600-700
gr mussels in shells
5
dl white wine
a
little olive oil
1
small onion, chopped
2-3
cloves garlic, chopped
2
bay leaves
10
peppercorns
salt
fresh
parsley, chopped
Wash
the mussels in ice cold water. Sautee the onion in olive oil and add the washed
mussels. Stir for one minute. Add garlic, salt, peppercorns and bay leaf, then
add wine. If needed, add a little water, the mussles should only barely be
covered with the liquid. Bring to boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the
parsley and serve immediately with toast or garlic bread.
12
red peppers of the “Sheppard” variety or 10 regular red peppers
1
small onion
1
or 2 carrots, grated finely
150
gr mushrooms, diced
1
stalk celery, diced
2
cups soy bits (or 2-3 soy burgers) or 2 cups washed rice
2
tomatoes
salt
pepper
oil
tomato
juice or water
Wash
the peppers, cut off stalks and take out seeds. Place in a large baking sheet.
Sautee onions, mushrooms, carrots and celery and add the soya bits which have
previously been soaked in hot water for 15 minutes and drained. Or use 2 cups of
washed rice. Season to taste, stir well and stuff the peppers with the mixture.
Close the tops with bits of tomato, pour tomato juice or salted water over the
peppers and bake at medium temp, 30-40 minutes.
On
a “no oil” day, fry the mushrooms on a Teflon pan with no oil (or on a
teaspoon of soy sauce), and when they start letting out their brown liquid, add
the onions, carrots and celery. This way they won’t stick to the pan.
Vegetable
casserole
1
small eggplant, diced
2
zucchinis, chopped coarsely
1
red pepper, chopped coarsely
1
green pepper, chopped coarsely
2
onions, quartered
1
carrot, sliced coarsely
3-4
cloves garlic, halved
2-3
tomatoes, peeled and sliced
a
little olive oil
salt
pepper
oregano
fresh
parsley
Dice
the eggplant, salt and leave for about an hour. When it lets out bitter liquid,
drain well (it’s best to squeeze with your hands). Prepare all vegetables and
place in casserole, together with oil, seasonings and herbs, toss, cover and
bake at medium temperature until vegetables are just cooked, but still firm.
Serve on a bed of boiled rice or “fasting mashed potatoes (cooked potatoes
mashed with salt, margarine and some of the water they cooked in. Soy milk can
be substituted for regular milk).
On
a “no oil” day add an extra tomato or two and, of course, omit the oil.
Soy
stew
1
cup soy chunks
750
gr potatoes
1
onion, diced
1
carrot, diced or shredded
1
stalk celery, diced
1
cup peas
1
bay leaf
garlic
to taste (chopped)
1
teaspoon flour
oil
paprika
salt
pepper
dill
Soak
the soya chunks in very hot water for about an hour. Peel the potatoes and dice
the potatoes evenly. Sautee onion, add shredded or diced carrot and celery. Stir.
Add paprika and flour and stir well. Then add the potatoes and soya chunks and
cover with water. Season to taste, add bay leaf, peas and garlic and simmer for
about 20 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked. Finally add pepper and dill.
On
a “no oil” day, boil everything and thicken with a spoonful of cornmeal when
liquid reaches boiling point. Add cornmeal gradually, stirring well to avoid
clumping.
Buckwheat
and vegetable casserole
1
cup roasted buckwheat (“kasha”)
1
small onion
1
carrot, grated
1
small eggplant, diced
1
zucchini, diced
2
potatoes, diced
1
red or green pepper, diced
½
cup peas
oil
salt
pepper
fresh
parsley
paprika
Wash
the eggplant, dice, sprinkle with salt and leave for about an hour. When it lets
out the bitter liquid, drain well. Sautee onion, carrot and pepper, add paprika,
stir well and add remaining vegetables and cover with water. Season and simmer
until potatoes are cooked. In the meantime cover the buckwheat with boiling
water and soak. When the vegetables
are cooked, combine vegetables and buckwheat and place in a casserole. Bake at a
moderate to high temperature. The casserole is cooked when the buckwheat soaks
up all the liquid.
Prebranac
(Serbian baked beans)
450
gr lima beans, washed
3
onions, sliced
1
carrot
salt
pepper
oil
Soak
the lima beans for at least two hours. Cook them until tender in salted water.
Drain, but reserve about 2 cups of the thick liquid at the bottom left after
boiling the beans. Grease a baking pan with oil. Sautee onions until softened.
