3. Bosnia

Bosnian Sarma with Cevapcici
stuffed cabbages with lamb and beef sausage

 

 

 

I am absolutely loving Bosnian recipes. Cory and I love cabbage, and Bosnian recipes are full of it. I chose to make Cevapcici, a traditional grilled pork and beef sausage-ish recipe, as well as Bosnian Sarma (which is apparently different from other Sarma... tried to get it right), which is a yummy stuffed cabbage dish.

 

Sarma  

inspired by http://idahosmeltingpot.blogspot.com/2010/04/bosnia.html  

For the leaves:

1 medium size green cabbage
1 c vinegar
1 T salt
Enough water to fill 

 

After rinsing, core tough base of cabbage and discard. Next, boil the entire head of cabbage in a large pot of water and vinegar. As the outer leaves soften, remove cabbage with tongs and peel leaves away, then reboil next layers. After all layers are separated, reboil in vinegar, salt, and water until tender. Reserve 3-4 "broken" pieces to layer in the bottom of the pan. *The original recipe has a method for pickling the cabbage leaves, but it takes a few weeks.. we're on a shorter time frame :) 

 

For the filling

1/4 lb of ground beef
1/4 cup of rice
1/4 cup of lamb 
1/2 tomato, minced
1/2 medium yellow onion, minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 tablespoon of sweet paprika powder
Salt and pepper
Vegetable seasoning such as Vegeta* to taste

Mix the meats with the rice, the vegetables, the spices and the seasonings. Roll some of the mixture into a golfball-sized ball. Unfold a cabbage leaf, place the meat at the bottom (toward the stem), and wrap the meat tightly, tucking in the ends of the leave as you go. Keep rolling until you are out of leaves or out of meat.

Spray dutch oven with Pam, and layer 3-4 broken, boiled leaves in bottom. Place each roll snugly next to each other in a Dutch oven, building layers. Add half a cup of warm water and simmer on the stove for  2 hours.

For the sauce
1 tablespoon of flour
1/2 cup of water
1 small can of tomato sauce
salt and pepper, to taste

Make a paste with the flour, the water and the tomato sauce and pour it over the sarma. Maintain the simmer for another fifteen minutes.

Cevapcici

1 T butter

1/4 yellow onion, minced

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 lb ground lamb

1/4 lb ground beef

almost 1 egg white, lightly beaten

1/2 T sweet Hungarian paprika

2 T onions, finely chopped (for sprinkling) 

Heat the butter  in a small frying pan, and when it starts to foam add the onions and garlic. Fry, stirring occasionally, until soft, around 6 to 8 minutes. 

Meanwhile, mix the lamb, beef, egg and spices in a bowl. When ready, add the onion and garlic mixture. Mix well. Shape into small cylinders, approximately 1" x 2" and arrange in a plate. Cover with plastic wrap, wax paper or a towell and refrigerate for one hour to one day, to let the flavors settle and the mixture become firm. 

Arrange the cevapcici on skewers about 1/4" apart from each other. Grill or pan fry in medium heat until done to your preference. Serve sprinkled with chopped onions, and serve with pita bread. 


The verdict? We liked this meal, although I might have been a bit liberal with the paprika (hey -- I was just excited to actually find the stuff! Big shout out to the Gourmet Shop in Columbia.)... and not liberal enough with the S&P. We may Americanize the cabbage rolls next time we make them -- different veggies, seasonings, etc. All in all, though, the meal was yummy (despite Co's facial expression - he had seconds!). The leftovers were still delicious a few days later!