We always had this on weekends in winter served with crusty bread or pogacha. I like. to make a sandwich from the meat from the ham hocks and a slice of raw onion to eat with the soup. It is a very simple recipe you can put into the slow cooker and forget it for 5-6 hours while it cooks. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS: 

1 lb smoked ham shank or ham hocks
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 medium potatoes peeled and diced into small cubes
2 cans (15.8 oz each) Great Northern Beans or 1 large jar of the beans, drained, and rinsed
5 cup homemade chicken broth or 2 32 oz cartons of Swanson's Chicken Broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

PREPARATION:

Spray a slow cooker or crockpot with cooking spray. Place the ham shank or ham hocks in the slow cooker first and then add the rest of the ingredients.
Cover and cook on low heat setting for 5-6 hours or until the meat is tender and almost falling of the bones.
Remove the ham, cut away the fat and discard, then dice the meat from the bone into small pieces. Stir back into the soup. If you like a thicker soup, remove some of the beans and mash them with a fork then stir back into the soup. Cook for an additional 1/2 hour. Serve with crusty bread or pogacha. Can be frozen and refrigerated for later use. Adjust salt & Pepper if needed.

Lika Lunch (Ličin Ručak)

Both sets of grandparents came from Lika (Gospić on my mother's side and Bović on my father's side.) Grandma Dorothy (mom's mother) loved to cook and often made do with whatever she had available in the house. Feeding her family of 11 became a chore, but she always made sure everyone ate good, according to my mom. Grandma said that she used to watch her mother make this for lunch sometimes and would often serve it with scrambled eggs (Kajgana.) She brought this recipe with her when she came to the USA, and we used to have this on a cold winter morning on weekends for breakfast with scrambled eggs; it was very filling, but you can serve it anytime.

1 pound potatoes, any variety, peeled and chopped into 1/-inch pieces

   salt, adjust to taste

   ground black pepper

1 tablespoon vegetable oil or olive oil, plus more only if needed

1 small onion, chopped into small pieces

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound kielbasa, sliced into thin coins

1 medium head green cabbage, sliced into ribbons, about 4 cups worth

2 tablespoons water

Instructions

Peel and chop the potatoes, rinse the potatoes and place them in a medium-size glass bowl. Sprinkle the potatoes with the salt and black pepper, stir or toss with your hands. Boil the potatoes until fork tender.

While the potatoes are cooking, warm a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil and as soon as it's hot, add the onions. Saute for a few minutes, until the onion is tender and lightly browned. Add the garlic and the kielbasa. Cook while stirring frequently, for about 3 minutes. When the potatoes are tender, add them to the skillet. Toss to coat, adding a small additional drizzle of oil only if needed. Spread the potatoes across the pan and allow them to cook for 2-3 minutes, stir and continue cooking until lightly browned.

Add the cabbage and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Toss to combine, add 2 tablespoons water to the skillet and reduce heat to medium-low. Cover with lid. Cook for about 4 minutes, until the cabbage is bright green and still a little crunchy. Taste and add additional salt, only if needed. 

NOTE: you can sprinkle the top with a little red paprika before serving.

Egg and Lettuce Salad (Salata od Jajeta i Zelene Salate)

Keeping it simple again when it comes to a nice healthy salad. When I last visited Café Klarisa in Old Dubrovnik, the menu had many salads listed and some were just plain lettuce and tomato and you added whatever else you like to the mixture, meats, cheeses, seafood, vegetables, spices, etc. This was a salad suggested to me by my server, Goran, who said that if I planned on walking through Old Town, then a light lunch is best on such a hot day. He was 100% correct! The recipe was so simple, I duplicated it here. I often serve this with a regular meal or a quick light lunch with some rolls and butter or fresh baked bread. Sometimes the best meals are the simplest and this has become a staple in my house.

INGREDIENTS:

1 small head iceberg lettuce outer leaves removed and discarded and the rest chopped
4 hard boiled eggs peeled and chopped
White distilled vinegar 
Olive oil
1 teaspoon Vegeta or Mrs. Dash Original Blend (Optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

PREPARATION:

Wash the head of lettuce thoroughly and cut the core out. Discard any of the outer leaves if they are damaged or wilted. Then cut the rest of the head into wedges and then chop the wedges into pieces. Boil 4 eggs until hard and let them cool. (Do this before you start to prep the lettuce.) Put the lettuce into a salad bowl and drizzle with the vinegar and olive oil. Mix thoroughly. In the meantime, chop the hard boiled eggs as if you are going to make egg salad. Put this in with the lettuce next. Add the Vegeta, salt and pepper and mix thoroughly.
Chill for 30 minutes before serving. If you like, you can lay out dishes of crumbled bacon, sliced salami strips, cooked or canned baby shrimp, diced chicken breast, or small cubes of ham and cheeses for your guests to add to their portion. 

Simple Tomato Salad (Jednostavna Paradajz Salata)

This is one of my Kuma Mileva's recipes for a simple salad using few ingredients. We had this at cookouts her and Kum Jovo (Joe) would have at their big house. Quite nice and refreshing anytime of year with any meal.

