Śopska Salat (very popular peasant salad served all through the Balkans)

3 large tomatoes diced

2 large cucumbers peeled and cubed

1 hot Hungarian green pepper seeded and sliced into rings (these can be bought already prepped in a jar)

1 medium onion peeled and diced (you can substitute 3 green onions chopped thin if you like)

Enough vinegar and extra virgin olive oil to cover veggies

1 Tsp salt

2 Tsps black pepper

Feta cheese crumbles or shredded mozzarella

In a salad bowl, mix all ingredients together except for the cheese and hot peppers.

When serving in separate salad plates or bowls, garnish with a few pepper rings and the Feta cheese crumbles

Serbian Potato & Tomato Side Dish (Meze od Krompire i Paradize)

5 large potatoes peeled and sliced thin

1 large can diced tomatoes or stewed tomatoes

1 medium onion peeled cut in half and sliced thin

1 small green pepper seeded and chopped

1 clove garlic chopped

water

salt and pepper to taste
sugar (OPTIONAL if you think the tomatoes are too acidic -- about 1 tablespoon will do.)

In a large skillet, dutch oven, or crockpot, put potatoes in a layer on the bottom. Add the onion, garlic, and green pepper. Pour in the can of tomatoes juice and all. Simmer on low until potatoes are tender. If mixture starts to thicken, add enough water to thin it to keep potatoes tender. When potatoes are tender, salt and pepper to taste. Serve as a side dish or main course with crusty bread

If using crockpot, add all ingredients at once and use one can of water as well. Mix. Cook on medium 2 hours, adding water little by little if mixture thickens. Again, when tender, salt and pepper to taste. You can substitute a small can of V8 tomato juice for some of the water if you like

Serbian Potato Salad (Salat Od Krompire)

5 large potatoes peeled and cubed

1 large onion peeled and sliced into strips

salt

pepper

vinegar

olive oil

Boil potatoes until tender as you would for regular potato salad or mashed. Let them cool. In the mean time, mix 1/8 cup olive oil with enough vinegar to taste (personal preference but I use equal amounts oil and vinegar). After potatoes have cooled, place in large bowl and add sliced onions. Toss. Then add dressing. Add salt and pepper to taste. This dish is often served during fasting for holidays instead of meat.

Dad's Army Style Creamed Beef On Toast (S.O.S.)

1 pound lean ground beef (73-90% lean)
1 green pepper seeded and diced 
1 medium onion peeled and diced
1 can evaporated milk (not the sweetened condensed)
1 clove of garlic peeled and chopped
2-3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
salt and pepper to taste -- Dad always liked more pepper than salt
6 slices of toasted sliced white bread. You can cut them in half diagonally for presentation.

In a large skillet on medium temperature, brown the ground beef chopping and separating bigger chunks until well done. Drain the excess grease off the beef and return pan to the stove. Add the green pepper, onion, and garlic and continue browning until the vegetables are soft and the meat is done. You may add a little water to continue the browning process and to prevent sticking to the pan. Turn the temperature to low and add 3/4 cup of the canned milk and stir thoroughly in the beef mixture. In the remaining milk in the can, add the flour and stir. This will create the roux and add this to the mixture. Keep stirring until lumps (if any) are absorbed. Salt and pepper to taste. Keep stirring until the mixture thickens a little. Serve immediately over the toast points. Each plate should have 2 slices of toast. This recipe serves 3 people nicely. You can adjust portions accordingly for more people. Dad said this was always served as a breakfast before the soldiers went on duty. He preferred ground beef to chipped beef because it has more flavor. We have it as a quick supper and often with a nice garden salad on the side.

Easy Kajmak

1 cup butter softened

4 oz. feta cheese diced about 1 cup

1 pkg (4 oz size) cream cheese, softened.  

Beat butter and cheeses in a small bowl until light and fluffy.  It should be beaten for several minutes to achieve the texture of Kajmak.  Give it a try and Uzivaj!

Remembering My Family's Cooking

I remember growing up that I used to watch both parents and my maternal grandmother cooking for the family. I became interested at a young age, 6 to be exact, and since both parents worked, I was left to start dinner after school. My kitchen tasks were mainly prep work, cleaning and peeling different vegetables, taking meat out of the freezer or refrigerator to thaw, put water on to boil, mashing potatoes, etc. When my parents came home, they completed the cooking. As I got older, mom and dad taught me more and I often made simple meals and salads. My interest in cooking was peaked. My father Milos (Miloš) Gryak was a Staff Sergeant in the Army during WWII and was in charge of the officer's mess and galley. He was an excellent baker and did everything from scratch without a cookbook! His dinner rolls, donuts, sticky buns, and cinnamon buns were the best. I also include in this collection his version of S.O.S. (no translation needed!) which was an army staple. Although not Serbian, it is very good. I have also included his personal recipe for stuffed mushrooms and oil peppers as well which were a big hit at family dinners and celebrations. Mom, Anna (Anka) Bekich-Gryak cooked and baked traditional Serbian fare thanks to both grandmothers teaching her, Dorothy (Dragica) Ratković-Bekich, mom's mother and dad's mother, Julka (Julia) Tomasević-Grijak. 

My interest in cooking extended to junior and senior high school when boys were required to take Home Economics classes while girls had to take Woodshop and Drafting. During college, I lived with 5 fraternity brothers and I was elected "chef" which got me out of cleanup detail. My frat brothers loved my stuffed pork chops, chili, and some Serbian dishes I would slip in occasionally like palačinke, burek, sarma,  rezance, chicken soup, etc. I often called mom up and asked: "How do you make this? How much of whatever do I use?" She was a wealth of knowledge for my cooking endeavors. Since I lived in a traditional Serbian home, measuring was unheard of. Instead, it was this much and I would be shown a handful or a fist indicating the amount of an ingredient. Eyeballing and tasting were used a lot in the kitchen. The recipes I have found and translated are converted to indicate within reason exact measurements, cupful, spoonful, etc. My  junior-senior years in college afforded me the opportunity to go to Paris, France for 2 years to the renowned Sorbonne to finish my studies of the French language as an exchange student. Since then, I have received my doctorate in French Language & Literature. While in Paris as part of my studies, I enrolled in the famous Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Institute. There, I learned proper techniques for slicing, dicing, food preparation and selection, as well as some French dishes and sauces. I graduated with a Diplôme from there and still use some techniques today.

My housemate is from Great Britain and he loves our Serbian music and culture (especially the food) and is always delighted when I cook Serbian meals for us. 

I hope you enjoy these as much as I have fun converting them for you. I even included shortcuts such as using prepared store-bought ingredients as well as a crock pot or slow cooker instructions for you. I have found notebooks, card files, tablets, scraps of paper through the house loaded with recipes from my parents and grandparents and I have translated the ones in Serbian to English. As we say in Serbian: "PRIATNO!) Enjoy!

Miloš 1920-2005 & Anka (Bekich) 1924-2015 Gryak

Dorothy (Dragica) Ratkovic-Bekich 1901-1977