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!!!!!

Roast Porkloin (Pečena Svinjetina)

My maternal grandmother made this on Sundays after church and it has become a staple in my parents' household as well. It's quite simple and very moist and delicious. Grandma said that when she was a young girl, their neighbor raised pigs and when one was butchered, they would trade meat for other pantry items amongst the neighbors. My grandmother said that since they raised chickens, the trade would be eggs and chickens for the pork. This was very common in the selos.

2 pounds boneless portion roast
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
1/2 cup white wine
salt & pepper to taste


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).


Crush garlic with rosemary, salt and pepper, making a paste. 
Pierce meat with a sharp knife in several places and press the garlic paste into the openings. 
Rub the meat with the remaining garlic mixture and olive oil.
Place pork loin into oven, turning and basting with pan liquids. 
Cook until the pork is no longer pink in the center, about 1 hour. 
An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 145 degrees F (63 degrees C). Remove roast to a platter. Heat the wine in the pan and stir to loosen browned bits of food on the bottom. Serve with the wine and pan juices as gravy.

SERVING SUGGESTION: Serve with roasted potatoes, onions, and carrots and a nice green salad such as Šopska Salat. You can roast the potatoes, onions, carrots with the meat.

String Bean & Potato Salad (Boranija I Krompir Salata)

Again, my waiter friend I met in Dubrovnik gave me this recipe. I had this salad at a nice sidewalk café called Klarisa, in old town a few years ago. Was just enough for a light lunch with a "flaša kisele vode" and some crusty bread to sop up the dressing like the locals do. Since then, I've made this for family for picnics or casual summer meals when it is too hot to cook. It is great served on the side with cold meats like ham, chicken, salami, turkey, prosciutto. 

3 MEDIUM-TO-LARGE POTATOES

1 POUND FRESH STRING BEANS, TRIMMED

3 TABLESPOONS OLIVE OIL

3 TABLESPOONS WHITE WINE OR BALSAMIC VINEGAR

¼ TEASPOON SALT

FRESHLY GROUND PEPPER TO TASTE

1 SMALL RED ONION, THINLY SLICED

3 SLICES OF COOKED BACON, CRUMBLED

3 HARD BOILED EGGS SLICED THIN OR CHOPPED

 Boil the potatoes in 2 quarts of salted water for 20 minutes.

Add the beans and boil 7 minutes longer, until the beans and potatoes are just tender.

Strain into a colander, remove and set aside the potatoes. Refresh the beans under cold running water and drain well.

When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel and slice them 1/3” thick. If the beans are long, halve them crosswise.

In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, salt and pepper.

Add the onion, potatoes, and beans, and toss very gently to dress all ingredients without breaking the potatoes Garnish with the eggs and bacon before serving.

NOTE: If you wish, you can add 1 can of drained flaked or chopped white Albacore tuna to the salad before tossing and chill for at least one hour, then garnish and serve. (I have a seafood allergy, so I cannot use any seafood in any recipe.) 

Summer Cherry Cake (Leto Višnja Torta)

My maternal grandmother made this cake for us as kids for our birthdays. She adjusted the recipe from what she knew as a girl in Bović. Grandma loved to cook and recreate recipes she knew as a young lady in Serbia. I had this cake in a poslastičarnica (pastry shop) in Belgrade near Tašmajdan Park. It was full of cherries, I recall they also had ones with apricots and red and black raspberry as well. It is a simple dessert and delicious on a hot summer's day.


1 large can cherry pie filling
14-15 teaspoons of sugar,
2-3 boxes of shortbread cookies or vanilla wafers, coarsely ground in food processor
1 large container plain yogurt
Cool Whip or equivalent topping

slivered almonds

chocolate shavings or shredded coconut (optional)

In a large plastic bowl, pour the cherries, do not drain them.
Sprinkle cherries with sugar and ground cookies then pour in the container of yogurt.
Mix thoroughly until all ingredients are blended then pour into a glass 9x13 dish
Put cake in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours to chill.
Before serving, top with the whipped topping and decorate the cake with the almonds.

Note: You can use different types of fruit canned pie fillings instead of cherries, blueberries are nice. Also, for decoration you can use chocolate shavings or shredded coconut, plain or toasted. Toasted coconut was a nice blend with the almonds.

Serbian Cauliflower Soup (Srpski Karfiol Supa)

My maternal grandparents owned one of the oldest mansions in the borough and had a lot of property that included a carriage house and chicken coops. They converted two acres of ground into a vegetable garden and we always had fresh vegetables that included corn, tomatoes, hot peppers, green peppers, rhubarb, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, watermelon, potatoes, and different lettuces. They also had a grove of fruit trees: cherries, pears, apricots, plums, chestnuts, and apples. We didn't have to go to the produce stands or stores, we went to Baba & Djedo's house for produce, chicken, and eggs!

2 tablespoon oil, divided

1 medium onion, chopped
1 large carrot, cut into thin coins
1 stalk celery, diced
1 medium tomato, seeded and chopped
1 medium potato, diced
1 medium to large head of cauliflower, chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon Vegeta (if available or Original Mrs. Dash)
1 quart chicken stock or vegetable broth
¼ teaspoon black pepper
salt to taste
2 tablespoons flour

In a soup pot, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Fry onion until golden; add carrot and celery and sauté 1-2 minutes. Add the diced potato, cauliflower, tomato, thyme and black pepper. Saute another minute. Add chicken stock or vegetable broth. If the vegetables are not covered, add 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat. Simmer until vegetables are tender. Taste and salt to your liking. When the vegetables are tender, make a roux by heating 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a small sauté pan over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of flour and stir well. Add 1 ladle of soup broth to the roux and whisk until smooth. Add the complete roux mixture to the soup pot and stir. Cook for another 5-10 minutes. To make an even thicker soup, blend half of it using a hand mixer or a blender. Adjust seasonings to taste. Before serving, you can add a garnish of chopped green onion, crumbled bacon, shredded cheddar cheese, or chopped fresh parsley.

NOTE: My father and grandfather liked to spice it up with a sprinkle of hot pepper flakes or seeds as a garnish.

Pineapple Cake (Ananas Torta)

Even though this isn't a Serbian recipe, mom always had the ingredients in the pantry for a quick dessert or in case company came unexpectedly. 

Just two ingredients create this dessert

1 box (1-step) angel food cake mix

1 large can crushed pineapple

Put dry cake mix in bowl (do not add the water as directed on the box). Add entire can of pineapple with juice. Mix carefully until all dry mix is blended. Pour into either a tube pan, 9x13 pan, or cupcake pan with liners. Bake at 350º for time on box for size pan (around 30-40 minutes.) When sides pull away from pan and toothpick is dry when inserted and removed, the cake is done.

Let cool and serve plain, or top with powdered sugar, whipped topping, or a dollop of whipped topping and berries on each slice.

NOTE: You can also substitute cherry, blueberry, or lemon canned pie filling instead of pineapple.