Punjene Paprike (Stuffed Peppers)

This recipe was taught to me by Ivana and her mom. It is a classic Slavonian recipe with clear Hungarian influence.

Punjene Paprike (Stuffed Peppers)

core and seed 10 peppers, lightly salt inside

In pan, saute one diced onion
When onion is translucent, add
5-6 large spoons rice, rinsed but not cooked
1/2 kilo minced meat--pork, beef, or a combination
(you can add a small amount of smoked meat, minced, to add flavor if desired)

cook until meat is 1/2 browned, then take it off the heat

add salt, pepper, 2 small spoons sweet paprika, 2 large spoons chopped fresh parsley, 3 cloves minced garlic, 1 beaten egg, 1 spoon Vegeta*
mix thoroughly

Stuff peppers with meat mixture and place in a large soup pot, with the top of the pepper facing up (see picture)

combine 250 g tomato sauce, salt, water, pepper, vegeta
pour over the peppers. It should be enough to cover them

Bring to a boil then turn down the heat. Simmer 1 hr.

Serve with mashed potatoes

Recipe courtesy of Mrs. Jagoda Plačko

*Vegeta is a very common Croatian spice mix. It is in EVERYTHING. It has MSG in it, though, so I wouldn't recommend it as a new spice mix. Mrs. Dash or another salt substitute should probably work well as a subsitute

Zaljanica

This is Croatia’s version of Spanakopita. It is easy to make and remarkably tasty.

[Note: you won’t be able to buy fresh cheese in the U.S. I have it on good authority. The recommended substitutions is a combination of cottage cheese, cream cheese, and feta, which feta added in smaller proportion since it is very strongly flavored. (Thanks Luka!)]

Zaljanica

½ kilogram spinach
½ kilo fresh cheese
1 package phyllo dough
5 eggs
8 oz sour cream
2 deciliters yogurt
1 deciliters oil
1-2 deciliters mineral water
½ packet baking powder (approx 1 Tablespoon)
2 small spoons salt

mix all ingredients except phyllo dough
set one sheet phyllo dough aside
tear remaining phyllo dough into small pieces and soak thoroughly in mixture
place soaked dough in a greased oven dish
pour any remaining liquid over dough
cover in reserved phyllo sheet
poke holes in top sheet with a toothpick

let the dish rest for half an hour

cover the top sheet with oil and place it in a 200 degree Celsius oven for 1 hour
after ½ hour, cover the top with sour cream

It is amazingly tasty and very simple to make and will feed a large crowd.

Recipe courtesy of Mrs. Jadoga Plačko

Šnenokle

Šnenokle (SHNAY-no-clay), or "snow dumplings" are an egg-based dessert that is traditional in Slavonia (northeast Croatia). The dumplings are made of beaten egg whites, which are then placed in a thin pudding made from the egg yolks. It is a very tasty dessert which is actually fairly low on sugar.

Šnenokle
7 eggs, separated

beat egg whites until firm

on stove, heat 1.5 liters of milk to boiling
spoon in egg whites (dumplings should be the size of a fist)
[hint: wet the spoon between dumplings so the egg whites don't stick]
cover the dumplings with hot milk
put enough dumplings in to cover the surface of the pot
turn up the heat until the dumplings puff up (about 2 min)
turn down the heat and remove the dumplings to pudding cups or a large bowl
repeat until all the egg white is used up

mix:
egg yolks
10 spoons milk
3-4 spoons cream of wheat or grits
5-6 spoons sugar
vanilla to taste
[optional: cinnamon, orange, or other flavorings can be used]

add egg yolk mix to boiling milk
cook around 7 minutes until the texture thickens
[note: this is thinner than traditional pudding]
pour milk mixture over dumplings
[optional: sprinkle with grated chocolate, fruit, or cinnamon]

This should be eaten very cold

Recipe courtesy of Mrs. Jagoda Plačko