Peasant Breakfast (Seljak Doručak)

3 cups frozen hash browns

3⁄4 cup shredded Monterey Jack pepper cheese

1 cup cubed cooked ham ( you can substitute cooked loose pork sausage)

1⁄4 cup green onion, well chopped

4 well beaten eggs

1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk

1⁄4 teaspoon black pepper

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

Grease 2 quart rectangular baking dish. ( 9x13 is fine)

Arrange potatoes evenly on bottom of baking dish.

Sprinkle with cheese, ham, onions.

Combine milk and eggs and seasonings.

Pour over potatoes and cheese.

Refrigerate over night.

Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes until set.

Let it rest 5 minutes before cutting and serving.

I substituted frozen hash browns instead of grated potatoes like my grandmother did. She grated them course with a hand grater. She used shredded cheddar cheese or mozzarella cheese instead of Monterey Jack and added more black pepper, the Monterey Jack cheese has enough pepper taste. No salt needed since the ham is salty. She often said that as a girl in Bović, her mother made this for them for breakfast and for the farm hands as well. She served it with sliced tomatoes and sourdough bread. When us kids stayed overnight at baba's house because she was the designated babysitter, she would make this for us for breakfast.

Beans & Sauerkraut (Grah i Kupus)

1 package dried pinto beans (substitute a large jar of navy beans drained)
2 smoked ham hocks
1 lb. smoked pork ribs

12 to 15 cups water
2 bay leaves
4 cloves garlic, smashed, but whole
2 large cans sauerkraut, drained and rinsed

1 lb of kielbasa sliced into wide coins (optional)
3 potatoes, peeled and chunked (optional)

Salt and  black pepper

Wash the pinto beans and soak them overnight in about 1gallon water.  Sort and clean the beans and transfer them to a large pot or Dutch oven with 1 gallon water. (Or if you forget like I usually do, use the quick soak method.  Cover beans with water, bring to a rapid boil, shut off the heat, cover for an hour and drain and rinse.)  Add water, ham hocks, pork ribs, bay leaves and garlic and bring to a boil again, skimming off any foam that may arise to the top. Rinse sauerkraut thoroughly in a colander. Drain sauerkraut and add to pot with beans. Add the kielbasa at this point. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 2 to 3 hours until beans are tender, adding more water, if necessary. 

Clean meat off of bones and return to soup. Discard bay leaves before serving.  Prepare the roux for thickening and flavor of the soup.  Don't skip this step.

Zafrig (roux)

⅓ cup oil or bacon grease
1 large onion
⅓ cup flour
½  tsp paprika

Prepare the zafrig (roux). Use equal parts oil to flour. Saute onion in oil or bacon grease in large skillet until translucent. Add flour, salt, pepper and paprika (for slight color), stirring to prevent burning, until zafrig starts to brown (5 minutes maybe). Remove from heat and pour over soup. Add 1 cup cold water into pan, scrape bottom, stir until thickened and add to soup. Mix well and cook for another ½ hour or so.  This soup thickens when refrigerated because of the ham hocks and tastes the next day. 

This was an almost weekly staple in our home. Sometimes instead of sauerkraut, mom and grandma substituted chunked potatoes for Grah I Krompire.

Bean & Ham Soup (Pasulj)

This is a slow cooker/crock pot version:

1 lb package dried northern beans
1 pound ham bone, hocks, shanks or diced ham

2-3 carrots sliced into coins
1 large can diced tomatoes, drained

2 tsp onion powder

6 cups water

salt & pepper to taste

Rinse and sort the beans for any pebbles and debris. Add the the rinsed beans, carrots, tomatoes, onion powder, salt, pepper, and ham to the crock pot. Add water. Cover and cook on low about 8 hours, until beans are tender. Remove ham bone, shanks or hocks and pull off the meat. Add meat to the crock pot and mix. Serve with crusty bread and sliced or green onions on the side.

