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