Transfer the beans to the sautéed onions and stir well, season with salt and
pepper. For a spicy hot “prebranac”, dice a jalapeno pepper and add to the
beans. Next, transfer the mixture to the greased baking pan. Add liquid and bake
at a moderate temperature for about 30 minutes. If the beans appear too dry
during baking, add more liquid.
Do
not attempt to make this dish without oil.
450
gr Romano beans
1
onion, chopped
3
cloves garlic, chopped
1
carrot, diced or grated
1
celery stalk, diced
salt,
pepper
Wash
beans, soak for at lest two hours. Place in large pot of water and bring to a
boil. When water boils, drain the beans and discard water, then in fresh water
boil the beans again (this is done to decrease flatulation). Then add the rest
of the ingredients and simmer for an hour or more, until beans are well cooked
and some of the liquid has evaporated. When beans are ready to serve, mash them
with a potato-masher (or puree in blender). Adjust seasoning and garnish with
fresh parsley. The texture of the
soup should be thick and creamy.
300 lima beans
500 gr tomatoes, peeled and de-seeded
2 onions, chopped coarsely
1 teaspoon oregano
1 cup (or more) fresh parsley, chopped
oil (optional)
Wash and soak the lima beans for at least two hours. Boil and drain them, discarding the water in which they cooked. If using oil, sauté onions until golden, add chopped tomatoes, beans, season with salt, add water and cook gently until lima beans are well cooked. Add parsley just before end of cooking. Adjust seasoning. Tomato paste can be used instead of fresh tomatoes. On a no-oil day, bring all ingredients to a simmer and cook gently, increase cooking time by 10 minutes.
1,5
kg potatoes
5
cloves garlic
juice
of 1 lemon
oregano
salt,
pepper
½
cup water
Peel
and slice potatoes and place in baking dish. Add chopped garlic, lemon juice, salt,
pepper, oregano and cover with water. Bake covered at medium temperature.
6 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
1 cup peas
1 carrot, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 onion, chopped
1-2 teaspoons curry powder or paste
oil
1 teaspoon flour
chopped parsley to garnish
Sautee
onion, celery and carrot on a little oil, add curry powder and flour, stir well.
Immediately add potatoes and cover with water. Then add peas, season to taste
and simmer for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked. Garnish with fresh
parsley.
4
potatoes
1
onion
1
cup flour
½
teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon baking powder
oil
pepper,
salt
Grate
potatoes and onions and mix with flour, oregano, salt, pepper and baking powder.
Form croquettes by hand and deep- fry in oil.
1
kg string beans
2
onions
1,5
cup tomato puree
chopped
parsley
1
or 2 potatoes
salt,
pepper
Chop
onions and sauté on oil. Wash, trim and cut string beans, peel and dice
potatoes. Add string beans to onions, sauté for another 10 minutes stirring
continuously, then add potatoes, tomato puree, parsley. Season to taste. Cook
until all vegetables are soft. For a nutritious meal, add 1 cup of soya chunks,
previously soaked in hot water for an hour.
Stuffed
sauerkraut cabbage leaves (sarma)
2-3
heads sauerkraut cabbage
1
kg rice, washed
1
kg onions
3-4
carrots, grated
3-4
cloves garlic, chopped
5-6
bay leaves
oil,
salt, pepper
paprika
Separate
cabbage leaves. If leaves are too salty, cover them with warm water and set
aside for an hour, then drain. Sautee onions on oil, add vegetables, salt,
pepper, bay leaves, garlic and paprika. Add rice and stir well. Set aside. Then
place a little stuffing on cabbage leaf, fold and roll, securing the edges.
Place each roll in a large pot. Each row of sauerkraut should be sprinkled with
salt, paprika and a spoonful of oil. Cover with water and simmer for 2 hours.
300
gr vine leaves
1
eggplant
1
onion
4
cloves garlic
2
spoons oregano
2
spoons fresh mint or dill
1
spoon basil
¾
cup rice
2
spoons lemon juice
2
spoons tomato puree
salt,
pepper
Dice
eggplant, sprinkle with salt and set aside for an hour. Then drain the bitter
liquid it releases and sauté on hot oil together with onions. When the oil is
absorbed, add lemon juice, oregano, dill, chopped garlic, salt and pepper and
stir well. Add 1 glass water and simmer until soft. Then add rice and simmer for
a further 5 minutes. Place vine leaves in hot water to soften, then place a
little of the rice and eggplant filling on each, roll, secure edges and place in
a deep baking dish. Sprinkle with basil and two spoons oil and ½ glass water.
Bake covered for about 50 minutes on medium. Serve topped with tomato sauce.