Pasta Trieste (Pasta Trst)

1 pound box of bow tie pasta (farfalle)

1 small box frozen peas

1 cooked boneless ham slice diced into small pieces 

1 small onion peeled, chopped, and sautéed in margarine or oil until translucent 

1 cup grated parmesan cheese or one large Kraft shaker grated parmesan cheese

1 clove of garlic finely chopped or 1 teaspoon garlic powder (not salt)

black pepper

Cook pasta per directions on the box and at same time sauté onion. When onions are translucent add the peas and ham. When peas are warmed and slightly tender, set aside while you drain pasta retaining at least 1/2 cup pasta water. Pour peas, ham, and onions into the pasta and mix. Start adding the cheese and mix slowly until cheese melts and well blended. If mixture thickens, add a little of the pasta water to thin out. Keep adding cheese until the mixture is slightly thickened while saving some cheese for garnish. Add black pepper to taste. No salt needed since the cheese is salty.

Garnish with remaining cheese. Serve immediately. For variation, you can add some capers and black olives to the pasta, they as well have plenty of salt.

NOTE: You can find pre-packaged cubed ham (as seen in the photo) in your local super market. The one I buy is Hormel and is vacuum-packed with water. I use the whole package but I drain the water out before adding it to the recipe. It really saves some time and money!

My grandmother Dorothy made this for us as a quick lunch or supper. She said it is a Slovenian recipe that was very popular amongst workers in the fields. She often cooked big pots of it for the local steelworkers in Duquesne, Pennsylvania that "Djedo" would invite home. After the meal and lots of Slivovitz, out came the tamburas and accordion and the party began! Happy memories of days gone by. I simplified it by using frozen peas instead of fresh and boxed pasta instead of home made. She said pasta is very popular in the former Yugoslavia because it is a simple inexpensive dish to make and you can add anything to it to be creative for a hearty meal.

Milo's Stuffed Mushrooms

1 carton mushrooms, medium to large caps
1 small 4 oz package of cream cheese
2 strips of cooked bacon finely crumbled (you can use bacon bits)
2 small green onions, finely chopped 

Bread crumbs (Panko or regular)

Dash of garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon prepared horseradish 

Parmesan cheese (optional)

Oil or vegetable spray

Wash mushrooms well and remove the stems from all the mushrooms, and finely chop the stems only. Mix up the cream cheese, bacon, green onions, chopped stems, garlic powder and horseradish. Fill each cap with mixture. If you wish, top each mushroom with a little bit of bread crumbs or parmesan cheese and bake at 375º for approximately 10-15 minutes or until the mixture is bubbly. You can put each in a muffin tin or on a cookie sheet but coat either with a little cooking spray or oil so the mushrooms will bake evenly. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy! These went fast at any function I have made them for, so make sure you get one before you put them out for your family and friends! They are ideal with steak, pot roast, hamburgers, roast beef, or ribs.

Dad created this recipe one day while he was grilling steaks on the grill outside. He wanted something extra beside grilling the plain mushrooms as a side dish. We had all the ingredients and then voilà! Milo's Stuffed Mushrooms were born.

Lima Beans For Lent (Lima Pasulj Za Pozajmio)

This dish is often served during Lent in place of meat along with the Serbian Potato Salad. We often had it with a Sunday meal because it tastes good and is simple to make. I liked it served cold from the fridge!

1 bag of raw lima beans or 2 large cans of lima beans drained
1 medium onion peeled and cut in half then into strips
Olive or vegetable oil
Salt and pepper to taste

If using bagged raw beans, sift through them to remove any stones or other debris. Put in a pot with plenty of water and soak over night. Drain the beans the next morning. Place the beans in a pot or Dutch Oven and cover with water. (For each cup of beans use three cups of water). Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer until the beans are very soft, for about an hour and a half (cooking time will depend on the type and the size of beans, so check them from time to time). Drain and discard the water. Let the beans cool for about 15 minutes then add the raw onion and toss. Add the oil, salt & pepper to your liking then toss again. Serve warm or cold.

Bean Salad (Pasulj Salata)

2 small cans kidney beans drained

1 small can chick peas (garbanzo beans) drained

1 small can wax beans drained

1 small can green beans drained

1/2 cup mayonnaise or Miracle Whip

1 Tablespoon sugar

Salt & Pepper

Mix all together then add salt/pepper to taste

Serve nice and chilled on lettuce leaves as a quick lunch with crusty bread or side dish which is often sliced hard boiled eggs or cold sliced meat such as chicken breast, ham, or roast beef.