INGREDIENTS:

3 large beefsteak tomatoes stems removed and diced into chunks
2 green onions chopped (white and green parts)
1 green pepper cored, seeded, and diced into small pieces
1 clove of garlic finely minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 Tablespoon sugar
salt & pepper to taste
Sprig of fresh parsley finely chopped
Grated Parmesan Cheese (optional)
Toasted garlic croutons (Optional)

PREPARATION:

In a small bowl or jar or salad cruet, mix the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, sugar, and salt & pepper then set aside or place in refrigerator while blending the vegetables. In a salad bowl, put the tomatoes, green onions, green pepper, garlic and parsley then mix well. Pour the dressing on top and toss or mix with a wooden spoon or spatula so as not to break the tomatoes. Salt and pepper to taste, add more sugar if you like less acidic taste caused by the tomatoes and Balsamic vinegar. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving. Sprinkle grated cheese and spread croutons on top before serving or you can put the croutons on the table in a bowl and the Parmesan cheese as well so that your guests can add it to their portion if they wish.

Pepper and Potato Stew (Slane Paprike sa Lukom I Krompirom)

I just found this recipe in a plastic bag with others and this brought back memories of Baba's kitchen smells. Peppers frying always smelled wonderful! She said her mother would make this back in Lika as a light supper and served it with Lepinja and some sort of roasted meat. Baba often served it as a sauce over rice, wide noodles, or pasta such as Rigatoni or Linguini. It is also great by itself for a vegetarian meal and is quite simple to make.

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 large red, yellow, orange, and green peppers seeded and sliced into thin strips
2 large onions thinly sliced
4 large potatoes peeled and cubed or sliced and boiled until tender
1 large can diced tomatoes in juice or 4 large tomatoes seeded and cut into chunks
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
3 Tablespoons balsamic Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Vegeta (optional)
Salt and course black pepper to taste (Sea salt is excellent for this)

PREPARATION:

Heat oil in a large skillet or dutch oven over medium heat. Add peppers; cook stirring until they begin to soften for about 10 minutes. Stir in the onions and garlic and cook until they begin to soften stirring so the peppers an onions do not burn, about 5-6 minutes. Pour in the tomatoes with the juice and cook 5 minutes. Add the vinegar, vegetables, salt and pepper. Cook while stirring until all vegetables are tender and the juices thickened for about 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat and serve or set side while you prepare the pasta or rice. If you made pasta, put the pasta in a large serving bowl and ladle the sauce over it and then toss. Put some extra sauce in a small bowl and set on the table so your guests can add more if they wish.

Watermelon Salad (Lubenica Salata)

When I visited relatives in Kragujevac, they took me to "Restoran Panorama" where I had this amazingly refreshing summer salad. Since my aunt owns a coffee shop in Kragujevac, she knows almost every chef in town and she asked the server, Vlado, to give us the recipe for this salad. It is very simple to make and has become a family favorite of mine. Don't forget crusty bread to sop up the watermelon infused dressing! The locals like to do this. This is only served in the summer at the restaurant.

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups cubed watermelon, seeded or seedless
2 large ripe tomatoes
1 medium cucumber
1 small red onion
⅓ cup pitted sliced black olives (can use jar olives)
⅓ cup crumbled feta
Some chopped fresh parsley
Mint leaves (optional)
Olive oil and red-wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar (to taste)
Sea salt and course black pepper (to taste)


PREPARATION:

In a large bowl combine 3 cups cubed watermelon; 2 large ripe tomatoes, chopped; 1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped; 1 small red onion, sliced; 1/3 cup sliced black olives; 1/3 cup crumbled feta; and some chopped parsley. Drizzle with olive oil and vinegar, sprinkle with the salt and pepper, toss and serve.

Cream-filled Donuts (Kremne Krofne)

Again, my mother always looked for "shortcuts" to make some great creations. Here is a recipe I found in her recipe box of Serbian cooking, (she had 2 little metal index card files; one for Serbian/Croatian food and one for as she called it "American" food.) These were always a treat for Slava, Orthodox Christmas and Easter, and birthdays. Instead of taking hours of preparation, these can be whipped up in no time, in an hour or so.

Filling:

1 8 ounce cream cheese (softened),
1 small box instant vanilla pudding
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup milk

Mix cream cheese in a medium-sized bowl with electric mixer until smooth, light and creamy. Add pudding mix and milk and mix on low until incorporated and then mix on medium until thickened. Set aside while making the donuts. You can refrigerate the filling if you like while the donuts are baking, but not necessary.

Donut:

1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
4 eggs


Over medium heat melt butter in water. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Immediately add flour salt and sugar whip in with a wooden spoon. Add one egg at a time to incorporate well into dough. Drop by ice cream scoop or small cookie scoop onto parchment paper on baking sheet. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 to 25 min. Cool on wire rack then fill with the custard mixture and dust with powdered sugar. You can either pipe in the cream mixture with a pastry bag or split the top off the donut and spoon in the cream then cap it again. Enjoy!!!!!